Bridging the Gap between Pedagogy and Workplace Needs

For a university teacher of business English to both undergraduates and postgraduates, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of suitable books with authentic texts and updated information for demonstration/illustration of workplace texts and genres. First, students nowadays expect authenticity but not dated examples from existing business English textbooks. Second, the genres and communicative functions covered in most business English textbooks are limited, and emerging features and genres of workplace texts are rarely covered. Third, research findings are highly sought after to inform how workplace texts are composed in terms of content, structure and language features. This paper will give examples of the niche that needs filling, and then discuss what ESP teachers can do.