About this course
The use of English for doing business in multinational settings is a fact of life for many business people.
And, as Asian economies expand and become more involved in the global economy, having the ability to write
clear and concise English is important when exchanging information. This course has two goals. The first is to
introduce non-native speakers of English to methods for developing written English
language and communication skills for doing business in Asia. The second is to examine the impact of
cross-cultural interactions and globalization on English communications. By exploring and participating in a
business simulation set in Asia, you will develop the principal skills for effective communication in English
when conducting business in China and other Asian countries.
Course Staff
Sean McMinn
Sean McMinn is an Associate Professor in the Center for Language Education at the Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology. He teaches undergraduate English courses in Business Communications, speaking, and
writing. His professional interests include integrating technology into the language learning curriculum,
social media and blended learning. Projects in the past have included embedding social networks, wikis,
blogs, and podcasts into various language courses. He won a Teaching Innovation Award for his work with
podcasts and education at HKUST in 2007 and has presented at international conferences on the subjects of
social media and education, and second life and intercultural literacy.
Delian Gaskell
Delian Gaskell is a Senior Lecturer in the Center for Language Education at the Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology. She teaches and coordinates undergraduate courses in Business Communications and
writing. Her professional interests include blended learning, computer-aided language learning, the use of
‘flipped’ classrooms, corpus linguistics and discourse analysis.
