UNIVERSITY OF BAHRAIN

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

English 341: Report Writing for Business: Course Syllabus

Semester 2: 2022-2023
Lecturer: Noureddine
Phone (office): Email:
Office No: Office Hours:

Course description:

English 341 offers a theoretical and practical experience of academic report writing within the discipline of
Business Administration. It uses a step by step approach to develop students’ skills in research (primary and
secondary), analysis, writing and presentation.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs) Upon completion of this program students will:

a. Demonstrate their understanding of one aspect of business operations and/or management via the successful
completion of a research project.
b. Make use of academic databases to identify secondary research relevant to their research question.
c. Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to analyze, synthesize and evaluate information and make
sound recommendations in the context of their research.
d. Apply a set of research skills (e.g. paraphrasing, summarizing, referencing, etc.) to produce an authentic un-
plagiarized written report.
e. Develop research instruments (interview and/or survey) that enable effective data collection on their chosen
research question.
f. Use appropriate language (e.g. correct sentence-level grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, formal
vocabulary and business terms) and academic writing style (e.g. proper organization, cohesion and coherence).
g. Present their research in the form of oral presentations using one or more types of visual aids.

Textbook:
Bailey, S. (2011). Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students. New York: Routlege.

Goveas, S. & Thomson, L. (2010). English 341: Report Writing for Business. Sakheer: University of Bahrain Press.

Other Resources Used:

Students are required to make use of the following resources as part of their research project: library resources,
academic databases, government publications, online articles, standard business textbooks, fieldwork conducting
interviews/surveys, etc.

Assessment

Project 30%
Presentation 10%
Midterm 20%
Final Exam 40%
Total 100%
 UNIVERSITY OF BAHRAIN
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

English 341: Report Writing for Business: Course Syllabus

Semester 2: 2022-2023
Report Description:
The ENGL 341 report is a research project that requires you to:

1. Investigate one aspect of business operations in one or more companies or commercial institutions in Bahrain.
2. Read academic journal articles and other publicly available resources to review literature related to your area of
investigation.
3. Design and implement your own research instrument (a survey and/or interview(s)).
4. Analyse your data, present your findings, and make recommendations.
5. Give a short presentation (5 minutes) on the most interesting and original aspects of the report.

Late Submission: For late work, a penalty of 2% per day will apply.

Individual vs. Collaborative Work (Students may work individually, in pairs or in groups of 3)

1. Length: The number of words EXCLUDES the reference list and Appendices (1 student = 2000-2500 words; 2
students = 2500-3000 words; 3 students = 3000-3500 words)
2. All students must complete all aspects of the report. All will receive the same grade regardless of individual
contributions.
3. All students MUST be present for all consultations with the lecturer (2 to 3 consultations). Failure to attend the
consultations will result in deduction of projects’ marks (-1 for every missed consultation)

Plagiarism:

1. Any student submitting plagiarised work will automatically receive a ‘zero’ grade: your work will not be graded.
2. All students are required to submit 1 electronic copy of their report via Turnitin or SafeAssign to identify
plagiarised material.

Interview and/or Survey Conduct:

In conducting your research, you are representing the University of Bahrain, and taking the time of extremely busy people.
For these reasons you must:
1. Dress appropriately for a formal business meeting
2. Offer to sign a Confidentiality Agreement
3. Keep any information you are given confidential

Interaction with Your Lecturer:

Your topic MUST be approved by your lecturer prior to starting your work. Likewise, your survey and/or interview
questions must receive prior approval.

Report Layout:
1. Cover Page 2. Executive Summary/Abstract 3. Table of Content

4. Introduction & Literature review 5. Methodology 6. Findings & Discussion

7. Conclusion & Recommendations 8. References 9. Appendices

Font: 12 to 14, Times New Roman typeface.

 UNIVERSITY OF BAHRAIN
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

English 341: Report Writing for Business: Course Syllabus

Semester 2: 2022-2023

Marks
Component Description (30%)
Executive
 The report’s purpose, conclusions, and key recommendations are clearly stated
Summary 2
 All the following elements are clearly presented:
Introduction
Background information on the topic:
&
Literature Review
 Review of research is relevant, thoughtfully evaluated, coherently synthesized, and
cogently interpreted to support the main problem (argument).
 Academic reading is evident (journal articles)

Definitions of Key Terms (if applicable)

Thesis Statement OR Research Questions
Purpose of Research
Research Procedures/Methodology
Organisation and Layout 7

 Data gathering methods are pertinent and clearly described.

Methodology
 Sample (how many people surveyed or interviewed) is adequate.
 Instrument used is well-written and well-suited to the topic investigated. 3
 Data are analysed systematically.
 Findings are presented clearly and coherently.
Findings  Findings are insightful and shed light on the main issue/problem (they answer the
& research question or enquiry).
Discussion  Findings are supported effectively by data (e.g. graphs, charts, tables) and all
calculations are correct
 Full explanations of the most significant findings are presented. 4
 A summary of the purpose, methodology and findings is provided.
Conclusion &  Recommendations are presented in a specific action-oriented manner, and provide
Recommendation solutions to the problem provided.
 Limitations & areas for further research are presented. 4
 All secondary research is clearly cited in-text.
Citation &
Referencing  References contain all necessary information and are correctly formatted (APA or
Harvard) 2
 The report includes all required components and follows formatting guidelines for layout,
Layout &
spacing, alignment, headings, page numbering, word limit, etc.
Appendices
 Copies of conducted survey and/or transcripts of interviews are provided 2
 Presentation of ideas is clear and coherent (use of cohesive devices: key words, pronouns,
references, linking words, transitions, etc.)
Language
 Correct use of sentence-level grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation is
evident.
 Level of formality is appropriate (no contractions, concise and appropriate use of formal
vocabulary and business terms, use of passive) 6
 UNIVERSITY OF BAHRAIN
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

English 341: Report Writing for Business: Course Syllabus

Semester 2: 2022-2023
TOTAL /30
Basic Power Point Guidelines: Some tips to make your presentations
presentable

What will you present?

a. Your statement of purpose. Highlight the reason for choosing this research question: Why is it
interesting or important?
b. Relevant Background information, this part should be brief (maximum one slide).
c. Methodology
d. The most exciting/interesting findings from your report presented in graphs and tables).
e. Implications of/Recommendations from your findings

The Rules:

1. Stick with a single background.

The background is the stage for your information. Set the stage and leave it alone!
2. Font:
a) Use Restraint With Fonts: Employ only a few and stick to familiar fonts
b) Keep type sizes consistent (from 36 to 48)
c) DON’T USE ALL CAPS.
d) Italics are more difficult to read.
e) Use bold when you want some words to stand out.
f) Font color: Stick with power point defaults; what may look good on your computer may be
unreadable in the classroom. Remember to use strong, contrasting colors.
3. Avoid Text Overload

One of the most common mistakes in creating a presentation is to place too much information on the
screen. This can cause the reader to become distracted from the speaker. Audiences are much more
receptive to the spoken word.

4. Balance:

Do not center bullet points, it makes the text ragged and hard to read and follow with your eyes.
Generally, left-justify bullets. This keeps things neat and easy to follow.
5. Clip Art & Graphics:

The slides must look professional – not pretty, so don’t try to dazzle the audience with graphics or
style…but with the information. But, a few excellent graphics are better than many poor ones.
Photographs can be powerful provided they are used sparingly.
 UNIVERSITY OF BAHRAIN
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

English 341: Report Writing for Business: Course Syllabus

Semester 2: 2022-2023

Presentation Rubric

Component Description Marks

(10%)

Content  Content is compelling (precisely and clearly stated, appropriately

repeated, memorable and strongly supported):

 Presentation contains ‘new’ information which engages the

audience.
 Use of various supporting materials (illustrations, statistics,
quotations - evidence of research on the topic and related areas).
 Background information is relevant.
/3

Organization  Presentation structure is clear and logical (purpose of report, background,

& Layout methodology, main findings, conclusions and recommendations).

 Transitions between main parts are clearly and consistently observable

and make the content of the presentation cohesive.
/2
 The PowerPoint layout follows the guidelines of the course (e.g. font,
avoid text overload, balance, etc.)

Language  Language choices are appropriate (use of formal language, and technical
vocabulary).

 Grammar and pronunciation do not distract from meaning. /2

Delivery  Voice, posture, gestures, eye contact, pace and pitch make the
presentation more compelling and speaker appears more confident (e.g.
voice is not too fast, not too slow; students are not reading from slides,
etc.).

 Rapport with audience should be positive and professional. /3

Total Marks /10