{"title":"English Communication Skills in International Business: Industry Expectations Versus University Preparation","authors":"M. M. Roshid, A. Kankaanranta","doi":"10.1177/23294906231184814","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"In the globalized labor market, skills gaps between industry expectations and university preparation are becoming more prevalent. English communication skills (ECS) are vital soft skills in all workplaces, particularly in international business, where English is commonly used as a lingua franca. This case study examined the nexus between academia and industry regarding the instruction of ECS and their applicability to meet the requirements of the globalized business landscape by collecting data from 43 personnel in the international ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh. The research reveals that English courses in higher education do not adequately address the communication needs of the international RMG business, which requires practical experience in the workplace, trade-specific vocabulary, intelligibility, and clarity rather than a high level of fluency. The study recommends promoting the teaching of English for general business purposes in Bangladesh by integrating theoretical and practical learning in the classroom and workplace as part of the curriculum.","PeriodicalId":46217,"journal":{"name":"Business and Professional Communication Quarterly","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Business and Professional Communication Quarterly","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906231184814","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"COMMUNICATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In the globalized labor market, skills gaps between industry expectations and university preparation are becoming more prevalent. English communication skills (ECS) are vital soft skills in all workplaces, particularly in international business, where English is commonly used as a lingua franca. This case study examined the nexus between academia and industry regarding the instruction of ECS and their applicability to meet the requirements of the globalized business landscape by collecting data from 43 personnel in the international ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh. The research reveals that English courses in higher education do not adequately address the communication needs of the international RMG business, which requires practical experience in the workplace, trade-specific vocabulary, intelligibility, and clarity rather than a high level of fluency. The study recommends promoting the teaching of English for general business purposes in Bangladesh by integrating theoretical and practical learning in the classroom and workplace as part of the curriculum.
期刊介绍:
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly is the only refereed journal devoted to research that advances the teaching of communication in the workplace. The journal aims to present the many interdisciplinary, international, and organizational perspectives that characterize the field and specifically to publish research that advances knowledge about business and professional communication pedagogy and praxis in both academic and workplace settings, including technical and scientific communication, rhetoric, program design and assessment, the impact of technology, sustainability, global and multicultural issues, nonprofit communication, and best practices. As an interdisciplinary journal, BPCQ welcomes manuscripts that address a variety of theoretical, applied, and practical approaches and topics in the teaching and praxis of business, corporate, organizational, professional, or technical communication, including qualitative and quantitative research on classroom teaching or assessment, case studies of specific classroom techniques, reports on strategies for program development, innovative assignments or methodologies, and reviews of scholarship relevant to business and professional communication pedagogy. BPCQ especially welcomes manuscripts that address the principles of SoTL (scholarship of teaching and learning). BPCQ also publishes articles on a particular theme, for which a call may be announced on the ABC website: http://www.businesscommunication.org. Information on submitting book reviews can be found at http://www.montclair.edu/cwe/bcq