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　　Abstract: Material evaluation is an important part of our course design in business English teaching. The article attempts a detailed analysis of the textbook First Insights into Business English by using a set of criteria well justified by the relevant course design rationale within a communicative teaching and learning framework.
　　Key words:course book evaluation business English
　　
　　1 Introduction
　　There are different sets of criteria for the evaluation of business English materials, but they could be categorized into the following five broad issues upon which we base our judgments as to what makes a set of good and appropriate materials. They are: learners, learning, language, teachability and "authenticity". There could be many and varied questions pondered upon in examining our course books and materials surrounding the broad issues, especially the first three ones. For the first issue of learners, we will ask questions like " who are the intended learners for the materials?", "Are the material suitable for this group of learners as the writer claims?". That means we should take into consideration learners" levels, needs, knowledge, cultural background, age and so on. The second issue concerned with material is writers" theories, hypothesis about learning and teaching. In identifying if the materials are desirable or not, we could ask: what attitudes to or expectations about learning English are the materials based on? What learning and teaching techniques can be used with the materials? Does the organization of the units or the content within a unit facilitate the teaching and learning process? Do the activities encourage skill mastery? In terms of the third issue――language, we can look at the range of language and areas covered in the materials and especially examine the writers" assumption about language description. In my analysis of the course book First insights into Business English by Sue Robbins��1� ( 2000 ), I intend to give brief yet comprehensive evaluation of the whole course book and a detailed analysis of some individual units all based on criteria surrounding these three principal issues. The three main issues are, to a great extent, related to one another.
　　2 Targeted Learners and Material Appropriateness
　　The question raised here is whether the book provides the targeted learners suitable and appropriate materials as a whole. In the introduction part, the book claims it is "a course for students of business English at pre-intermediate to intermediate level." The book, in fact, is suitable in terms of language and most of the subject matter for pre-experience learners of business English who have no company experience and yet who have this level of English and limited knowledge of business related topics. The language focus in the book is on relatively simple language points: from simple present tenses to present perfect, from verb forms to pronunciation such as linkage, sentence stress and weak forms. The range and level of lexical items dealt with are also relevant to the needs and levels of the learners. Although some authentic material presents the learners with some difficult points, but the tasks are made easy to handle. The subject matter areas are concerned with general business contexts possibly related to their future business needs. There are topics of broad range, such as customers, companies, retailing, finance, etc., to name a few. Along with these topics, important communicative skills required in their jobs are presented and practice. The four basic language skills of writing, speaking, reading and listening are practiced through concrete tasks in business contexts: for example, report and CV writing, giving business advice, presenting products, interviewing, reading company profiles, listening to financial details of a company"s profit and loss. More in-depth look will be given in the following paragraphs.
　　3 Organization of the Material
　　Then, the second question needs addressing is to what extent the organization the book meets both the learning needs and teaching needs. The organization of the content throughout the book is clear, systematic and coherent. The book helps learners to study on their own with table of contents clearly stated and laid out on the first page categorizing the language areas and the skills and topics areas. Learners are further assisted in their self-study with communicative activities, grammar reference, word list and tape scripts included in the students" book at the end. There is a review unit after every three units to help learners to test and consolidate what is learned in the previous three units and the teacher can use the unit to test out both the learners" performance in their learning process as well as the teaching effectiveness.
　　The twelve units are presented by a combination of the means: each unit deals with a different topic covering related business content, some aspect of language structures and content related vocabulary and skills areas. Each unit has the same key elements: key vocabulary, lead-in, language focus and practice, pronunciation, writing, reading, listening, vocabulary, cross-cultural comparison, business communication and final task. This offers readers opportunity to select their own preferred units for their own respective purposes and clear ideas about the objectives of each section of the lesson and the tasks. It also gives one a sense of progression and achievement.
　　The sequence of the book is arranged according to the degree of difficulty in the structures mainly, with some consideration to the levels of difficulty in language and communication skill. Through comparing the language aspect of unit one with that in unit eleven, the reader can see this kind of endeavor by the text author. In unit one for example, the language focus is on direct question and indirect questions forms and how to pronounce weak and strong forms of /dje/ and /du:/ while unit eleven has its focus on conditional sentences which is more complicated in structure.
　　4 Meeting the General Criteria of Course Design
　　The third issue needs addressing here is: how far does the book meet the general standard of course design within its units? The overall structure within the units follows similar patterns and includes all the main elements mentioned above. The organization of the elements is coherent and thus facilitates language learning and teaching. Besides, the exercises and readings evolve around a fixed theme and grammatical structures. The comprehensive coverage of language points and theme- related materials and communicative skills well prepare business students for their future career in business. The basic approach to the language learning in the design of the exercises is communicative, task-based and learner-centered, although the core syllabus is structural which stresses the rules of grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure.
　　Each unit begins with a brief preview of the main sections, which practically serve as statement of objectives for the lesson. This helps to guide the teacher and learner towards these objectives through their lesson. "Key vocabulary" first gives information in a short reading passage on the unit topic in which important vocabulary related to the theme is printed in bold to assist the learner. In this way, learners are exposed to both the subject area and lexical items. The passages in the units are concise and pitched at the right language level and informative in business content. "Leadin" precedes "cross -culture comparison". Each unit is slightly different for the tasks in "lead- in". It usually has reading material covering the theme of the unit and the tasks require the use of the relevant vocabulary learned in the previous reading. The section aims to increase learners" interest in the topic and their knowledge in the areas of language and content. "Cross -cultural comparison" reflects the acknowledgement of different learners" personal experience and cultural background. Moreover, it provides good opportunities to practice their communicative skills in the exchange of opinions among learners. "Language focus", as stated in its teacher"s book, "follows a grammatical syllabus chosen especially to suit the needs of pre-intermediate to intermediate students" (Robbins 2000:7). It presents in every unit grammatical points in topic related business contexts. The writer"s assumption about language learning is obvious here: the mastery of basic grammatical rules is a prerequisite for further progress in business English learning. The tasks in this part often require the practice of grammar in the context of communicative activities. Information gap filling and discussion are the most common types in the units. This enables learners to practice and learn grammar by active interaction with content-based materials and interesting tasks. "Pronunciation practice" is matched to the theme with related vocabulary and sentences. This in effect recycles the key vocabulary. If this part used the short reading passage in the "key vocabulary section, it would be a better review and recycling of the content and language. What is worth recommending here is its use of inductive approach to presenting grammar? After the presentation of the grammar in the readings and tasks, students are asked to deduce grammar rules from the presentation. This encourages learners to be active thinkers and responsible for their learning, instead of being passive receivers of formulas and rules from the teachers. There are "grammar reference" on page 150 in the students" book. In "language practice" section, the learned structures are practiced in business content again. The guided practice tasks are followed by less controlled communicative and contentbased ones. The other sections are "writing", "reading", "listening". They are not always presented in exactly the same order and length. The wiring is progressed gradually according to learners" language level, starting from simple tasks in unit one of identifying and using correct articles to the wholesome task of writing curriculum vitae for a job in the final unit. Authentic material is given in "reading" and "listening" to prepare learners for tackling similar readings and listening in their career. They cover relevant content areas and language points, but a little above the level of pre-intermediate to intermediate learners. The writer"s choice of authentic, relatively difficult material enables learners to develop effective strategies such as guessing and deducing from context, neglecting unimportant words, applying existing knowledge, etc. The "vocabulary" section usually takes a systematic look at the formation of words, collocation, synonyms, compounds nouns and adjectives. Again, it is quite suitable for learners at this language level.
　　"Business communication" and "final task" are designed to let learners apply their comprehensive language competence and knowledge of business acquired in the units to practical business tasks. The tasks are mostly in oral form, such as presenting information, interviewing. This offers opportunity for "recycling" of the skills and language points learned and test both teachers and students their achievement and performance.
　　A detailed look at some aspects in unit two is necessary to see the writer"s attitudes and approaches towards language learning and teaching methodology.
　　Unit two "company", like the other units, develops around the business related topics as indicated by the title. It begins with a brief overview of the four main sections as a clear guidance to the content to be presented. Then "key vocabulary" presents a short passage, which is a simple definition of companies in general. The passage together with a taped version of the passage not only introduces the company theme of the unit, but also the key lexical items such as "buying", "selling", "marketing", information technology", "telecommunications". They will be used for the immediate tasks. As could be seen form the material, the writer uses simple vocabulary at this stage. The "lead-in" next stimulates the learners" interest in the topic and language itself with concrete tasks. The identification of the three famous companies in the photos leads to the activity of matching the correct company logo with its business activities. The task is easy but provides enough information and fun. The third part of "lead-in" demands group work to discuss answers to the questions concerning big companies like Coco- Cola and BMW. At this stage, learners" interest may well be aroused and through the interactions with classmates, they can use the vocabulary just learned in the short passage. What"s more, their knowledge of the business can be tested. The companies introduced here are famous and influential businesses in the world which ensures the content is of value and interest to students.
　　The "language focus" in the book all introduces grammar suitable to this level of learners. This unit is about presenting simple and present continuous tenses. The advertisement is used as a context to practice reading comprehension, increase awareness of the correct structures and provide business information. The material is explored to the full by setting up both oral task and gap-filling tasks. After completing the tasks, learners are asked to answer questions related to grammatical rules in business situations. At page bottom, learners are clearly guided to the grammar reference page. This, as stated above, reflects the advocacy of autonomous learning. The language practice part first presents two pictures relating to two businesses: one is pharmaceutical company and the other is cable operator. Vocabulary is given at this point to assist learners to decide "what does each company do". Then they listen to a business analyst who gives information about the companies. They are to fill in the table using present simple and present continuous structures and vocabulary related to the unit. There listening and writing skills are integrated. The reading skill is practice in the next section. The text is an advertisement of Financial Times Group"s business graduate trainee program. The authentic nature of the material is rather a challenge for learners of this level. But the tasks are graded from easy to difficult, from guided and controlled to less controlled and open-ended. The first set of questions is made easy by focusing on the comprehension of the main ideas. Then they are followed by questions testing the comprehension of chief points. The realistic approach to the material itself and to the tasks helps the learners to be close to real work situations and build up learners" confidence. The business communication part involves more integrated skills tasks. In task one, learners are asked to look at a chart of LVMH and answer the questions requiring the use of the grammar just covered. Then they check their work by listening to the tape. Task two proceeds naturally form the previous part, because learners are required to listen to the presentation from the text on LVMH and mark the stressed syllables. Part three forms a coherent part of the whole unit by looking at the company sectors of Edizione Holding and Sony. The exercises are made to resemble real life task by using information gap-filling in pairs. Learners have to look for missing information through using their English in reading, writing, speaking and listening. "Final task" sums up the learning and taps the language and skills learned in the unit and the previous one by asking learners to make presentation on one of the companies. Its checklist reviews both the language points and knowledge of companies.
　　5 Conclusion
　　First Insight into Business English is a desirable course book for pre-intermediate to intermediate business English learners. Its strength lies in its clear, logical and coherent organization of content; its comprehensive coverage of materials and skills. The book is also evident in its communicative approach to language learning and teaching. It stands out for its natural integration of structural syllabus with content and task-oriented pedagogies,its cross-cultural awareness, its real life authenticity of materials and step-by step supportive approaches to tasks in terms of degree of difficulty in language and content both inside units and throughout the course, its encouragement of active learning and appropriateness to the level and needs of the learners. The only suggestion for improvement here would be that the teachers" notes be more detailed to assist less experienced teachers to teach the course, and some video materials be provided to further enrich the classroom learning and consolidate the related business concepts.
　　References:
　　[1]Ellis, M and Johnson C.Teaching Business English, Oxford: Oxford University Press,1994.
　　[2]Hutchingson, T and Waters A . English for Specific Purposes, Cambridge: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge,1987.
　　[3]Reed B and Nolan S .‘ Survey review: two series of Business English materials, ELT Journal,1994,51(4):383-397.
　　[4]Robbins S.First Insight into Business English, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited,2000.
　　[5]Shieldon, Leslie E .‘Evaluating ELT Textbooks and Materials’, ELT Journal,1988,42(2):327-246.