English for Business and Entrepreneurship
University of Pennsylvania
Informações sobre o curso
Welcome to English for Business and Entrepreneurship, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs.
To enroll in this course for free, click on “Enroll now” and then select "Full Course. No certificate."
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in learning more about the global business economy. In this course, you will learn about topics and language necessary to succeed in the international workplace. You will explore business English through authentic readings and video lectures, while learning about business vocabulary, concepts, and issues. Unit 1 will provide an introduction to entrepreneurship by examining ideas, products, and opportunities. In unit 2, you will learn about the basics of market research, including how to identify an opportunity. The next unit in the course will focus on business plans, why these plans are important, and will give you a chance to practice composing a business plan. In the final unit of the course, we will present basics for funding a business and will help you create a persuasive presentation, or pitch, based on a business plan.
Unless otherwise noted, all course materials are available for re-use, repurposing and free distribution under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license.
Supplemental reading materials were provided by Newsela, which publishes daily news articles at a level that's just right for each English language learner.
Habilidades que você terá
Business PlanMarket ResearchFinanceSpeech
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1
Section
Unit 1: Becoming an Entrepreneur
In this unit, we will introduce course goals and logistics, then discuss basic concepts and vocabulary related to entrepreneurship.
23 videos (Total 83 min), 14 readings, 13 quizzes
23 videos
Course Introduction Part I - Course Overview (Video 2)4m
Course Introduction Part II - Using the Course Site (Video 3)4m
Unlockable Achievement0m
What is Entrepreneurship? (Video 4: Part 1)2m
What is Entrepreneurship? (Video 4: Part 2)5m
Language Focus - Reading Skills (Video 5 Part 1)2m
Language Focus - Reading Skills (Video 5 Part 2)5m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Why Entrepreneurship? (Video 6 Part 1)6m
Why Entrepreneurship? (Video 6 Part 2)2m
Ideas, Products, and Opportunities (Video 7)6m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Creating Simple, One-Sentence Product Descriptions (Video 8 Part 1)7m
Creating Simple, One-Sentence Product Descriptions (Video 8 Part 2)2m
Deciding on a Type of Startup (Video 9 Part 1)5m
Deciding on a Type of Startup,Guest Speaker (Video 9 Part 2)3m
Risk, Failure, and Important Steps (Video 10 Part 1)4m
Risk, Failure, and Important Steps (Video 10 Part 2)4m
Language Focus - Comparative Structures (Video 11 Part 1)4m
Language Focus - Comparative Structures (Video 11 Part 2)2m
Language Focus - Comparative Structures (Video 11 Part 3)2m
14 readings
Overview of the Unit5m
Video/Listening: Elon Musk's Journey to Mars2m
Game 1: Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards6m
BASIC: Entrepreneurship seen as solution to South Africa's unemployment crisis5m
ADVANCED: Entrepreneurship seen as a solution to S. Africa’s unemployment crisis7m
BASIC: Women taxi startups gaining speed globally5m
ADVANCED: Women taxi startups gaining speed globally7m
“This recent grad brewed a startup by managing the details”5m
“'Impact Entrepreneurship' places importance on social consciousness"7m
“Many paths lead to successful business startups”5m
“Entrepreneurs find new ways to address housing shortages"10m
Video: “Ludwick Marishane: A bath without water”4m
“Broadway rallies to save a beloved diner"4m
Game: Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards5m
13 practice exercises
Self-Assessment of Business & Entrepreneurship Vocabulary Knowledge10m
Check Your Understanding: "Entrepreneurship Seen as Solution to S. Africa's Unemployment Crisis"8m
Check Your Understanding: "Women taxi startups gaining speed globally"8m
Check Your Understanding: "This recent grad brewed a startup by managing the details"4m
Game 2: Identifying Different Types of Products6m
Game 3: Creating Product Descriptions10m
Game 4: Correlative Connectors & Sentence Connectors12m
Check Your Understanding: "'Impact Entrepreneurship' places importance on social consciousness"10m
Game: Connector Practice Activity10m
Check Your Understanding: "Many paths lead to successful business startups"6m
Check Your Understanding: Entrepreneurs find new ways to address housing shortages10m
Check Your Understanding: "Ludwick Marishane: A Bath Without Water"6m
Check Your Understanding: "Broadway rallies to save a beloved diner"6m
2
Section
Unit 2: Identifying an Opportunity
This unit will cover how to do market research to determine whether a new product presents an opportunity in a market. We will focus on surveys and questions.
19 videos (Total 65 min), 12 readings, 10 quizzes
19 videos
Unlockable Achievement0m
Informal Research - Advantages and Disadvantages (Video 2)5m
Formal Research - Advantages and Disadvantages (Video 3 Part 1)2m
Formal Research - Advantages and Disadvantages (Video 3 Part 2)4m
Language Focus - Listening Strategies (Video 4 Part 1)4m
Language Focus - Listening Strategies (Video 4 Part 2)2m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Creating a Survey (Video 5 Part 1)6m
Creating a Survey (Video 5 Part 2)4m
Language Focus - Questions and Intonation (Video 6 Part 1)2m
Language Focus - Questions and Intonation (Video 6 Part 2)4m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Collecting Data (Video 7)5m
Evaluating Results (Video 8)6m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Completing Assessment 2 (Video 9 Part 1)6m
Completing Assessment 2 (Video 9 Part 2)1m
Unlockable Achievement0m
12 readings
Overview of the Unit1m
Game 1: Unit 2 Vocabulary Flashcards5m
BASIC: Washington state's new apple joining a changing industry5m
ADVANCED: Washington state's new apple joining a changing industry7m
BASIC: Bugs are the new food4m
ADVANCED: Bugs are the new food5m
Samples of Question Forms and Intonation (for Assessment 1)2m
Samples of Question Forms (for Assessment 1, option 2)10m
Assessment 2 Model10m
“Taiwanese business seeks specialized markets”5m
“People who bring their own grocery bags are more likely to buy junk food”5m
Game: Unit 2 Vocabulary Flashcards6m
9 practice exercises
Check Your Comprehension: "Washington state's new apple joining a changing industry"8m
Game 2: More Practice with Comparative Language12m
Check Your Comprehension: "Bugs are the new food"10m
Game 3: Creating Survey Questions6m
Questions12m
Analyzing Sample Survey Data14m
Game: Question Matching Practice Activity10m
Check Your Understanding: "Taiwanese business seeks specialized markets"8m
Check Your Understanding: "People who bring their own grocery bags are more likely to buy junk food"4m
3
Section
Unit 3: Creating a Business Plan (Part 1)
This first part of Unit 3 will review the importance of writing a business plan and will focus on the first two sections: operations and marketing.
10 videos (Total 39 min), 8 readings, 6 quizzes
10 videos
Strategic Language Focus - Intensifiers & degree complements in persuasive business writing (Video 2 Part 1)5m
Strategic Language Focus - Intensifiers & degree complements in persuasive business writing (Video 2 Part 2)4m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Business description, including management and operations (Video 3)5m
Marketing: Part One (Vocabulary and Concepts) (Video 4 Part 1)3m
Marketing: Part One (Vocabulary and Concepts) (Video 4 Part 2)3m
Marketing: Part One (Vocabulary and Concepts) (Video 4 Part 3)3m
Marketing: Part Two (Business Plan) (Video 5 Part 1)5m
Marketing: Part Two (Business Plan) (Video 5 Part 2)3m
8 readings
Overview of Unit 31m
BASIC: Nigeria's Wecyclers works for reusable future in Lagos5m
ADVANCED: Nigeria’s Wecyclers work for reusable future in Lagos7m
BASIC: Chinese go to Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant, but skip the beach5m
ADVANCED: Chinese go to Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant, but skip the beach7m
“50 business ideas you can start for under $100"7m
"Chilean government seeks to boost female-led start-ups"5m
Game: Unit 3 Vocabulary Flashcards7m
6 practice exercises
Game 1: Practice with degree complements and intensifiers34m
Check Your Understanding: "Nigeria's Wecyclers for reusable future in Lagos"10m
Check Your Understanding: "Chinese Go to Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant, But Skip the Beach"10m
Game 2: Sorting the 4 Ps24m
Check your Understanding: "50 business ideas you can start for under $100"10m
Check Your Understanding: "Chilean government seeks to boost female-led start-ups"8m
4
Section
Unit 3: Creating a Business Plan (Part 2)
In this second part of Unit 3, we will learn about the Financials section of a business plan and how to create a simple, brief business plan of our own.
9 videos (Total 36 min), 3 readings, 5 quizzes
9 videos
Financials: Part Two - Income statement (Vocabulary & concept focus) (Video 7)6m
Financials: Part Three - Startup Costs, Sales & Revenue Projections, Cost Projections & Income Statement (Calculations) (Video 8 Part 1)4m
Financials: Part Three - Startup Costs, Sales & Revenue Projections, Cost Projections & Income Statement (Calculations) (Video 8 Part 2)3m
Financials: Part Three - Startup Costs, Sales & Revenue Projections, Cost Projections & Income Statement (Calculations) (Video 8 Part 3)3m
Strategic Language Focus - Describing Financials (Video 9)5m
Creating a brief business plan (Video 10 Part 1)3m
Creating a brief business plan (Video 10 Part 2)3m
Unlockable Achievement0m
3 readings
Template and Model for Brief Business Plans (for Assessment 2)5m
"Ethiopians hope start-ups turn into business success"5m
Game: Unit 3 Vocabulary Flashcards7m
4 practice exercises
Game 3: Vocabulary: Word problems matching numbers with words18m
Game 4: Vocabulary: Word problems matching numbers with words22m
Game 5: Interpreting Results24m
Check Your Understanding: "Ethiopians hope start-ups turn into business success"8m
5
Section
Unit 4: Attracting Investors and Obtaining Financial Support
In this unit, we will discuss different ways to get the money needed to start a business. At the end you will create a "pitch" to present your business ideas.
23 videos (Total 73 min), 11 readings, 10 quizzes
23 videos
Financing a Business: Bootstrapping versus Outside Funding (Video 1 Part 2)3m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Debt-Financing: Bank Loans and Microloans (Video 2 Part 1)4m
Debt-Financing: Bank Loans and Microloans (Video 2 Part 2)3m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Equity-Financing: Venture Capital (Video 3 Part 1)5m
Equity-Financing: Venture Capital (Video 3 Part 2)2m
Finding Investors in the Social Network (Video 4)4m
Crowdfunding (Video 5 Part 1)4m
Crowdfunding (Video 5 Part 2)3m
Listening: Crowd-sourced funding provides kickstart to new business ventures2m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Making a Pitch to Attract Investors (Video 6 Part 1)5m
Making a Pitch to Attract Investors (Video 6 Part 2)5m
Creating an Effective Hook (Video 7 Part 1)5m
Creating an Effective Hook (Video 7 Part 2)4m
Adding Impact: Word Stress, Body Language,& Eye Contact (Video 8)5m
Listening: How to Pitch a Business2m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Unlockable Achievement0m
Course Conclusion (Video 9)2m
Course Conclusion (video 9)2m
11 readings
Overview of the Unit1m
BASIC: Microfinance gives voice to rural Indian women5m
ADVANCED: Microfinance gives voice to rural Indian women7m
Instructions for Assessment 2: Persuasive Elevator Pitch5m
Sample Elevator Pitch and Elevator Pitch Template5m
Sample Elevator Pitch and Elevator Pitch Template10m
BASIC: Tech startups boom in India, attract big investments5m
ADVANCED: Tech startups boom in India, attract big investments7m
"Crowdfunding for business growing in Africa"5m
"The original social network: How global diasporas can mean big business"5m
Game: Unit 4 Vocabulary Flashcards7m
10 practice exercises
Unit 4 Assessment 1: Reflective Response2m
Check Your Understanding: "Microfinance gives voice to rural Indian women"10m
Check Your Understanding: "Crowd-sourced funding provides 'Kickstart' to new business ventures"12m
Game 1: Be brief!10m
Check Your Understanding: "How to Pitch a Business"10m
Unit 4 Assessment 2: Elevator Pitch (written)2m
Check Your Understanding: "Tech startups boom in India, attract big investments"8m
Check Your Understanding: "Crowdfunding for businesses growing in Africa"14m
Check Your Understanding: "The original social network: How global diasporas can mean big business"8m
Game: Build a Pitch - Structure Practice2m
4.8
50%
83%
14%
Top Reviews
By AS•Nov 6th 2016
What an entrepreneur need from describing your idea, market research, writing a business plan to making a persuasive pitch, the key element to attract potential investors. I do recommend this course
By PY•Nov 26th 2016
It's a very helpful course. I've learned many new words and got acquaintance with entrepreneurship. I strongly advise other coursera students to try this course. Thanks to the perfect instructors.
Instructors
Amy Nichols
Manager of International Research and Program Development
James Riedel
Executive DirectorAbout University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.
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