An Investigation Into The Gaps Between Business English Teaching And Workplace Needs

Given that the talents of Business English are gaining more popularity in the job market than ever before, it seems to be of great significance to investigate what should be catered for in Business English (BE) for Chinese English-major students at the tertiary level. There is, however, relatively little published research into what constitutes the practical requirements of Business communication and the needs of Chinese Business English learners. With reference to the work of Hutchinson and Waters (1987) and Dudley Evans and St John (1998), a needs analysis was conducted to probe into the gaps between practical workplace needs and Business English teaching through the investigation into the learners' future workplace needs, the present teaching situation and the learners' learning needs.The study uses both qualitative approach and quantitative approach. Questionnaires, interviews and the subsequent analysis by using SPSS all serve as useful means of this study. The major findings and contributions of the present study can be summarized as follows:(1) The importance of needs analysis in BE course design was fully presented.(2) The necessities and lacks in workplace were identified.(3) Some practical problems in the present teaching situation were examined.(4) Pedagogical implications were discussed in detail.The present thesis is an attempt to fulfill the gaps between practical workplace requirements and Business English teaching in China. It is expected that the findings of this research work will be of some use to the teachers of Business English to improve the courses they are offering. It is also expected that this work can provide insights into the later studies of a similar nature.