Syllabus Information

1.1. Introduction

Brief presentation of the course

The English for Marketing course is an optional module of 5 ECTS included in the 4th year programme of the BSc degree course in Marketing and Market Research. It provides students with content and activities leading to achieve an intermediate-advanced level of the lexical, grammatical and communication skills (oral and written) of the English language register of the business environment in the area of marketing, in order to help them communicate effectively in such international context in the future.

Students who successfully complete this module are entitled to apply for the 2 ECTS corresponding to the required B1 level of English (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) by presenting the corresponding application form at the faculty office. Please, look up the application procedure at:

 http://wzar.unizar.es/servicios/primer/2matricula/academica/certi.htm

1.2. Recommendations to take this course

To be successful, the student is recommended to start with at least the level of general English (written and oral) acquired in Bachillerato (A-levels), and which is equivalent to B1 of the Common European Framework. The programme is fully taught in English and communication in the classroom takes place only in this language too. The student is also advised to work on it steadily, which implies attending lessons and practice sessions on regular basis.

E-learning platform: https://moodle2.unizar.es/

1.3. Context and importance of this course in the degree

This is an optional module of 5 ECTS included in the 2^nd semester of the 4th year programme of the degree course, provided by the Department of English and German Philology. The course seeks to provide practical learning resources focusing on a range of documents and texts (written and oral) related to the students’ future professional careers and, thus, enhance their employability in the international business world.

This course should also help students to understand, analyse and produce academic texts related to other subjects in their degree course.

1.4. Activities and key dates

The activities and key dates will be communicated at the presentation of the module for each group at the beginning of the semester and during the semester in due time. Students will also be able to check this information via the e-learning platform Moodle.

The official hours and dates of the final exams can be found on the web page of the faculty.

2.1. Learning goals

The student, in order to pass the course, will have to show his/her competence in the following skills:

1. Communicate fluently and clearly at an intermediate-advanced level of English (oral and written) and in areas related to their professional practice.

2. Understand and make critical comments on the English texts in the area of marketing and advertising.

3. Present and interpret data relating to field of marketing using the specific language strategies and techniques (oral and written) for this type of discourse in English.

4. Use the corresponding language strategies for organising and summarising information in oral and written texts.

5. Have reasonable command of a range of vocabulary on familiar and some business specialised topics in the area of marketing to be able to communicate effectively with other professionals in English.

2.2. Importance of learning goals

The skills acquired through the English for Marketing course are key for students of Marketing and Market Research. Nowadays, they are crucial to access knowledge and enhance their employability within the growing international business practice, where a proficient command of English is specially required.  

3.1. Aims of the course

The general aim of this English for Marketing course is to enable students to communicate at a reasonable level of accuracy in the present international business environment. More specifically, students should develop their proficiency in listening, reading, speaking and writing texts related to business topics and practice, including knowledge of how the language is used, how it works and how to analyse it and the contexts in which it is spoken.

3.2. Competences

Specific competences:

• Be able to describe in English the buyer’s decision-making process and analyse the influence of various factors that affect the consumer’s buying behaviour.
• Analyse and assess marketing strategies for business internationalisation.

Transversal competences:

• Be able to deliver an oral presentation of ideas, products or reports in English.
• Write professional reports and projects in English.
• Be able to communicate in oral and written English in a professional context.
• Show a respectful attitude for non-discrimination values and principles.
• Be cooperative with team work.

4.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)

Assessment tasks

The student will prove that he/she has achieved the expected learning results by means of the following assessment tasks:

Global Examination: All students of this module are only evaluated at the end of the semester by means of a global evaluation of the command of their speaking, listening, reading and writing competences in English. Assessment will cover all the material that has been studied in the course and the skills that students are expected to have acquired as independent learners. The examination will be based on the completion of similar tasks to those carried out throughout the course. These will include:

• Delivery of a group presentation

• Listening comprehension exercises

• Reading comprehension exercises

• A written vocabulary and language use test

• Production of written communication texts

Assessment criteria

Accuracy in the use of the English language and appropriateness of style (formal register and specific business vocabulary); coherent organization of the information adjusting to the respective discourse structure of the different business genres; understanding of the main information -as well as in detail- in oral and written texts; correct pronunciation and intonation.

Oral language skills assessment (presentation and listening) will represent 50% of the final mark

Written language skills assessment (reading comprehension, test and written text production) will represent the other 50% of the total mark.

At the beginning of the module, students will receive detailed information about their assessment. This will include:

                what tasks students will be expected to carry out

                clear criteria against which students’ work will be assessed

                what the dates of the assessment tasks (oral and written) are

Second sitting

Same assessment tasks and criteria explained above apply for the second sitting.

5.1. Methodological overview

The learning process designed for this subject is based on the following activities:

Although part of any class session is likely to involve direct teaching, the emphasis is on student participation in English and the students will be expected to take part actively in discussion and in tasks such as small group and pair work, role play and oral presentations. These activities will include:

• Written and oral communication activities.

• Analysis of professional texts in the area of marketing.

• Oral presentation of projects.

• Problem-solving activities based on professional case studies.

  The student will also be expected to spend time studying outside the class using extra facilities and materials to help them develop their expertise as independent language learners.

  The teacher will recommend the use of bibliography and printed learning materials at the beginning of the module. To help students to develop an autonomous learning programme, extra supporting materials to consolidate English grammar and pronunciation as well as extra practice materials will be provided in the e-learning platform https://moodle2.unizar.es/.

   

5.2. Learning tasks

The programme offered to the students to help them achieve the learning results includes the following activities:

1: Lectures: with the main objective of conveying the fundamental concepts of the module, so that goals set by the teacher are achieved. The lecture is expected to be participatory and to encourage debate and clarify issues and questions based on the learning materials.

2: Practice sessions: individual and group tasks on business related discussions, team work and group interaction, preparation and presentation of companies, projects or ideas, simulation of professional situations in the area of marketing and advertising.

3: Tutorials and evaluation that allow a more direct and personal support to students in order to monitor tasks, answer questions and guide them in the study. These tutorials may be individual or in a group.

5.3. Syllabus

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING AND ADVERTISING

• Introduction to a career in marketing

• Corporate identity

UNIT 2: MARKET RESEARCH AND MARKETING STRATEGIES

• Description of the target market

• The 4 Ps

• Presentation of a marketing plan

UNIT 3: ADVERTISING

• The AIDA model

• Advertising channels

• Presentation of an advert

UNIT 4 MARKETING TOOLS

• Distribution channels

• Types of discount

• Types of retailer

• Contacting the customer

UNIT 5: PRESENTING YOUR PUBLIC FACE

• Public relations

• Press releases

• Presentation of the launching of a product

5.4. Course planning and calendar

beginning of the academic year. The timetable and the delivery of the tasks and projects will be communicated via the e-learning platform Moodle.

Note that it is the responsibility of students to ensure that they have read and understood this document and all the information about the course, and have checked lessons timetable and exam dates in advance, so as to be able to plan their work schedule. If you are in any doubt, talk to the teacher in good time.

5.5. Bibliography and recommended resources

Please visit the University Library’s data base