The ENGLISH Language:
English is spoken by about 470 million people throughout the world. English is the official language of about 45 nations. It is the mother tongue of about 60 million persons in the British Isles, from where it spread to many other parts of the world owing to British exploring, colonizing, and empire-building from the 17th through the 19th cent. It is now also the first language of an additional 228 million people in the United States; 16.5 million in Canada; 17 million in Australia; 3 million in New Zealand and a number of Pacific islands; and approximately 15 million others in different parts of the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and Asia. As a result of expansion, English is the most widely scattered of the great speech communities. It is also the most commonly used auxiliary language in the world. The United Nations uses English not only as one of its official languages but also as one of its two working languages. There are many dialects of the English language.

The Linguaphone Method:
The Linguaphone Method for language learning is the most natural and effective way to learn a new language.  Our method is based on two simple principles:

•  You learn faster when you enjoy what you are doing.
• You make greater progress if the language learning is useful and presented in a familiar context.

Speaking a language is an active skill--something you learn by doing, not just studying.  This is the practical approach to language learning that Linguaphone follows.  You start speaking your new language during the very first lesson.   The courses begin simply, building your confidence session by session.  Soon after, longer sentences are introduced to enable the expression of more detailed and complex thoughts.  But the course always concentrates on useful, authentic everyday words and situations.  The result is that after completing a Linguaphone course, you will have a thorough understanding of the language and be able to converse with and understand real people speaking the language. The study sequence, LISTEN, UNDERSTAND, and SPEAK, used in the Linguaphone courses is fundamental to the Linguaphone method of language learning. To learn more, click here.

Contains:

• 12 Audio CDs
• 4 Case Study Book
• 1 Business English Dictionary
• 1 Course Guide

English is an international language. It is used worldwide, for people to communicate with one another in the areas of technology, travel, popular entertainment and, most importantly, in business.

The Linguaphone Business English course is designed for the business man or woman who has already studied English but needs further practice to communicate more effectively in the business world. If you feel the need to study English at a lower level, the full Linguaphone English Course will prepare you for Business English.

Linguaphone's Business English course will give you the confidence and practice you need to do business with colleagues, clients, business contacts and acquaintances who do not speak your language.

When you have complete the Linguaphone Business English course, you should be able to:

• present a case or argument clearly;
• persuade other people to your point of view;
• understand and answer accurately all the questions you are asked;
• be polite and firm in discussions and negotiations.
• have a sophisticated understanding and command of the language

The Linguaphone Business English course will also help you to:

• read and understand articles in trade and professional magazines;
• read and respond to letters and reports in English;
• read and understand documents and contracts of agreement in English;
• draft your own documents, reports, business plans and letters in English.

Introduction
The Linguaphone Business English course will help you to transfer you business skills into English. By the time you have completed the course, you should have the ability and confidence to speak, read and write in English. You should be able to conduct your business in English as competently and confidently as you already do in your own language.

The English you will learn is the English of the international business world. The situations you will meet are realistic business situations. You will hear business people from all over the world using English to communicate with one another. You will hear both British and American English, as well as many accents of English.

Approach
Linguaphone's Business English is a modular-based course, which consists of twelve business case studies. The course uses the Modular Case-Based Learning approach.

Modular
Modular Case-Based Learning is a very flexible approach.

• Select your starting point. You can choose to start with any of the case studies you wish to.
• You can choose a route through the materials which best meets your individual business and language needs.
• You should organize your study sessions around the time that best suits you.
• You can quickly revise areas most urgent to your business needs.

Case-Based Learning
The course uses this method because it is:

• efficient: By using the charts and case summaries, you can select whichever business English skills you want to practice. you can choose those which are most relevant to your needs.
• stimulating: you learn from 'true-to-life' international business situations.
• familiar: It is a method commonly used in management training and one which business men and women are used to.
• effective: Case-based learning really works. Try it and you will see.

Course Contents
The full Linguaphone Business English course consists of:

• A Course Guide - explaining the design, aims and objectives of the course, and containing useful reference tables and a wordlist.
• the Case Books - each containing four case studies, giving business documents and dialogue texts, language practice exercises, assessment and revision sections, an answer key, and the transcript for each case.
• the recordings - one CD for each case study (12 CDs total), supplying all the recorded material for the dialogues, commentaries, and reports, the practice exercises, the assessment and the revision sections of the relevant case. All recordings are ing English using both native and non-native speakers of English to allow you to become used to a variety of accents.
• the Linguaphone Business English Dictionary - this is a specialist dictionary containing only business vocabulary, giving a sound foundation of 4500 business words and terms used in British and American English.

The Cases
Linguaphone's Business English course consists of twelve business case studies in total. Each case presents 'true-to-life' business situations and problems, many of which you may meet in the course of your work. These include:

• a strategy for improving a company's market share;
• an effective marketing campaign;
• an exercise in creating an exclusive distributorship;
• a business plan to break into the new market;
• a response to a problem requiring the appointment of key staff;
• an approach to extending credit;
• a strategy for dealing with bad debts;
• a management buyout;
• a strategy for improving market position;
• an approach to franchising;
• an approach to acquiring sponsorship;
• a take-over which reflects a particular management philosophy;
• an approach to making a tender.

Business activities contained in the case studies include:

• manufacturing and engineering
• light industry and information technology
• distribution and marketing
• service industries.

The cases present businesses with activities in:

• North American (the US and Canada);
• The Pacific Rim (Australia, Japand, and South-East Asia);
• Europe (the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Holland);
• Scandinavia (Finland, Norway and Sweden);
• Africa (Nigeria);
• South America (Brazil).