Faculty of Liberal Arts

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BA in English for

Business Communication
 

Go to ···› programme design key skills aquired career opportunities
What is Business Communication The BA Programme in ‘Business Communication’ is designed to produce the “well-rounded, well-grounded young men and women” with the knowledge and skills that prestigious international companies and organizations are searching for.		See below for examples of the exciting and challenging internships that have enabled BA students to use and advance their knowledge and consolidate their skills in business communication.

“Global commercial banks are more comfortable hiring talents with Liberal Arts degrees than they are hiring those with a finance-centric MBA, because they are looking for well-rounded, well-grounded young men and women”.

Assif Shameen, Senior Editor, AsiaInc magazine

Small, friendly, student centred classes ensure that students get ample opportunities to participate, learn through doing and develop individual talents.  Asian U’s English language environment gives students the chance to fulfill their potential and acquire those skills that recruiters from top international companies are searching for (see Career Opportunities below). 

Programme Design

Year One
In the first year a number of essential skills in Business Communication are introduced, a theoretical foundation to understanding business is laid, and students start making presentations in order to build up their confidence.  At this stage, 5 of the 6 courses taken during the 1st and 2nd semesters are the same as the BBA programme.  These include a choice of General Education Humanities subjects. 

The 2 courses taken only by BA students focus on English language skills in reading and writing, which enable students to deal effectively with their reading assignments and project work throughout their remaining undergraduate years.

Year Two
In the second year, the business communication skills developed in the second year are developed further, whilst the principles of important business areas, such as management, marketing, research methods and accounting, are introduced.  In order to appreciate business more effectively, students study business mathematics. 

For students who are weak in or are afraid of mathematics, optional special tuition, designed to make mathematics more friendly, is provided to BA students during their first year.

Year Three
During their third year, students explore the finer points of business communication, focusing on such specialised areas as the English required for marketing, business services, business meetings and report writing in formal, informal and intercultural contexts.  During their final two years, students may fine-tune their language skills through a range of literary activities. 

Between the third and the fourth years, students gain further work experience through a compulsory 200-hour internship in an international, business environment.  The internship counts as a credit-bearing course.

Year Four
During their final year, further elective subjects help students to hone their skills in such specialized areas as writing for the Internet, public relations work and business negotiation techniques. 

Through the ‘Team-work, Communication and Leadership’ course, students consolidate their knowledge of and skills in business, whilst the Independent Project provides further opportunities to develop individual interests in business communication based on work experience shaped by future work and research plans.

Courses
Courses last one semester and are worth 3 credit points.  Students take an average of 6 courses, making 18 credit points, per semester.  Students must complete 144 credit points during their 4 years of study.

Key skills students will acquire

The BA programme is unique in combining in-depth knowledge and understanding with skills that are highly valued in the workplace. 

These skills, as reported in the Nov05 issue of AsiaInc magazine, include:

• analytical thinking

• written and oral communication skills

• interpersonal skills

• ability to adapt to new situations

• initiative

• creative problem solving

• cultural sensitivity/awareness information-gathering skills & the ability to integrate information from a wide variety of sources

This is in line with advice given by Professor Kok Lan, associate HR Director at Pricewaterhouse Coopers. She feels that more emphasis should be placed on practical exposure and less on academic content, especially where rote learning characterizes the academic approach, as is the case in so many traditional educational institutions. 

In contrast, at Asian University active class participation ensures that students develop the necessary skills, knowledge and resources, which allows them to work flexibly and independently in the workplace. 

Internships and work experience
For this reason, actual work experience plays an important part in the BA programme (for details see Year Three of The Programme below).  Work experience is, of course, highly regarded by employers, while for students it provides an ideal opportunity to test out knowledge and skills, to see if they meet the requirement of employers. 

The BA programme started in 2002 and the first batch of students will graduate in 2006.  Nevertheless, our BA undergraduates have already not only put their knowledge and skills to effective use, but have distinguished themselves at international functions and during internships. 

Career Opportunities

Career opportunities in international business include:
– Marketing services
– Advertising
– Journalism
– Media
– Specialist writing
– Translation
– Public Relations
– Consultancy
– Human Resources Management
– Employee Relations
– Financial Government
– A wide range of non-government organisations

 

Examples of internships
		Ms Nattamon Sartsatit, now in her fourth year, worked for Virgin Radio during her first summer break and was voted top weather forecaster on Channel 11 during her second internship.  During her third internship, Nattamon worked at an international resort in Califonia.  These internships have given Nattamon added confidence and now, with her proven knowledge and interpersonal and language skills, she has already been offered highly paid jobs in international companies.
In September 2005, ECPAT International’s Information Officer, Mr Andrew Lawrence, wrote a detailed evaluation of the internship undertaken by Ms Lucksavee Chantaratchada, now a third year BA student, between May and August. Details of Lucksavee’s internship and Mr Lawrence’s comments are available here.  The table below matches Mr Lawrence’s evaluation with some of the essential skills required by employers:	Mr Tanes Rianglaem, now in his second year, has represented Thailand at UNICEF conferences in Cambodia and Japan, where his English language skills resulted in him playing an active role and giving a number of speeches.  Tanes was attracted to Asian University in the first place, because, as an AFS returnee, he was looking for an international educational environment, where he could continue to participate in the learning process and improve his English.

BA students’ achievements	Skills required by employers
Lucksavee showed an acute ability to carefully review and assess new information materials; was quick to learn database applications, and displayed an ability to assess and respond to problems creatively	Rachel Broder, who is responsible for campus recruitment at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong, says they are looking for graduates who are analytical and creative
Lucksavee showed she could work independently and manage her time schedule so that assigned tasks were completed on time.	Goldman Sachs also stresses self-motivation while at UBS “We look for people who are able to think independently".
Lucksavee developed good working relationships.  When visitors came to The ECPAT Resource centre, she helped them to locate information materials relevant to their interests.	Andrew Bell, Hong Kong director at human resources consultancy Hewitt, says that large multinational financial services firms are on the lookout for people with consummate people skills.

 

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