论文总字数：39875字

摘 要

随着经济全球化程度的加深，近年来高校扩招以及英语教学在中小学中的普及，社会和用人单位对外语人才已经提出更高的要求。同时掌握英语和其他专业知识的复合型人才受到广泛的青睐。

本文从商务英语专业本科生以及用人单位两个角度进行需求分析。旨在通过对问卷与访谈结果的分析，检验目前的商务英语专业课程设置是否满足学生与用人单位的需求。从而提出解决办法，提高学生的学习效果。

通过分析讨论，发现目前的商务英语专业课程设置有以下问题：通用英语技能课程所占比例较大；有关商务知识的必修和选修课程较少。学校应根据学生的水平与学习需要以及用人单位的需求适当减少通用英语专业技能课程，将其与专业知识课程适当整合，并增加商务知识类课程，注重实践环节。

关键词：商务英语专业；课程设置；需求分析

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 The Definition of Curriculum Design 2

2.2 Related Studies on Business English 3

3. Introduction to Needs Analysis Theory 4

3.1 The Definition of Needs 4

3.2 The Classification of Needs 4

4. Investigation into the Business English Majors’ Needs 6

5. Findings and Discussion 8

5.1 Students’ Motives to Choose Business English Major 8

5.2 Students’ Employment Objectives 8

5.3 The Most Important Language Skill of Business English 9

5.4 The Degree of Students’ Satisfaction with Present Curriculum Design 11

5.5 The Results of Interview with the Employers 12

5.6 The Problems and Solutions 13

6. Conclusion 15

Works Cited 16

Appendix I 17

Appendix II 19

1. Introduction

With the fast development of economic growth, especially after China’s entry of the WTO, the needs of interdisciplinary talents increase dramatically among the society. These talents are usually proficient in English and have much knowledge and experience in business activities. Thus, much attention should be paid to the learning of business English. The researches show that the demand for graduates from English language and literature major has decreased a lot due to the development of China’s socialist market economy since the 1990s; on the contrary, the talents needed are those people who master not only the English language, but also the knowledge of other fields, such as business, law and news (He et al. 1999:24-28). This kind of talents are favored and welcomed by the employers. In this case, the discipline construction and talent cultivation of business English must be in conformity with the change and development of the needs.

In recent years, much attention has been paid to business English major, such as the studies on its disciplinary orientation, and curriculum design, However, the employment situation of graduates from English major is not very good. The English level of graduates from economics or trade majors has been improved gradually because of both the popularization of higher education in our country and the development of college public English teaching. The graduates, who not only master business knowledge and skills but also have a good command of English language, are undoubtedly the potential competitors for business English major graduates. Because of the stern employment situation, can the business English majors have a clear positioning about themselves in the learning at the undergraduate stage? Can they find a satisfactory job or can they be competent for a job? Curriculum design is the key section to answer the questions above since it is the way to achieve the teaching goals and cultivate the talents.

Needs analysis should be the basis of curriculum design. However, needs analysis did not received due attention in our country. The curriculum designers usually determine the courses that should be offered from an academic perspective. There exists a gap among the curricula determined in this way and the learners’ needs and practical needs in workplace. Therefore, this thesis will conduct the study of curriculum design based on need analysis, including the perspectives of junior and senior students from business English major.

2. Literature Review

2.1 The Definition of Curriculum Design

Curriculum design is a basic way to realize the objectives of professional training. The quality of curriculum is usually related with teaching quality in some degree.

The word “curriculum” in the West derives from the Latin word “currere” which means racecourse and running. There are many other different understandings of curriculum in the research field. David Nunan, defines curriculum as “one way of looking at the curriculum is to see it as an attempt to specify what should happen in the classroom，to describe what actually happens，and to attempt to reconcile the difference between what ‘should be’ and what actually ‘is’”(Nunan, 2001:12). Goodson defines curriculum as“a multifaceted concept，constructed，negotiated and renegotiated at a variety of levels and in a variety of arenas” (Goodson, 1994:111). In our country many scholars also provide some definitions of curriculum. For example, Zhang Hua defines it as a set of performance objectives，which everything is planned ahead, including the expectation of instruction and the instruction plan (Zhanghua, 2001:172).

As to curriculum design, it is a complex process which involves lots of factors. Scholars and experts show their own views on curriculum design. Nunan(1988) put forward that curriculum design can be divided into several stages as follows: the diagnosis of learner’s needs, the formulation of educational goals, the selection of teaching content and materials, teaching arrangement, classing of the students, determination of learning tasks, the methods of assessment(Guan Chunlin, 2005:37-40). Jiang Shanye gives a definite explanation and considers that curriculum design refers to the whole scope and features of courses that are arranged and offered by schools and other institutions. It refers to those courses like the workshop, self-study, experimentation and other normal teaching situation in the given time, such as in an academic year, a semester or four months (Jiang Shanye, 1991:132).

To sum up, curriculum design could be condensed as a program which consists of teaching content, time allotment and sequence of courses with the basis on some cultivating objectives. This thesis will talk about the present curriculum design based on needs analysis.

2.2 Related Studies on Business English

After the Second World War, the United States has absolute predominance in the world economy, which makes English become the main language for international trades. In the academic world, western scholars studied business English earlier. In our country, after the issue of reform and opening-up policy, business English began to be paid attention to under the background of increasing international trades. Because of the different research backgrounds, scholars and experts at home and abroad have various views on business English.

Ellis and Johnson consider that business English should be studied under the background of English for Specific Purposes. This is because business English and English for specific purposes share the same characteristics: needs analysis, outline design, curriculum design, material selection and development (Ellis amp; Johnson 1994:3). Business English emphasizes the special communicative activities.

Wang Xingsun thinks that business English, which belongs to English for specific purposes, refers to English in business environment (Wang Xingsun, 1994:1). In Lin Tianhu’s opinion, business English is the composite of English vocabulary, sentence patterns, style and other elements which are the reflection of professional activities in the field of business economic and trade (Lin Tianhu, 2004:32).

In summary，business English is a branch of English for Specific Purposes with business knowledge as the core and English as the medium. It belongs to applied linguistics. In foreign countries, ESP is a system of English teaching which serves for other majors. However, in our country it is introduced to cultivate international business talents under the background of economic globalization. Therefore, business English is considered as a major in this thesis, and the curriculum design of business English will be studied on the basis of needs analysis.

3. Introduction to Needs Analysis Theory

3.1 The Definition of Needs

Before discussing needs analysis, it is indispensable to consider the meaning of “needs”. In common sense, needs are the requirements which are aimed to gain satisfaction. In psychology, needs is defined as the primary substance needed physically by human beings, such as food, or some social and individual factors and some things from complex learning, such as knowledge, skills, fame and so on. However, in second language teaching, needs are related with language closely. Up to now, different scholars and experts have not come to an agreement on the definition of needs on second language teaching. They have their illustrations of needs in language curriculum design, the word “needs” may mean for the following:

Mountford holds the view that needs refer to what the institution or society at large regards as necessary or best to be learnt from a language course or program (qtd. in Jin Yue, 2013:7). This definition obviously lays much emphasis on social needs on language teaching. Berwick’s comment is that needs can be defined as “the gap between a current state of affairs and a desired future state” (qtd. in Zhao Mingmin, 2013:8).

3.2 The Classification of Needs

Because of so many different definitions of needs, there are different classifications of needs.

Brindley thinks that needs can be divided into subjective needs and objective needs. Subjective needs refer to the learners’ cognitive and emotional needs in the process of learning. Objective needs are based on factual information about learners and their language competence as well as patterns of language use. (qtd. in Zhao Mingmin, 2013:9)

According to Berwick, needs can be divided into felt needs and perceived needs. Felt needs are the students’ own needs, wants or desires. This kind of needs can vary from person to person, Perceived needs are the needs which are set in accordance with the learning experience of the educators and other people. (qtd. in Zhao Mingmin, 2013:9)

Hutchison and Waters put forward the concepts of target needs and learning needs from a different perspective. Target needs, which consist of necessities, lacks and wants, are the knowledge and skills learners should master in order to behave properly in a particular situation. Necessities refer to the knowledge which can help the learners complete their work successfully. Lacks mean the gaps between the present knowledge level and the target knowledge level. Wants are the section that learners intend to learn in a particular situation. Learning needs refer to all the factors in the process of learning, including current knowledge, motivations and learning strategies. (qtd. in Zhao Mingmin, 2013:9)

The following table is designed to summarize ways of classifying needs.

Richards (1985, qtd. in Brown) holds the view that needs analysis is a process which arranges and describes the learners’ language needs according to the subjective and objective information. Pratt(1980, qtd, in Brown) thinks that needs analysis is to identify and confirm the steps of needs in order and to establish the priority levels. In this process, the sorting will use a variety of information gathering tools, such as questionnaire and interview. Moreover, these needs are not static. It is important and necessary to continuously test the present needs to ensure learners’ real needs. According to the characteristics of the definitions above, Brown defines “needs analysis” as a systematic process which requires information both subjectively and objectively, and determines the learners’ needs of acquiring a language (Brown, 2001: 35-37). Need analysis has been always regarded as the starting point of curriculum design.

Therefore, students’ needs should be identified firstly while conducting the curriculum design. It is the first stage in curriculum development. In our country, however, learners’ needs have been ignored for a long time both consciously and unconsciously. It is in general teachers and administrations board that decide the curriculum in teaching and learning. Fortunately, learners’ needs began to arouse people’s attention in recent years in our country as the needs analysis becomes more and more important and the study on curriculum design goes further.

4. Investigation into the Business English Majors’ Needs

Based on curriculum design and the theory of needs analysis discussed above, this part is to introduce the methodology of the research on curriculum design for business English majors in local colleges, including the research questions, participants, instruments, data collection and analysis.

This research takes Huaiyin Normal University as an example. The following two research questions are put forward:

1. What are the learning needs of students of Business English major?
2. Can the current curriculum design satisfy students’ learning needs and practical needs? If not, how to improve?

The research on the questions above is aimed to investigate and analyze the current curriculum design for Business English majors. Besides, it is to put forward some reasonable suggestions to improve the current curriculum design for business English majors in Huaiyin Normal University.

The students who take part in this investigation are the junior and senior students of business English major in Huaiyin Normal University. Most of them have passed CET-4, which means they have a relatively good command of English. The reason of choosing junior and senior students as the research object is that these students have already learnt the most specialized courses and they are familiar with the curriculum design of their major. In addition, some students have already acquired practical experience as well. Their learning needs and practical needs have a significance of reference. The other group of the participants is 20 employers which need business English graduates and have a certain amount of overseas business transactions.

As to the research instruments, a questionnaire and an interview is conducted. The questionnaire is aimed to investigate and analyze the English majors’ learning needs and their degree of satisfaction with the current curriculum. In order to make students fully understand the meaning of the questions, the questionnaire is in Chinese. At the beginning of the questionnaire, the concrete curricula that students have and the proportions are given. The questionnaire consists of fourteen questions altogether: students’ motives to choose business English as their major (Q1); students’ employment objectives (Q2); the most important language skills of business English in students’ opinion (Q3-Q4); students’ satisfaction with the present curriculum design (Q5-Q12); students’ ideal proportion of subjects about the curriculum for business English major (Q13). The former 12 questions are multiple choice questions while the thirteenth is a completion. After the questionnaire is finished, the interview with the employers is carried out to gather more information. The results of the questionnaire and interview provide a great deal of useful information about the students’ needs and practical needs in workplace.

The questionnaire was handed out at the end of regular classes. Students did the questionnaire after the detailed explanations about the content of the questionnaire. They were informed of the fact that the results of questionnaire were for research purposes and there were no right or wrong answers. They can express their actual view on curriculum design for business English major. A total of 60 questionnaires were distributed. 55 questionnaires were taken back. These 55 questionnaires are all valid. After analyzing the questionnaire, some valid information has been achieved and concluded. The outcomes may mirror what needs to be focused on in the future curriculum design.

5. Results and Discussions

On the basis of the questionnaire and interview, the problems of present curriculum design for business English majors in Huaiyin Normal University will be found out and the solutions will be given at last.

5.1 Students’ Motives to Choose Business English Major

Motivation, which is an essential element in one’s learning, can not be ignored in the process of learning. If there are no goals or motives, the learners are not able to put into practice from the beginning to the end even though he has correct guidance. There are four items stating the students’ motives to choose English as their major.

Table 5.1 students’ motives of choosing English major

Table 5.1 shows the data that students choose for their reason or motive to select business English as their major. The results suggest that most students are intended to find a good job after graduation, which takes up 63.6%. 16.3% of the students are aimed to pass the postgraduate entrance exams. 7.2% of the students want to prepare for their further study or work abroad. And 12.7% students or 7 out 55 are to get the business English certificates. Most students choose the first option “To find a good job” suggests that students have already realized the significance of future work. Therefore, to meet students’ needs about their future work, the practicability of curriculum should be considered.

5.2 Students’ Employment Objectives

Question two is to investigate the employment selection of students. As is shown in table below, in these 55 students, 44 students want to work in enterprises, which take up 80%. This kind of needs should be taken into consideration during curriculum design. Foreign-funded enterprises and joint enterprise usually provide high pay and comfortable working environment for their employee. The jobs in government departments usually have some certain place with a stable income in society. Only 1.8% of the students choose to work in private enterprises. The number of students who would like to work in private firms is the least, which indicates that students pay much attention to stability when job-hunting.

Table 5.2 the employment objectives of students

5.3 The Most Important Language Skill of Business English

Question three is used to investigate students’ attitudes towards the language skills of business English, including listening and oral English, reading, writing, translation. The skills here are different from the requirements for the normal students of English major. They refer to the skills that will be used in business activities, such as introducing a product, communicating by phone, reading a variety of business documents, writing a report and translating in business environment. Listening and speaking usually are used at the same time, so they are set in one option in this questionnaire. There is no doubt that all of these language skills are very important for English majors to achieve success in their work. As for the third question, students are required to choose only one option which is the most important in their opinion. 52.7% of students think that they need to improve their skills of listening and speaking and 27.3% of them are interested in translation and interpretation. However, according to the talents training programs for business English majors in Huaiyin Normal University, there is a fact that the pure curricula about language skills are overemphasized. The lessons on listening, speaking, reading, which have no strong pertinence, are set up in the first and the second year of college. Therefore, the class hours of various curricula on pure language skills should be cut down and the curricula of business English language skills should be increased.

Table 5.3 the most important language skills of business English in students’ opinion

The fourth question is designed to investigate students’ most wanting skill or knowledge during the process of learning. 28 students think they need to improve their language skills of business English, which is about 50.9%. 11 students think business knowledge is the most deficient part. 9 of the students think they are lacking in business operation skills and 7 students want to have a deeper understanding of international business culture.

Table 5.4 students’ most wanting knowledge or skill in their opinion

The data reveal the fact that students hope they can be competent for their work as soon as possible after they find a job. Students hope they can acquire the knowledge and skills so as to improve their competitiveness in workplace. Thus, while designing the curricula for business English majors, all the following aspects of knowledge and skills should be taken into consideration.

5.4 The Degree of Students’ Satisfaction with Present Curriculum Design

After the investigation of the questions concerning the motives to choose English major, the employment objectives, what students want to master, students’ evaluation on the present curriculum design is researched.

The talents training program for business English majors in Huaiyin Normal University requires that students should have three types of curricula: general courses, specialized core courses and professional courses. The proportion of general courses takes up 27% of the total class hours. In specialized core courses, the required curricula of language skills are basic English, listening, oral English, reading, writing, phonetic lesson, translation and grammar. There are 1056 class hours for the curricula above, which is about 44.6% of the total class hours. The basic elective curriculum occupy 32 class hours, which is 1.4% of the total class hours. The proportion of required curricula for English language knowledge is about 6.8%. The required curricula of business English module are business English, international trade practice and business English interpretation, which takes up 6.8% of the total class hours. There are three modules in the electives of professional curriculum, including business-related module, Linguistics module and literature module. Students are required to choose several courses and complete 10 credits from the third to the seventh term of college.

Table 5.5 students’ satisfaction with the current curriculum design

According to the results of this questionnaire, most students are not very satisfied with the proportions of different kinds of curricula. Table 5.4 shows the data of students’ choices on question 12. There is only one student choosing the option “strongly agree”. More than half of the participants choose the options “neutral” and “disagree”, which is about 70.8%. Many students said they have fewer curricula on business English and the number of electives is small.

The last question is used to know about students’ ideal proportion of curriculum for business English major. Due to it is an open-ended question, only 26 students wrote down their answers. The common response is that the pure class periods of language skill curricula should be reduced while the curricula of business English ought to be increased.

5.5 The Results of Interview with the Employers

5.5.1 The Evaluation on Business English Graduates

In the interview with 20 different employers, 12 employers are basically content with business English graduates while 8 employers are not very satisfied. The employers think that some graduates cannot be qualified for some tasks, especially business negotiations. The graduates are lacking in negotiation skills which puts them at a disadvantage in the communication with foreign customers. Most graduates are nervous in the process of negotiation due to the poor mental quality. In addition, most employers consider the business English graduates are destitute of communication strategies under the business English. The interpersonal skills and abilities of organization and coordination which play an important role in workplace should be improved as well.

5.5.2 The Requirements on Business English Graduates

The employers also put forward some requirements on business English graduates which can be summed up into three points as follows:

(1) Communicate with others effectively. Almost all the employers pay attention to the ability of communication with foreign customers which is considered to be one of the key elements to success. If the employees have no good communication skills, they cannot introduce the products or prepare projects effectively. Some employers point out that in order to avoid misunderstanding, it is extremely important to use language appropriately and have a deep understanding of the cultural differences between the two parties. And 12 employers also stress the importance of business etiquette.

(2) Use the business English language skills adroitly. 15 employers stress the importance of oral English. In the employers’ opinion, business English graduates are good at reading and writing while their spoken English is not as good as expected. Even though they can communicate with others fluently, they cannot finish tasks or jobs excellently. Business English graduates need to pay attention to the business professional terms. Some employers give concrete requirements. First, use language accurately and avoid ambiguity. Second, communicate with others confidently and fluently. Third, organize and express information clearly.

As to reading and writing, business English graduates should be familiar with various types of business documents, such as contracts, reports, letters, memos, etc. and write appropriately with accurate business terms. They are also required to find specific information quickly. Some employers point out that the majority of business English graduates are good at general English and they need to improve their ability of using language under the business background.

(3) Master business knowledge and business operation process correctly. Most employers think colleges and students pay attention to improving language skills but they neglect business knowledge to some extent. Employers hold the view that business knowledge such as economics, international finance and international trade should be given enough attention. In addition, employers think it takes time and resources to train new employees because they are lacing in practical experience.

5.6 The Problems and Solutions

Since students are the receivers of the curriculum and the feedback of information to improve teaching level, they should be the principal part in the process of curriculum design. A good curriculum means it can satisfy students’ learning needs as well as their future needs in employment.

Based on the analysis of the questionnaire and the interview, here come three problems. First, there is a large proportion of curriculum about general English language skills. Second, the number of required curricula on business knowledge is small. Third, the electives on business English takes up a small proportion. This thesis also puts forward some solutions to the problems.

(1) Cut down the class periods of general English skill curricula and integrate pure language skill curricula with applied curricula properly, such as learning how to write a report of a product in writing class. Along with the social and school emphasis on English teaching at all levels and twelve years’ learning at primary and secondary school before entering college, more and more high school graduates are familiar with grammar rules and commonly have good ability of reading and writing. So, it is necessary to cut down the pure class periods of language skill curricula. Students can have these curricula in the first two terms to improve and consolidate their language skills. The integration of curricula can be carried out in the second year of college. After the preparation and training in the first two terms, students can master the language skills on business better.

(2) Increase the required curriculum on business English. In the present talents cultivation plan, there are only three required curricula, including business English, international trade practice and business English interpretation. It cannot meet students’ learning and the requirements of employers. Some curricula can be set up, such as Western economics, International Finance and Settlement. Increasing the curricula on business English can better ensure the integrality of business knowledge and skills.

(3) Increase the electives on business English. Students are required to select five courses and complete 10 credits in the plan. Besides, there are three modules in the electives, which consist of business-related module, Linguistics module and literature module. The proportion of business English is too small. Increasing the elective curricula means that students will have more chances to choose the business fields that they are interested in and have a clear career direction and goals. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the elective courses of business English.

(4) According to the requirements of employers, the following curricula are suggested to set up. In the module of basic curricula, increase Business English Writing and change Business-English reading course into the required one. In the module of professional electives, increase the curricula on business etiquette, business contacts and interpersonal relations, comparison of Chinese and western business culture (Shi Hui, 2010: 61).

(5) Pay attention to the practice training. Students have several weeks to practice in the workplace at the seventh term of college. However, colleges cannot ensure that each student finish this task. In order to solve this problem, the college can cooperate with the enterprise to set up a concrete training base. It can urge students to master business operation skills and gain practical experience.

6. Conclusion

Curriculum is the key factor to guarantee the realization of cultivating objectives. If there are no scientific setting rules and overall consideration, the students’ formation of language structure will be hindered. As the carrier to foster qualified candidates for job markets，curricula should therefore be given the top priority. Curriculum design has been an essential part in organizing the instruction activities and has great influence on students’ development in a long term.

Nowadays, there is a large demand for the talents with proficiency of English and business or trade knowledge in the market. In our country, many institutions of higher education set up business or trade English major. This thesis studies the curriculum design for business English majors in local colleges based on needs analysis and it takes Huaiyin Normal University as an example. There are three problems. First, there is a large proportion of curriculum about pure English language skills. Second, the number of required curricula on business knowledge is small. Third, the electives on business English takes up a small proportion. This thesis also puts forward related solutions. The first one is to cut down the class periods of general English skill curricula and integrate pure language skill curricula with applied curricula properly. Then, increase the required curriculum and electives on business English and pay attention to the practice training.

Due to restricted resource, the number of students who take part in the investigation is limited. As the wheel of time rolls, the systematic researches remain to be done.

Works Cited

[1] Brown, J.D. The Elements of Language Curriculum：A Systematic Approach to Program Development. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2001.

[2] Ellis, M. amp; Johnson, C. Teaching Business English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.

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