Professional communication skills for business studies
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| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
Personal and corporate success in business relies on effective communication. Professional communication skills for business studies will help you acquire skills to distinguish you from your peers. The course is practical and will empower you to undertake more insightful case-study analysis, write successful essays, and produce powerful reports. From proposals to emails, you’ll work with a wide range of texts from business studies courses and the wider business world, deepening your knowledge and developing your written communication skills - helping you to succeed in both business studies and business generally.
Course content
This course is for students of business studies who want to develop specialised reading and writing skills for business study purposes. On the course, you will study a range of business related material that has been especially designed to develop your knowledge and your reading and writing skills. Topics include areas of human resource management; finance and accounting; marketing and a number of business analysis methods. Some of the course materials are authentic texts from the business world, others have been adapted or designed for the course. Different styles of writing from business studies and business are introduced. Through examining successful examples of student writing and work-related documents, and reflecting on what makes these texts successful, you’ll learn to write case studies, essays and reports.
This is a practical skills development course with numerous activities aimed at practising reading and writing for business studies and business. The focus of the course is on written English. Online communication is an important component of the course, enabling you to discuss the materials, contribute writing for comment from other students, and read and comment on fellow students’ work, exchanging ideas and experience. You can submit drafts of your work by email and receive feedback on your writing from your tutor. For each of the three major types of writing, there is an assignment in which to apply the skills and use the knowledge you develop during the course.
Vocational relevance
This course is relevant to a wide range of people who are already studying or who are thinking of studying Level 1 Business School courses. You may feel that your previous education has not provided you with the kind of language you need to write confidently in business studies. You may have found that the sorts of texts you are asked to read and write on business studies courses are different from the kinds you are used to. You may speak English as an additional language and want the chance to upgrade your English to more advanced levels of communication. You may want to develop skills that you already have to a higher level of effectiveness. The course may also be suitable if you are studying on Level 2 business studies courses and recognise a need to enhance your written communication skills. The focus is on written communication for business studies, but the course highlights how business studies communication skills can be transferred to the workplace.
Entry
Professional communication skills for business studies is designed to be taken either before or after An introduction to business studies (B120). It is also suitable for students who have taken Understanding management (Y159) or Managing in the workplace (B121), or are considering starting a business studies course. It may also be of interest to learners on some more advanced-level business studies course. It is suitable for students from other language backgrounds who have a sound knowledge of everyday English and want to develop business specific language in reading and writing.
Level 1 courses provide core subject knowledge and study skills needed for both higher education and distance learning, in preparation for study at Level 2. This course is specifically designed for those wishing to study business courses at Level 1. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
The outcome of this course is of a level comparable to C1 as defined by the Council of Europe. See Common European Framework of Reference for Languages for further details.
Outside the UK
This course may be particularly relevant if you’re a business studies student living in Europe for whom English is a foreign language.
Preparatory work
If you have already studied on a business studies course, either at The Open University or elsewhere, it would be good preparation to review your assignments and the materials from that course. The clearer you can be about the skills you want to develop, the more effective your participation in Professional communication skills for business studies will be. If you have not previously studied business but are working in a business setting, a review of the reading and writing tasks that you need to do each day will be good preparation. The development of your communication skills will depend on your active involvement in learning and this can begin before the course starts.
Qualifications
LB160 is an optional course in our
- Certificate in Business Studies (C63)
- BA (Hons) Leadership and Management (B54)
- BA (Honours) Business Studies (B04)
- BA/BSc (Honours) European Studies (B10)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Business (E42)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Leadership and Management (E43)
- Foundation Degree in Business (G07)
- Foundation Degree in Leadership and Management (G08)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is suitable for a BA. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader (and where applicable: musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way). Large print versions of the course materials can be provided on request. Other alternative formats of the course materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Three course books, three resource books, a course guide and a course website.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor to help you with the course material and mark and comment on your work. You will be able to ask your tutor for advice and guidance and if you are new to The Open University, the tutor will be particularly concerned to help you with study methods. An important element of the course is the feedback you receive from your tutor on the writing that you do as part of the course. Feedback provides the basis for your writing development as you work your way through the material, and you will be able to contact your tutor by email or phone throughout.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in May 2010. We expect it to be available once a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in Arts and Humanities and Business and Management.
Study explained
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- Study explained
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This course was really enjoyable and I found it interesting and uplifting. When I first started LB160, my thoughts were ...
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