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.
This course is part of the Business English for Non-Native Speakers Specialization
Offered By
Business English for Non-Native Speakers SpecializationThe Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyAbout this Course
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Learner Career Outcomes
71%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
50%
got a pay increase or promotion
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 2 of 5 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Approx. 25 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: Georgian, Arabic, French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, English, Spanish
Skills you will gain
Business CommunicationEnglish LanguageBusiness WritingWriting
Learner Career Outcomes
71%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
50%
got a pay increase or promotion
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 2 of 5 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Approx. 25 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: Georgian, Arabic, French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, English, Spanish
Offered by
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.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1 hour to complete
Welcome 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.
1 hour to complete
2 videos (Total 6 min), 4 readings
4 readings
Objectives and outcomes10m
Learning how to learn10m
Learning vocabulary10m
The HKUST grammar guide10m
3 hours to complete
Business 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.
3 hours to complete
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 quiz30m
Challenging grammar: -ing vs. -ed30m
Module 2 Quiz30m
8 hours to complete
Writing 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.
8 hours to complete
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 practice30m
Writing to persuade practice30m
Peer-review practice: Persuasive email30m
Vocabulary quiz30m
How concise are you?30m
Pattern #2 Independent Clause: Appositive30m
Module 3 Quiz30m
Peer review practice30m
7 hours to complete
Writing 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.
7 hours to complete
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 practice30m
Vocabulary quiz30m
Practising your active and passive voice30m
Tone & Style – Avoid using clichés in your writing30m
Module 4 Quiz30m
Peer review practice quiz for grammar and vocabulary errors30m
Peer-review practice quiz for memo30m
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM ENGLISH FOR EFFECTIVE BUSINESS WRITING
by MBSep 17, 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 EDDec 2, 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.
by GGNov 9, 2017
It is a very good course. As a non native english speaker I learned a lot of things and I enhanced my busineess writing skills. The animated videos were very good!!
by OSJun 18, 2020
The course is very helpful but not enough explanation about Appositive sentences and their relation with Independent Clause
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?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
- The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
- The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
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.
Is financial aid available?
Yes, Coursera provides financial aid to learners who cannot afford the fee. Apply for it by clicking on the Financial Aid link beneath the "Enroll" button on the left. You'll be prompted to complete an application and will be notified if you are approved. You'll need to complete this step for each course in the Specialization, including the Capstone Project. Learn more.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Course?
This Course doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Course Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more. Online Degrees and Mastertrack™ Certificates on Coursera provide the opportunity to earn university credit.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
