Student Profile the Student Is a 29-Year-Old

¶ … Student Profile

The student is a 29-year-old French speaking accountant whose employer is sponsoring him to come to the UK for a four-week intensive English course.

Desired Proficiency

This student should be able to deliver dynamic presentations, about twenty to thirty minutes in length, and engage in discussions about accounting and business practices. He should also be able to attend to lengthy presentations and phone calls on the same subjects. He will need to read and write quick emails, professional memos, and formal reports. In addition to what is specifically related to the fields of business and accounting, he will need a good handle on the vocabulary of Information Technology in the inevitable event that something goes wrong with his computer, the email server, his slideshow, etc.

Current Proficiency

The student currently demonstrates an adequate mastery of basic interpersonal communications skills to make new acquaintances using greetings, questions about the weather and family, along with a good grasp of time vocabulary and phraseology. He could easily communicate well enough to acquire lodging and food, withdraw money from the bank, and ask for directions if lost. His pronunciation, although not perfect, is not so distracting as to be incomprehensible.

Gap

This student is lacking accounting, business, and IT vocabulary and phrases, his listening skills are very poor (frequently misunderstands simple questions, especially over the phone), and there is very little variation to his intonation patterns, which makes his speech very dull to listen to (making his presentation skills less than dynamic).

Solution

Vocabulary and Phrases

In the four weeks he will be here he will learn 15 new words or phrases every day, totaling 300 in all (see appendix). Since a person can generally manage to learn 8-10 words per day, this amount should prove to be a significant challenge.

Writing

To improve his writing skills, we will practice writing using memo templates and business letter scripts that may be adapted to many different situations. Also, because instant messaging is so ubiquitous in the business world these days, we will practice exchanges of day-to-day office information via web messenger. This is a very important skill to practice because it often requires a rapid rate of delivery.

Listening

We will watch business related presentations and exchanges on YouTube, check for comprehension, and mimic the presentations and exchanges together. We will learn which key words to listen for to keep track of a presentation or conversation, as well as learn strategies for what to do when one does not understand.

Speaking

His pronunciation is not a serious concern, but his rate of delivery and intonation are. Therefore, we will learn to recognize and utilize the intonation patterns of English, including but not limited to wh- question intonation, yes/no question intonation, and contrastive intonation. We will also practice scripted business exchanges to increase his speech rate.

Appendix

accelerated depreciation account book accounting - book-keeping accounting criteria - accounting standards accounts payable accrual accrued liability - accrued expense accrued revenue - accrued income actual cost added value adjustment administrative expenses advances affiliated company allocation of the dividend amortization - depreciation annual general meeting (AGM)

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

articles of association

Articles of Association

asset assets and liabilities assets side assets value associated companies auditing - audit auditors' certificate authorised share capital balance sheet balance-sheet analysis balance-sheet consolidation balance-sheet items balance-sheet ratios barometer stock base rate board of directors bonus or capitalisation issue

Book Keeping loss book profit book value break even point (BEP)

break-up value bridging loan budget

building society buildings tax business consultant - expert in commercial law capital goods capital increase capital loss cash cow product cash flow chairman of the board of directors chart of accounts cheque clean factoring

closing balance closing stock company - firm company merger company profitability consolidated statement controlling company corporate books corporate purpose corporate tax cost centre cost of goods sold costs and revenues credit column - credit side credit note creditors current account current assets - floating assets day book - journal book debit and credit debit column - debit side debit note debt debtor debtors deed of association - company statute deferred expense - deferred charge deferred income - deferred revenue deferred tax depreciable assets depreciation allowance - capital allowance depreciation fund - amortization fund

double entry entry date equity tax expenditure - outflow - expense centre expense receipt extraordinary meeting false accounting false factoring fee final balance finance financial leasing financial management financial resources financial statement financing - funds finished products inventories fiscal year - financial year fixed assets (GB) - capital assets (U.S.)

fixed costs fully paid-up capital general accounting general partner general partnership - ordinary partnership gilt-edged stock (gilts)

goodwill expenses - start-up costs gross margin gross operating profit gross profit in the black income tax industrial accounting cost industrial and commercial equipment intangible assets interests earned interests paid inventories - stock inventory accounting - stock accounting inventory book inventory records - stock records inventory turnover index inventory value investment invoicing - billing labour land and buildings legal reserve liabilities side limited liability company limited partner - sleeping partner limited partnership liquid assets liquidity long-term financing loss on credits

major shareholder majority interest majority shareholder management buy-out memorandum of association

Memorandum of Association

merchant bank minority interest minutes of a meeting net assets net margin net profit non-taxable income on first call one-man business

opening balance sheet opening stock - opening inventory operating loss operating profit ordinary partnership ordinary share outstanding credits overhead costs - overheads owner owner's equity partner - shareholder patent periodical report personnel costs plant and equipment plant and machinery post a contra-entry pre-tax profit production costs

production value

professional accountant profit and loss account (GB) - income statement (U.S.)