Author Biography

Ros McCulloch has held academic positions in Universities in the UK and in Australia, in Faculties of Business, Arts & Humanities and Education, and has extensive experience in training teachers to work in the school, Further Education (TAFE) and tertiary sectors. She has published a number of books that focus on improving the learning experience and success of students through the use of practical, discipline-specific resources, and has a particular interest in assisting students as they 'transition' from one sector of education to the next. Ros has developed, led and taught University Graduate Certificate courses for academics involved in teaching in the tertiary sector in the UK and in Australia, and has led or participated in national and international Teaching and Learning projects in both countries. She has worked as Co-ordinator of the Teaching and Learning Team in the Business School, Queensland University of Technology. Ros also holds the post of Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Creative Arts, James Cook University, Queensland. Andrea Reid is an Employability Coordinator at The University of Queensland. Andrea has 15 years' higher education experience working with transitioning students across three key institutions in Queensland (University of Southern Queensland, University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology) in the areas of instructional design, distance learning, language and learning development of international students, and academic staff development. Andrea is a qualified teacher, holding a Bachelor of Arts (English and History), a Bachelor of Education, and a Graduate Diploma of Distance Education. She completed her Master of Education. Andrea has presented her work at two international first year experience conferences in the areas of embedding language and learning development and working with transitioning international students.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Goal 1: Become a subject expert and higher order thinker
• Chapter 1: Acquire knowledge in business disciplines
• Chapter 2: Introduction to higher order thinking
• Chapter 3: Higher order thinking in practice
• Goal 2: Become an effective professional communicator
• Chapter 4: Become a professional communicator
• Chapter 5: report writing
• Chapter 6: Other forms of business writing
• Chapter 7: Oral communication
• Goal 3: Become an effective worker in a globalised world
• Chapter 8: Working effectively - in a team and on your own
• Chapter 9: Professional and ethical conduct in business
• Chapter 10: The contemporary business world: intercultural and international perspectives

Feature

The book is written to appeal directly to the student, with everything explained in clear and accessible language, so that all students will be able to understand it easily, even if English is not their first language. Materials in each chapter are sequenced to progressively develop the student's understanding. Through using the generic toolkits students find out the 'key questions to ask' and thus develop skills and understanding rather than simply learning and memorising content. The text is structured to help students achieve 3 key goals: Goal 1: Become a subject expert and higher order thinker- It explains the structure and terminology of academic disciplines. This will enable students to work in their business subject areas from the start and allow them to start confidently on the 'subject expert' aspect of their studies - It teaches students the skills of higher order thinking, so that they will know how to find information and carry out research accurately and efficiently - The text shows how subject knowledge and critical-thinking skills are applied to real-life examples drawn from the business world - It gives students processes so that they can put knowledge and higher order thinking skills into practice for themselves in real-life business examples. Goal 2: Become an effective professional communicator- The text shows students how to communicate their information in a professional way, according to the conventions of good business communication, in written and spoken forms,- It shows them how to tailor their information to fit specific communication tasks and particular audiences, in both written and spoken forms,- It covers all the basics of professional writing and indicates the standard of writing that will be expected of them in their degree work as well as in their future professional life. Goal 3: Become an effective worker in a globalised world- It show students how to improve their skills of working autonomously as well as developing team working and co-operation skills through real-life workplace scenarios, - It illustrates the knowledge and skills they will need to understand and gain competency in the range of ethical and intercultural issues that can arise in today's diverse, multicultural business world.

New Feature

Part 1 has been restructured to focus more clearly on higher order thinking. Chapters 2 and 3 focus clearly on the ARE process of Analysing, Researching and Evaluating. Chapter 2 explains the process and Chapter 3 shows how to put the ARE process into practice. A new example of adventure travel is incorporated into Chapter 2, providing a context for the ARE process that is more relevant to business students. Chapter 4 (Become a professional communicator) has been restructured and real examples have been included throughout the chapter.

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