A HANDBOOK OF

ENGLISH FOR
BUSINESS
AUTHOR
Pandu Prima Sanjaya -20113006
Andres Puspita – 20113002
Arum Asvilia Rahma – 20113003
Nabila Arra Putriani - 20113004

UNIVERSITAS TEKNOKRAT
INDONESIA
 English for
Business

NO UNIT AIMS TEACHING PERIODE

1      
To enable the learner to communicate 3
Definition effectively and appropriately in real life
situation.

2      
To develop and integrate the use of the 5
Language Focus
four language skills i.e. Reading,
Listening, Speaking and Writing

3      
To use English effectively for study 4
Vocabulary
purpose across the curriculum of
business English.

4      
Short Dialogue and Practice To revise and reinforce structure 4
already learnt.

7
ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS 1
 Definition

Definition What is Business English?

In general, Business English is a
form of English specially suited to
international trade, commerce and
finance. As such, Business English is
the kind of English typically used in,
for example: business meeting
ssales presentations negotiations
Special Information
- The business culture in Indonesia has a
hierarchical system that is visible in most of its
business environment. Where, those in higher
positions will be called 'Sir or Mother' and followed
by their name.
This is to show respect for those in higher positions.
Meanwhile, people who have lower positions must
be able to follow the requests of people with high
positions without a question.

business correspondence business

report sexecutive summaries

Business English is normally seen as a specialism within teaching and

learning English, and forms part of English for Specific Purposes. It is
studied by many non-native English speakers who wish to do business
with English-speaking countries—or with non-English-speaking
countries using English as a lingua franca (by some estimates, at least
75% of all business communication worldwide is between non-native
English speakers).

adopted from : The Handbook of English for Scienfic Purposes by B. Paltridge, S. Starfield
8
2 ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
English Language Vocabulary
Business English is the type of English used in business contexts such as
international trade, commerce, finance, insurance, banking and many office
environments. This requires familiarity expectations, specialized vocabulary,
and language structure. When using English in a business context, it is very
important to explain it as clearly as possible and not leave interpretation. If
you don't explain your business, both in writing and verbally, you often waste
time and risk losing money. This is in contrast to literature, for example,
which is largely left to the interpretation of the reader.
English Business Terms
Phrases in business terms are terms used to describe workplace events,
outcomes, tasks, entities, and processes. The richer your business
vocabulary, the more important ideas and concepts you can convey to others
in the work environment.
Below is a list of the best business terms to use when discussing general
topics such as marketing, finance, manufacturing, and business
management.
Table 1.2 Vocabulary for business

Asset An asset is anything of value that a company prosess. Asset include goods,
products, documents, properties and other resources.

Board of Directors The board of directors is a group of individuals who set the policies that
govern a company. Board members are elected by stockholders.

Branding A company’s branding includes the name, logo, imagery, colors, typography
and language that are used to distinguish it from other businesses.

Liability A liability is a financial debt, risk or obligation.

Objective A company or team’s objective outlines a goal that a business, team or

individual is trying to achieve.

9
ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS 3
YYou can continue to work on expanding the scope of your business to
improve your professional communication. Try the following tips :
Take a business writing class.
Read business literature.
Check out our Business News segment.
Buy or download a set of business flashcards to learn new words every day.
Use business terms in everyday conversation and written communication.
If you come across an unusual business term, search online to better
understand the term or phrase. Type in a search engine and look for the first
result. Reading articles on this subject will help you fully understand your
vocabulary.
Improving your business vocabulary will support you to speak intelligently
and fluently on important topics at work, helping you achieve professional
success.

Ahead of the pack To be more successful than the competition

Example

Back to square one To start something over again because a previous

attempt failed

Ballpark number/figure A very inexact estimate

Game plan A strategy or plan for achieving success

Get down to business Stop making small talk and start talking about serious
business topics

Word of mouth Something is given or done by people talking about

something or telling people about something

9
ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS 4
English Business Focus
English for Business
English has been widely used and spread as the globalization of business environment. English has a
very important role in the communication process that occurs in the business world. English is a unifying
language that can bring people from different backgrounds together. The important role of English makes the
English language skills of business people mandatory and essential, especially with businesses involving
foreign companies. A businessman is required to master English to be able to attract the interest of his
business partners to do business with his company and later will increase revenue and income in his company.
English language skills are very necessary for employees to be able to promote the company to foreign
companies. English is the real global language and is important in education, relations and business. Seeing
the importance of English language skills in the business world, the community, government, and educational
institutions engaged in business, such as vocational schools, business management campuses, and job
training institutions needs to prepare their students to face global competition, in the business world by
equipping good English skills so that they can advance the company where they work.
VOCABULARY OF ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS
Advertising
Air Travel
Banking
Company Structure
Computers
Contracts
Correspondence
Employment
Import-Export
Insurance
Law
Marketing
Meetings
Money
Newspapers
Numbers
Presentations
Property
Publishing
Punctuation
Resumes/CVs
Selling
Type of English For Business
Target Situation Analysis: to establish a target profile of language skills that set down the
actual activities that the participants have to carry out
• Present Situation Analysis: to establish a profile of personal ability in which the
participant’s proficiency in these activities is evaluated
Target Situation Analysis: to establish a target profile of language skills that set down the
actual activities that the participants have to carry out
• Present Situation Analysis: to establish a profile of personal ability in which the
participant’s proficiency in these activities is evaluated
Target Situation Analysis: to establish a target profile of language skills that set down the actual activities that
the participants have to carry out
Present Situation Analysis: to establish a profile of personal ability in which the participant’s proficiency
in these activities is evaluated
Sales Letters : Sales Letters are used to introduce new products to new customers and past clients. 

9
ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS 5
 Dialogue
Instruction
Practice the dialogue below with your fellow
friends. During practice, you should pay
attention to the greetings and introductions
used in the conversation. You have to ractice
your pronunciation as well.
Settings
This conversation below happens between
Salesman, cashier and Mr jhonson at mall
for buying new phone

Salesman: Good evening. How may I assist you?

Johnson: I’m looking for a new cellphone. That suit my needs.
Salesman: May I know what your needs are?
Johnson: I’m a student and a photographer as well. I keep my documents in the phone; I need a wide screen phone
for me to do my homework; and I also love to take pictures wherever I go. Which one is the best for me?
Salesman: I think this Saber Pad 2 meets your requirements. It has 7’inch screen that would be comfortable for writing;
this pad is also enhanced with the latest processor and has 4 GB RAM that would give no lag for web-surfing while
doing homework. Ultimately, it brings 20 megapixels camera with saber shottm technology and the last, this is the
lightest Pad on earth. This pad is designed to suit your needs precisely.
Johnson: Splendid! You know what I have been searching for. But isn’t it too wide for me?
Salesman: Of course not. You might find it difficult to do your homework with narrow screen. Can you imagine when
you have to zoom the screen over and over again while typing? I highly     don’t recommend it.
Johnson : Ah, I missed that thing. Well. How much does it cost?
Salesman: With Rp. 5.450.000, your daily activities are in your hands.
Johnson: It’s quite expensive for me. What makes it so expensive?
Salesman: The camera and the screen do. 20 megapixels camera with the latest technology to capture stable and
moving object; and the rainbowtm display technology to provide you the best experience for your shot. How could you
know how good your shot is if there’s no adequate display technology?. Your shot will be near good to a SLR Camera.
Johnson : That’s extremely fascinating! I don’t even know if there’s any Pad with those weapons. Will I get any
accessories If I bought that pad?
Salesman: We will give you a Rp 850.000 anti-typo and silent bluetooth keyboard for free. Just for a remarkable
student like you. It can be a case for your pad and..let me show you..can be your mini laptop too. Can you see the
back of the keyboard? There’s a stylus pen to write on the screen.
Johnson : I’m surely have to get it now.
Salesman: We have black, white, silver, red and blue. Which colour do you want?
Johnson: Give me the black one.
Cashier: As you wish. Ah I forgot to tell you something that the warranty covers for 2 years.
Johnson: It’s my lucky day to meet such a salesperson like you.

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6 ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS
Practice
1. Theory X and Y, which argue that Theory X has the belief that people are basically lazy, while Theory Y, which believes that
people are basically passionate and highly motivated, is a theory put forward by ...
a. Douglas McGregor
b. Frederick Herzberg
c. Maslow
d. Clayton Alderfer

Answer:
a. Douglas McGregor

2. Motivation theory which states that employees will be motivated to work in order to get the rewards they want and they
believe that their opportunities or expectations will be achieved, which is a theory...
a. Justice
b. Two factors
c. Hierarchy of needs
d. Hope

Answer:
d. Hope

3. One of the techniques used in assessing person-organization fit in the selection process is the methodology, which is
measuring…
a. Fit in two studies
b. Correlation between application's response and organizational profile
c. A person's personality
d. Assess applicants comprehensively

Answer:
b. Correlation between application's response and organizational profile

4. To assess the performance of employees who are in a permanent condition and do not allow it to be improved with limited
abilities, motivation, or work characteristics, an assessment is used...

a. Development
b. Appearance
c. Repair
d. Maintenance

Answer:
d. Maintenance

5. One of the theories that can underlie performance appraisals states that performance appraisals should use various
observations from time to time and conduct an analysis of information obtained from various sources. This is the content of the
theory..
a. Social Cognitive (social cognitive theory)
b. Identity (identity theory)
c. Attribution
d. Implicit personality

Answer
A. Social cognitive

ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS 7

Practice
6. One of the marketing functions which is the activity of separating products or services offered to customers according to their
quality and characteristics so that they are easily understood by customers is the...
a. Delivery
b. risk control
c. Standardization
d. Warehousing

Answer:
c. Standardization

7. One method of promotion which is an inexpensive method to build an image of a company and product is...
a. Advertising
b. Personal selling
c. Sales promotion
d. Public relations

Answer:
d. Public relations

8. A person who is an expert in interpreting financial statements and making recommendations on the financial condition of a
company or organization, namely....
a. Finance Manager
b. Auditor
c. public accountant
d. Investors
READ ALSO
20 Questions (Essays) on the Role of Economic Activity Actors and Answers
22 Quiz Material Problems in the Economic System and Answers
22 Questions About Problems in the Economic System and Answers
Answer:
a. Finance Manager

9. If the owner of the company reinvests his income, makes contributions, sells assets, sells shares to the public, or adds
capital from investors to increase the existing funds in the company, it is called...
a. Debt capital
b. Equity capital
c. Cost of capital
d. venture capital

Answer:
b. Equity capital

10. The usefulness of the profitability ratio is to measure …

a. How much does the company borrow for its operational activities
b. How effectively the company uses various sources of funds to achieve profit
c. The ability of assets to pay off the company's short-term debt
d. Measuring the speed with which a company moves from raw goods to finished goods that are ready to be marketed

Answer:
b. How effectively the company uses various sources of funds to achieve profit

ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 8

 Glossary
❖ Advertising
Advertising is one of the promotional tools, usually used to direct
persuasive communication to target buyers and the public where this
form of advertising presentation is non-persona.Habitat.
The area in which a species lives.
❖ Business.
Business is a series of businesses carried out by individuals or groups
by offering goods and services for profit (profit). The meaning of
business can also be defined as providing goods and services for the
smooth running of the economic system
Company
According to Law Number 8 of 1997, the definition of a company is any
form of business that carries out activities on a permanent and
continuous basis to obtain profits, whether organized by individuals or
business entities in the form of legal entities or non-legal entities that
are established and domiciled.

ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS 9

 Summar
y
Definition What is Business English? In general, Business
English is a form of English specially suited to international
trade, commerce and finance. As such, Business English is
the kind of English typically used in, for example: business
meeting ssales presentations negotiations business
correspondence business report sexecutive summaries.

Business English is normally seen as a specialism within

teaching and learning English, and forms part of English for
Specific Purposes. It is studied by many non-native English
speakers who wish to do business with English-speaking
countries—or with non-English-speaking countries using
English as a lingua franca (by some estimates, at least 75%
of all business communication worldwide is between non-
native English speakers).

12
10 ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS