This course aims to improve your Business English writing skills by developing your use of vocabulary, grammar, understanding of different business writing genres, and your ability to write professional business documents. Skills learned in this course will be used in the cross-cultural communications course and help prepare you to produce the professional business documents in the Capstone project.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- write business emails
- write an executive summary
- write persuasively in English
- adapt content to purpose, context and audience
- use appropriate style and tone of writing for business purposes
This course is part of the Business English for Non-Native Speakers Specialization
English for Effective Business Writing
Offered By
Business English for Non-Native Speakers SpecializationThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
About this Course
4.4
108 ratings
Skills you will gain
Business CommunicationEnglish LanguageBusiness WritingWriting
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
1Welcome Module
Welcome to Week 1! This week, we will cover Module 1 where we introduce you to the objectives and structure of this Specialization and course.
2 videos (Total 6 min), 4 readings
4 readings
Objectives and outcomes10m
Learning how to learn10m
Learning vocabulary10m
The HKUST grammar guide10m
Week
2Business writing genres
Welcome to Week 2! This week we will cover Module 2 where we introduce you to basic genres of business writing and the writing process. You will also be introduced to vocabulary and language skills common to business communications.
5 videos (Total 34 min), 5 readings, 3 quizzes
5 videos
Business letters, memos and emails: The basics8m
Report writing7m
The writing process, part 17m
Challenging grammar: -ing vs. -ed2m
5 readings
Objectives and outcomes10m
Objectives and outcomes10m
Vocabulary list10m
Commonly confused words10m
Sentence pattern you should know #110m
3 practice exercises
Vocabulary quiz10m
Challenging grammar: -ing vs. -ed2m
Module 2 Quiz30m
Week
3Writing emails
Welcome to Week 3! This week we will cover Module 3 where we introduce you to emailing and the language skills you will use in business emails. You will also be introduced to vocabulary and language skills common to business communications.
7 videos (Total 38 min), 8 readings, 10 quizzes
7 videos
Context and directness8m
Writing to persuade6m
Rhetorical devices5m
The writing process, part 22m
Paragraphing6m
Challenging grammar: Missing verb 'to be'3m
8 readings
Objectives and outcomes10m
What do we mean when we say, 'rhetoric'?10m
The concept of kairos10m
Peer-review practice: Sample persuasive email10m
Objectives and outcomes10m
Vocabulary list10m
Sentence pattern you should know #210m
Peer review practice: Sample email10m
8 practice exercises
Using the Direct Approach practice2m
Writing to persuade practice2m
Peer-review practice: Persuasive email16m
Vocabulary quiz10m
How concise are you?12m
Pattern #2 Independent Clause: Appositive8m
Module 3 Quiz30m
Peer review practice8m
Week
4Writing memos
Welcome to Week 4! This week we will cover Module 4 where we introduce you memos and how to write according to audience and purpose. You will also be introduced to vocabulary and language skills common to business communications.
6 videos (Total 32 min), 8 readings, 9 quizzes
6 videos
Audience, purpose, tone and style7m
Plain English6m
Gender sensitive language8m
Active and passive voice3m
Challenging grammar: Comma splice3m
8 readings
Objectives and outcomes10m
Objectives and outcomes10m
Vocabulary list10m
Sentence patterns you should know #3 & #410m
Reasons to use the passive voice10m
Tone & Style – Avoid using clichés in your writing10m
Peer review practice: Sample memo with errors10m
Peer-review practice: Sample memo10m
7 practice exercises
Plain English practice2m
Vocabulary quiz10m
Practising your active and passive voice6m
Tone & Style – Avoid using clichés in your writing2m
Module 4 Quiz30m
Peer review practice quiz for grammar and vocabulary errors8m
Peer-review practice quiz for memo14m
4.4
27 Reviews67%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
40%
got a pay increase or promotion
Top Reviews
By MB•Sep 18th 2016
Good course. Excelent material but the girl of the videos speaks too low, always need to put the volume at the maximum and somethimes also in that way I hardly can listen to her.
By ED•Dec 3rd 2017
This course was very useful for me and I learned a lot about business communication and English writing. I think everyone who is in business needs to learn in this course.
Instructors
Sean McMinn
Senior InstructorCenter for Language Education
Kin Tang
InstructorCenter for Language Education
Delian Gaskell
InstructorCenter for Language Education
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
HKUST - A dynamic, international research university, in relentless pursuit of excellence, leading the advance of science and technology, and educating the new generation of front-runners for Asia and the world.
About the Business English for Non-Native Speakers Specialization
This Specialization will introduce non-native speakers of English to methods for developing English language and communication skills for the workplace, doing business, cross-cultural understanding, and business case study analysis. You'll apply these skills in the final Capstone Project by analysing a current business case study and providing recommendations to a target audience in both presentation and written formats.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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