Learning objectives

Referring to knowledge — Acquire the grammar necessary for successful communication in everyday and specialized situations.   Referring to abilities, skills — Gain competence in communication and sociocultural aspects, and in contexts of business and trade.   — Acquire techniques for oral and written communication and comprehension in a business context.   Referring to attitudes, values and norms — Develop teamwork skills, participation in class, group motivation, weekend activities, identifying learning difficulties and devising solutions, completing segmented tasks and attending tutorial classes, among others.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

Blocks 1-6

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Block 1
Tools for the company: linguistic intelligence
Techniques for oral and written communication and comprehension in a business context

Block 2
Introductions (2)
— Greetings, introductions, introducing other people, speaking about oneself
— Oral role plays

Block 3
Human resource management: job offers and requests, the world of work (2)
— Understanding and preparing job ads
— Understanding a CV
— Writing ads (text typology)

Block 4
Recruitment (2)
Interviews
— Talk about yourself and your company using conversational management strategies and respecting discourse devices of cohesion and coherence

Block 5
Marketing, sales
— Requesting or providing information on the features and performance of a product using strategies of persuasion and reasoning
— Promoting a product

Block 6
Company description, sales operation
— Company description: type, branches, business sector, markets, turnover, number of employees
— Writing and understanding messages, emails and calls
— Market penetration, trade fairs
— Creating publicity
— Negotiation (basic level)

Block 7.1

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Project options
1. Description of the company and human resources
2. Sales operation: quality of merchandise, packaging, transport, insurance, place and date of delivery, incoterms, type and terms of payment

For the first option (1), see the preceding paragraphs.

For the second option (2):
a) Commercial transactions
b) Negotiation. Know how to carry out a successful negotiation: reason, persuade, convince
c) Using natural conversation management strategies (give and take, change topics, etc.)
d) Requesting and providing information regarding prices, catalogue discounts, modes of transport, types of regular payment and delivery methods
e) Knowing how to adequately respond to events through the most appropriate channel (telephone, email), in relation to the development of commercial operations (shipping of goods)
f) Understanding the overall content of a contract of sale

Block 7.2

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For the first option (1):
a) Company description: type, branches, business sector, markets, turnover, number of employees
b) Writing and understanding messages, emails and calls
c) Speak about oneself and the company using conversational management strategies and respecting discursive cohesion and coherence (II)
d) Use all the situational and grammatical elements covered during the course in both spoken and written communication

For the second option (2):
a) Company description
b) Creating publicity
c) Comparing offers
d) Negotiating: quantity of merchandise, discounts, terms of delivery, mode of transport, terms of payment, insurance; product quality, incoterms, packaging
e) Problems in the development of an operation
f) Explaining facts in the past tense
g) Speaking of the future: definite and probable future
h) Expect, desire, hypothesise
i) Advising, among other means, using the conditional

Block 7.3

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Some of the following topics, for both options (1) and (2), in relation to writing and understanding messages, emails and calls:
— Sending return forms, budgets, offers, etc.
— Proposing a change in the conditions of an order
— Requesting or sending a catalogue
— Request to send information about a specific aspect
— Making an order
— Delivery problems
— Communicating the shipping of an order, communicating that an order has not arrived
— Communicating the arrival of merchandise

 

 

Teaching methods and general organization

 

The methodology used tends toward a very communicative approach (oral and written communication and comprehension). Digital material for independent study of the subject is prepared ad hoc. Students may access some components prior to classes starting, at www.ub.edu/fodie/fodie. Wednesday classes are essentially practical in nature, and the group may be divided depending on its characteristics. Throughout the course, applications and activities available on the website are used to develop different oral and written skills. During the second part of the course, group work (simulation) must be done on the Google Sites platform.

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Continuous assessment is recommended for students who attend class regularly, as tests are set throughout the entire teaching period. The mode of assessment chosen may depend on the entry level of the student, and the decision should be made by the student.  The deadline for renouncing continuous assessment in order to opt for single assessment is 30 March. Continuous assessment Continuous assessment is organized following this basic structure: — First test: grammar and oral communication (30%). — Second test: grammar, oral and reading comprehension, oral expression, written communication (50%). — Written course exercises (15%). — Face-to-face and online participation, computer exercises, weekend activities, evaluation of competences (under development) (5%). Written communication exercises may be partially or entirely group activities. This work must also be presented orally, and this presentation, together with a role-play activity, will be rated as equivalent to the oral communication skill of the second examination mentioned above. Documents or assignments containing clear examples of the use of automatic translation or similar tools will not be accepted under any circumstances. Repeat assessment of continuous assessment Students who do not pass the course through continuous assessment have the right to repeat assessment. The content, form and criteria are the same as for the single assessment.   Examination-based assessment Students who opt for single assessment will sit a final examination on the entire course content held on the day of the first sitting for examination. The examination covers grammar, oral and reading comprehension, and oral and written communication. Task-based single assessment (only for specific cases) Within the single assessment mode, students who demonstrate that they have attained a language level higher than that specified in the subject’s course plan and who cannot attend face-to-face learning sessions have the option of task-based assessment.  This assessment consists of undertaking a set of written and oral tasks/exercises, which will be indicated at the start of the academic year. Through these tasks, students must develop a range of specific competences relating to companies in an international environment. Students who are interested in opting for this mode must contact the lecturer who is responsible for the subject at the start of the academic year and attend different personal interviews. Repeat assessment of single assessment Students who do not pass the single assessment examination at the first sitting have the right to repeat assessment. The content, form and criteria are the same as for the single assessment.

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

Giovanna Pellizza, Marco Mezzadri. Un vero affare. Loescher, última edició.

Catàleg UB  

BAILINI, Sonia; CONSONNO, Silvia. I Verbi italiani : grammatica esercizi e giochi. Firenze : Alma edizioni, última edició.

Catàleg UB  

CALVO RIGUAL, Cesáreo; GIORDANO, Anna. Diccionario italiano : italiano-español, español-italiano. Barcelona : Herder, última edició.

Catàleg UB  

CHERUBINI, Nicoletta. Convergenze : iperlibro di italiano per affari : consapevolezze, conoscenze e strumenti per la comunicazione negli affari e nel lavoro : livello QCER: B2-C2. Roma : Bonacci, 2012 ​

Catàleg UB  

CONSTANTINO, Anna;  RIVIECCIO, Antonella. Obiettivo professione : corso di italiano per scorpi professionali : livelo A2-B1. Formello : Bonacci, 2011

Catàleg UB  

DE GIULI, Alessandro. Le Preposizioni italiane. Firenze : Alma, 2008 ​

Catàleg UB  

FORAPANI, Daniela. Italiano per giuristi. Firenze : Alma, 2003

Catàleg UB  

LOMBARDO, Daniela; NOSENGO, Laura;  SANGUINETI, Anna Maria. L’Italiano con la pubblicità : imparare l’italiano con gli spot televisivi : elementare. Perugia : Guerra, 2008

Catàleg UB  

MEZZADRI, Marco. Grammatica essenziale della lingua italiana con esercizi : testo di grammatica per studenti stranieri dal livello elementare all’intermedio. 2a ed. Perugia : Guerra, 2000

Catàleg UB  

NADDEO, Ciro Massimo. I Pronomi italiani : grammatica, esercizi, giochi. Firenze : Alma, 2009 ​

Catàleg UB  

NADDEO, Ciro Massimo. Italiano per economisti. Firenze : Alma, 2003

NOCCHI, Susanna. Nuova grammatica pratica della lingua italiana : esercizi, test, giochi. 1a ed. Firenze : Alma, última edició.

PELIZZA, Giovanna; MEZZADRI, Marco. L’Italiano in azienda. Perugia : Guerra, 2002 ​

PELLIZZARI DEMESSE, Piero (ed). Dizionario tecnico & commerciale spagnolo-italiano, italiano-spagnolo. Firenze : Sansoni, 1994

SOLSONA i BRILLAS, Xavier;  SÁNCHEZ i VAQUÉ, Oriol;  TRILLA i SEGURA, Jordi (eds). Diccionari bàsic català-italià, italià-català. Barcelona : Enciclopèdia Catalana, ultima edició.

ZINGARELLI, Nicola. Il Nuovo Zingarelli minore : vocabolario della lingua italiana. Bologna : Zanichelli, última edició.

ZINGARELLI, Nicola. Lo Zingarelli : vocabolario della lingua italiana.  Bologna : Zanichelli, última edició.

A. Filippone, S. Radicchi Lo stivale di moda. Loescher, 2014

A. Radicchi, S. Filippone Il buongustare, Loescher, 2014

P. Diadori, S. Semplici, Buon lavoro. Loescher, 2014

Leila Brioschi Il mio diario di italiano- Livello elementare, Alma Edizioni, 2021

Leila Brioschi Il mio diario di italiano- Livello intermedio, Alma Edizioni, 2021

Affare Fatto 2. S. Bertoni,  S. Nocchi. Roma: Edilingua, 2023.

Web page

https://www.wordreference.com/ites/

https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/