Business Basics International Edition

Authors: David Grant and Robert McLarty
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Components reviewed: Student’s Book, multiROM

Summary: Business Basics (updated for the international workplace) is a communication-based, user-friendly, highly visual and attractive introduction to ‘the language of business’.

Review:

What is new/different about the materials
The most obvious change in the latest edition of Business Basics is that it says that it has been ‘updated for the International marketplace.’ Although it does mention companies with an international profile, I feel many of the examples and situations are still rather North American in context; however this is likely to be useful for people who are wanting to gain a better understanding of business culture and practices in North America.

The multiROM, which is new, has relevant and practical supplementary exercises that provide opportunities for more interaction with the language, situations and topic areas of the coursebook.

The purpose is it written for, and how it achieves those aims
Business Basics provides an interactive, communicative approach to the language and concepts of business in English. I feel it provides a sound and quite thorough introduction to key areas of the topic. It covers these areas in an interesting and engaging way with plenty of relevant and accessible examples and many engaging and useful visuals.

Things I especially liked about the materials
What I most liked about the coursebook was that the format and layout are very clear and accessible, making it therefore easy to read and work with. The exercises are also interesting and relevant. A lot of target language as well as incidental language is recycled throughout the units. My students and I found the book interesting and inviting.
The ‘flow of activities’ was logical and design – intelligent. For example, exercises grew from introduction to practise to expansion, with new or key vocab or concepts introduced along the way.
The design of the exercises lends itself well to adaptation, extension and personalization for maximum benefit to learners. The exercises also use relevant contemporary examples that learners are likely to be familiar with and relate to.

Things I was not so keen on
The multiROM I received appeared to be different to that required by the book. It did not have the same material as the book, so could not be used. On a few occasions, the organization of units and order of activities in the book could have followed the flow of language a little more, however this was not a significant issue with the book in my opinion.

Who the materials are most suitable for
I think this book and multiROM would be very useful for Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate level students who are wanting an interesting, practical and easy to access introduction to Western/North American business language and culture. The book could be used as part of a ‘self-study’ programme, or as a text as part of an ‘Introduction to Business’ course. My students have enjoyed using this book and it is refreshing and a relief to have a useful, relevant and visually appealing text available.

Biog
Currently working as a Corporate Trainer, Karen Thomas has considerable experience in ESL/EFL high-school, adult-learning and private language school environments. Key areas of interest are developing writing skills for a variety of purposes and building understanding and awareness of the skills required for doing business in the ESL context.