The use of case studies as a means for teaching business French is discussed. The approach is advocated because of the realism of case studies, which are based on actual occurrences. Characteristics of a good case are noted: it tells a story, focuses on interest-arousing issues, is set in the past 10 years, permits empathy with the main…

As part of a communicative approach and to provide non-linguistic information to students, authentic videotape recordings were incorporated into the summer intensive Spanish course in the University of South Carolina's master's program in international business. Students were introduced to the tapes by first seeing segments without sound, both to…

A course in English for business administration using the case study method is described. The course is designed for graduate students and makes use of a common technique for analyzing and solving business problems. The approach is aimed at improving both oral and writing skills in English through small group discussion and written analysis. A…

In response to heightened awareness of the globalization of the world economy, and in reaction to curricular standards set by their primary accrediting agency, business schools have moved steadily in the direction of internationalizing their curricula. However, few business schools require their students to possess or acquire second language…

In this article, the authors examine employer perceptions of local and foreign MBA graduates along with the problems encountered and factors considered important in hiring them. Based on a sample of 91 respondents, the findings show significant differences in perceptions of local and foreign MBA graduates, as well as significant differences in…

This publication contains 19 refereed research papers, 2 innovative instructional practices papers, 2 presentations on works in progress, and 3 papers on research training on promoting excellence in research and teaching for business. The research papers are "Business Demands for Web-Related Skills as Compared to Other Computer Skills"…

This paper provides guidelines for writing and classifying scenarios for classroom practice of language skills through the strategic interaction method. The scripts, used for spontaneous or rehearsed role-playing or transactional games, are rated according to their information load (grammatical complexity), interactional value, and transactional…

The commercial Spanish courses at Eastern Michigan University, examinations in commercial Spanish, and cooperative education exchange programs are described, and the university's new programs that combine the study of foreign language and business are briefly addressed. A six-course sequence offered on the junior, senior, and graduate levels cover…

As more and more of its graduates became employed in training and development in business and industry, rather than in instructional systems development in the public schools, the Instructional Systems Technology (IST) progam at Indiana University decided to conduct a needs assessment to determine how its programs could better prepare its…

A course in business Chinese offered at Brigham Young University (Utah) is described. In the six semesters the course has been offered to date, enrollment has increased steadily and it has drawn students from business, Chinese, and a variety of other majors. Many students had served religious missions in Chinese-speaking countries. In developing…

While language programs often include a cultural component as a requirement for language majors or as an option for other students, there is little agreement about the design of a civilization component for serious programs in languages for business. Although the traditional approach to cultural education is valid, a curriculum focusing on…

The University of Ulster (Northern Ireland), a multicampus university in an economically depressed area highly dependent on international trade, and France's University of Caen, developed a program in European business studies with French as a key discipline. The four-year undergraduate program enrolls Irish students with good French proficiency…

At Millersville University (Pennsylvania), business German is taught in the German section in a two-semester introduction at the sophomore level, a junior-level advanced course, and a senior-level translation course. These four courses are augmented by introductions to business and economics, both taught in English outside the German section.…

Midway College, a two-year liberal arts college in Kentucky's Bluegrass region, established a business program emphasizing second language skills in response to the local need for personnel with knowledge of French or Spanish. The program brought together existing business and general studies courses, including geography, and new courses in…

This document contains 23 papers from a conference on promoting excellence in research and teaching for business. The following are among the papers included: "Alternative Licensure/Certification Assessment of State Specialists" (Marilyn Chalupa, Ginny Richerson, Nancy Groneman, Kimberlee Bartel, Randy L. Joyner, Dennis LaBonty);…