An exploratory study on communicative needs at trans national corporations = nghiên cứu tìm hiểu về những nhu cầu giao tiếp tại công ty xuyên quốc gia

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Brown‟s different views on needs Table 2: Brown‟s different types of analysis Table 3: Dudley-Evans & John‟s classification of ESP Figure 3.1: Technic

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

HỒ THỊ HƯỜNG

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON COMMUNICATIVE NEEDS AT

TRANS-NATIONAL CORPORATIONS

(Nghiên cứu tìm hiểu về những nhu cầu giao tiếp tại những công ty xuyên quốc gia)

M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I)

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi - 2018

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I)

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01

Supervisor : Assoc Prof Dr Le Van Canh

Hanoi - 2018

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and effort and that it has not been

submitted to any other university or institution wholly or partially

Hanoi, December 2018

Hồ Thị Hường

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor Assoc Prof Dr Le Van Canh who gave me a lot of valuable guidance, encouragements, criticisms and correction throughout my thesis writing

I am indebted to 100 technical staffs of 2 trans-national corporations - my old students at HaUI, who provided me with lots of useful information by answering

my questionnaires

My sincere thanks go to my family, my friends for their encouragement and support that help me to complete my work

ABSTRACT

This thesis reports the result of an exploratory study on the English communicative needs by graduates from mechanical engineering and electronic department at HaUI, who are working as technical workers at 2 trans-national corporations It attempts to find their common communicative needs at workplaces in order to inform curriculum design Simultaneously, it explores the challenges in using those common communicative needs during their working tasks and also gives suggestions for an effective ESP syllabus design The data was collected by means of questionnaires

by handing them out to 100 technical workers at 2 trans-national companies The results of this study have shown that their common communicative needs and their difficulties in using English at workplaces as well as given positive contributions to

ESP syllabus design

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration

Acknowledgements Abstract Table of contents List of abbreviations List of tables and figures PART I: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale for the thesis 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Methods of the study 2

4 Significance of the study 2

5 Scope of the study 2

PART II: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Need analysis 4

1.1.1 Definition of need analysis 4

1.1.2 Classification of “needs” in need analysis 5

1.1.2.1 Target needs 6

1.1.2.2 Learning needs 8

1.1.3 Definition of “analysis” in needs analysis 10

1.1.4 The importance of needs analysis 12

1.2 Definition of ESP and different types of ESPs 13

1.2.1 Definition of ESP 13

1.2.2 Types of ESP 14

1.2.3 Characteristics of ESP 15

1.3 Syllabus Design 16

1.3.1 Definition of the syllabus 16

1.3.2 Steps to design a syllabus 17

1.4 A brief summary of some existing relevant studies 17

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 20

2.1 The research question 20

2.2 The participants 20

2.3 The instruments 21

2.4 The procedures 22

2.5 Methods of data analysis 23

2.5.1 Quantitative method 23

2.5.2 Qualitative method 23

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 24

3.1 The findings for the first research question 24

3.1.1 Technical workers‟ general common communicative needs 24

3.1.2 Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of correspondence 25

3.1.3 Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of writing a document 26

3.1.4 Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of order/customer satisfaction 27

3.1.5 Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of business meeting 28

3.1.6 Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of business trip 29

3.2 The findings for the second research question 30

3.2.1 Their challenges in writing email, fax, report and plan 30

3.2.2 Their challenges in reading email, fax, report and plan 31

3.2.3 Their challenges in listening and speaking for business trip and social meeting 31

3.3 Discussion findings 32

3.3.1 Technical workers‟ general common communicative needs 32

3.3.2 Technical workers‟ common challenges in using means of communication at workplace 33

3.3.2.1 Recommendation for students 34

3.3.2.2 Recommendation for teachers 34

3.2.2.3 Recommendation for course and syllabus designers 35

PART III: CONCLUSION 36

1 Conclusion of the study 36

2 Limitations 37

3 Suggestions for further studies 37

References 39

Appendices

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

HaUI: Ha Noi University of Industry

NA: Need analysis

ESP: English for Specific Purposes

GE: General English

EOP: English for Occupational Purposes

EAP: English for Academic Purposes

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: Brown‟s different views on needs

Table 2: Brown‟s different types of analysis

Table 3: Dudley-Evans & John‟s classification of ESP

Figure 3.1: Technical workers‟ general common communicative needs

Figure 3.2: Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of correspondence Figure 3.3: Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of writing a document Figure 3.4: Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of order/customer

satisfaction

Figure 3.5: Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of business meeting

Figure 3.6: Technical workers‟ communicative needs in terms of business trip Figure 3.7: Technical workers‟ general common communicative needs

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PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the thesis

With the development of economy in 21st century, there are lots of international companies investing and opening subsidiaries in Viet Nam They need a huge of Vietnamese workforces to play a role as technical workers and managers of individual departments This is actually a good sign for Vietnamese workforce in generally and newly graduated vocational training students of Hanoi university of Industry (HaUI) in particular However, in order to be employable in these trans-national companies, applicants are required to possess not only solid specialized knowledge and skills but also satisfactory communication skills in English as an international language That is the reason why this study was aimed at investigating

on communicative needs of industrial and business employees Normally, graduates from mechanical engineering and electronic department at HaUI were taught English with popular textbooks such as new headway, objective KET or lifeline for

6 terms as a general English (GE) course and only one term with oriented ESP course These GE syllabuses mainly offer students with general communicative functions such as greetings, invitation making…etc and sets of grammar rules before they were taught for only one semester technical English However, during technological and business tasks, graduates from mechanical engineering and electronic department admitted that they had to face up with difficulties in reading instructions, socializing with co-worker, writing formals email or reports, giving

presentations or negotiating Therefore, it is necessary to conduct “an exploratory

study on communicative needs at trans-national corporations” for understanding

about graduates‟ challenges in using English at their workplaces and for having an effective syllabus design

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2 Aims of the study

The study was aimed to find out the common communicative needs at the workplace as reported by graduates from mechanical engineering and electronic department who are holding different positions at transnational companies This

information will be used to informed syllabus design for the students at HaUI

3 Methods of the study

Given the purpose of the study, a survey method using the questionnaire to collect data was used One hundred graduates from mechanical engineering and electronic departments at HaUI who are working as technical workers of individual departments

at trans- national corporations) answered the questionnaire

The data obtained from the questionnaire was analysized quantitatively to identify the common pattern of responses regarding the communicative needs and communicative challenges at work that these ex-students of HaUI often encountered

4 Significance of the study

The findings of the thesis may serve as useful information for changes in curriculum design and teaching approaches at HaUI

5 Scope of the study

The study only focused on the communicative functions or needs and the problems the HaUI ex-students had in communicating in English at work as reported by these students Also, the participants are the ex-students from two departments (Mechanical Engineering and Electronic) of HaUI rather than all graduates from various departments of the university

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6 Structure of the thesis

Part I: Introduction presents the rationale, aims, methodology, significance and

scope of the study

Part II: Development - consists of three chapters:

Chapter 1: Literature review – The first part provides some theoretical background

about needs analysis including definition of needs, classification of needs as well as definition of “analysis” in NA and the importance of needs analysis The next one is

definition of the term ESP, different types of “ESP” and characteristics of ESP

Definition of syllabus, syllabus design and steps in designing syllabus are

mentioned to The last one is a brief summary of some existing relevant studies

Chapter 2: Methodology - in this chapter, the introduction of research method

including research questions, data collection instruments are presented

Chapter 3: The study - shows the procedure of carrying on the research and

presents the data analysis result from questionnaires

Part III: Conclusion, which is the last chapter, followed by references is the

summary of the whole study The limitation of the study and suggestion for further study are also recommended

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PART II: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 Need analysis

1.1.1 Definition of need analysis

Needs analysis plays as the most important and crucial step in designing any curriculums Nunan (1988) considers that needs analysis is the very first stage of the design of a syllabus More importantly, it attempts to meet the needs of different shareholders, consist of learners, language teaching institutions, and employers Various authors give various definitions and perspectives of that term Needs refers

to the present or future requirement of learners, and what they expect to learn when they finish the language course Richterich (1972, cited in Johnson, 1982, p.40) reflected his viewpoint on language needs: “the requirements which arises from the use of a language in the multitude of situations which may arise in the social lives

of individuals and groups” By doing an analysis about language needs of specific group of learners, we may have accurate decisions for what we are going to teach and learn

According to Long (2005), needs analysis is kind of the diagnosis in foreign language teaching Richards and Rodger (1986, p.156) give a clearer definition, according to which needs analysis is “concerned with identifying general and specific language needs that can be addressed in developing goals, objective and content in a language program”

For Brown (1995, p.36) , needs analysis is “ the systematic collection and analysis

of all subjective and objective information necessary to define and validate defensible curriculum purposes that satisfy the language learning requirements of students within the context of particular institutions that influence the learning and teaching situation.”

In the context of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Evan and John (1988, p.125) note that needs analysis in ESP encompasses the following types of information:

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 Professional information about the learners: the tasks and activities learners

are/will be using English for- target situation analysis and objective needs

 Personal information about the learners: factors which may affect the way they

learn such as previous learning experience, cultural information, reasons for attending the course and expectations of it, attitude to English – wants, means, subjective needs

 English language information about the learners: what their current skills and

language use are- present situation analysis- which allow us to assess (D)

 The learners’ lacks: the gap between “C” and (A) – lacks

Language learning information: effective ways of learning the skills and language

in (D) – learning needs

 Professional communication information about (A): knowledge of how language

and skills are used in the target situation – linguistic analysis, discourse analysis, genre analysis

 What is wanted from the course

 Information about the environment in which the course will be run – mean

analysis

This definition is adopted in this study because it fits both the purpose and the method of the study

1.1.2 Classification of “needs” in need analysis

It is an awareness of learner‟s needs to learn English that separate the definition of ESP from GE and also influences the choice of content in an English course In GE course, needs are often considered by tradition and no attempt has been made on needs while in ESP course, needs analysis is associated with syllabus

Needs can be understood in different ways and the word needs also means to

different people in different context as: wants, desires, necessities, lacks, gaps, expectations, motivations, deficiencies, requirements, requests, prerequisities, essentials , the next step, and x+1 ( James Dean Brown, 2016, p.13)

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existing proficiency of the learners The gap between the two can be referred to as the learners‟ lacks” One of useful methods to know the learners‟ lacks is interview teachers and the learners should be tested before an ESP course Lacks are assessed whether

• Teaching and learning styles with which the learners are familiar

• Appropriate or ineffective teaching and learning methods

• Knowledge of specialized contents that teachers should have

• Suitable instructional materials and study location

• Time of study and status of English for specific purpose (ESP) courses

• Expectations about what learners should achieve in the courses

- Wants

- In practice, different learners have different wants Their wants consist of their goal, their objectives and what they want to learn “Learners may well have a clear idea of the necessities of the target situation: they will certainly have a view as to their lacks But it is quite possible that the learners‟ views will conflict with the perceptions of other interested parties: course designers, sponsors and teachers” (Hutchinson & Waters (1987:56) Robinson (1991:12) suggest of using questionnaires

to get information from a large group of learners about their wants Wants mean learners‟ needs based on their data relating themselves and their environment In other words, it is exactly what the learners wish to learn

In short, target needs is like the umbrella term, which in practice hides a number of important distinctions The analysis of target needs involves far more than simply identifying the linguistics features of the target situation As Hutchinson & Waters (1987:59) comment: the analysis of target situation needs is in essence a matter of asking questions about the target situation and the attitudes towards that situation of the various participants in the learning process” There are different ways in which information can be gathered about needs such as questionnaires, interviews, observations, data collection and informal consultations The choice will depend on

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the time and resources available And needs analysis is not a once-for-all- activity

It should be a continuing process

1.1.2.2 Learning needs

“Learning needs” refer to the learner‟s motivation and attitudes, interests, personal

reasons for learning, learning styles, resources and time available

Learning needs concerns about the route between the starting point (lacks) and the destination (necessities) For examples, learners may be greatly motivated in the subject or work, but may completely lose interests with the long, dull, and old teaching material The learning process should be enjoyable, fulfilling, manageable, and generative It is not concerned with knowing, but with the learning The concept

of “learning needs” put forward by Hutchinson & Waters and their analysis of

“learning needs” have been proved to be fairly useful in practice As a result, in the process of leaning, learner‟s needs should always be taken into consideration Course designers need to analyze the learners‟ learning needs according to their motivation, the conditions of the learning situation, and their existing knowledge and skills

According to Hutchinson & Water (1987), the target needs are considered as product-oriented needs while learning needs as process-oriented needs The former focuses on the requirement in learning in the target situation and is situation-specified and result-oriented, the latter links to more importance to the whole

process

In conclusion, both target needs and learning needs must be paid attention to and combined harmoniously in the process of designing a syllabus As Tom Hutchinson

& Waters (1987:62) state: “the target situation analysis can determine the destination;

it can also act as a compass on the journey to give general available (i.e the condition

of the learning situation), the existing roads within the learner‟s mind (i.e their knowledge, skills and strategies) and the learners‟ motivation for travelling”

In my thesis, I mentioned “communicative needs” term – a definition of Richard (1990), but I say little about it because it shares the target needs similar features

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Actually, communicative needs is related to the learners‟ needs in the target context and necessary specific language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening), and the level of language proficiency that is required by the target situation

Some people may be confused of 2 terms between definition of Richard about communicative needs and Hutchinson and Waters‟ about target needs According to (Richards, 1990) & (Hutchinson and Waters‟ 1987), both communicative needs and target needs refer to learner needs in the target situation However, the key difference here is the former mainly focus on the language necessities of the learners in the target context while the latter makes comparisons between the required language abilities (necessities) of the target situation and the existing language proficiencies of the learners (lacks), and define the gaps between the present and target situation (wants) Brown (2016, p.13) presents needs from various perspectives, which is summarized in Table 1 below

Table 1 Different views on needs

Discrepancy view

The difference or discrepancy between what They should be able to do

in the ESP and what they currently can do

Deficiencies; lacks; gaps; requirements

Analytic view

Whatever elements of the ESP students should learn next based on SLA theory and experience

Next step; x+ 1

Diagnostic view

Whatever elements of the ESP will cause harm if they are missing

Necessities; essentials; prerequisities

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1.1.3 Definition of “analysis” in needs analysis

In the book names “Introducing needs analysis and English for specific purposes”

of James Dean Brown (2016)

There are at least eleven types of analysis strategies to ESP needs analyst to concern

We can understand those types clearly when looking at the following table:

Table 2 Different types of analysis

typically examine

Target-situation

use analyses

What the students should

be able to do in the ESP at the end of instruction

The language uses in the particular ESP and exemplars of those language uses

Target-situation

linguistic analyses

What linguistic features the students will need to know and use in the ESP

The specific linguistic characteristics

of the ESP (vocabulary, discourse, pragmatics) in the exemplars gathered above

Target-situation

learning analyses

What the features of learning and continuing to learn are in the ESP community

Information about the target situation

in terms of the sorts of learning that students will need to do in target ESP situations at various stages

Present-situation

analyses

What the students‟ ESP abilities are at the beginning of instruction

What the students can do with the language of the particular ESP at the outset of instruction (with respect to target-situations use, linguistics, and/or learning) – using tests or other observational techniques

Gap analyses

What the disparities are between the students‟

current abilities and what

The disparities between what the students can do at the beginning and end of instruction with regard to the

of homework, and so forth

Right analyses

What the key power relationships are in the situation and how they are restricted

The ways power is exerted and restricted within the ESP- teaching institution ( in terms of teaching, materials, curriculum decisions), between that institution and other entities, or within the target ESP community

Classroom-learning analyses

What the classroom learning situation is or should be

The selection and ordering of course content, teaching methods and materials that will be used in learning the ESP, and so forth

Classroom-teaching analyses

What the classroom teaching situation is or should be

The selection and ordering of course content, teaching methods and materials that will be used to teach the ESP, and so forth from the teachers‟ perspectives

Means analyses

What the contextual constraints and strengths are

The availability of funding, facilities, equipment, materials, and other sources; cultural attitudes that might affect instruction; and the teachers‟ proficiency levels in English, training, and teaching ability-all in terms of both constrains and strengths

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Language audits

What global strategic language policies should be adopted

Aimed at regions (like the European Community), countries, companies, professional groups, and so forth, such analyses typically ignore the needs of students in particular ESP situations, but can nonetheless inform local ESP NAs

1.1.4 The importance of needs analysis

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), a NA seems to be the most beneficial for ESP course

“An approach to language teaching which aims to meet the needs of particular learners” (Nunan, 1988, p.21)

The significance of needs analysis for writing textbooks or course books, and the kind of teaching and learning that takes place (Robinson, 1991 & Jordan, 1997) However, it is advisable that NA should be updated and carried out continuously because needs is changeable with learners, time and social development

Richard (2001) shared that NA can be applied for many different purposes such as:

 To find out what language skills a learner needs in order to perform a particular role or particular job

 To assess whether the existing courses adequately addresses the needs of potential students

 To determine which student groups are most in need of training in particular language skills

 To identify a change of direction that people in a reference group feel is important

 To find the gap between what students are able to do and what they need to

be able to do

 To collect information about a particular problem learners are experiencing

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(Richard, 2001, p.52)

In addition to the importance and influence of NA, Long (2005) listed 4 reasons for performing needs analysis

1 To determine the relevance of material to the learner‟s situations

2 To justify the material in terms of relevance for those who are concerned (teachers, learners, administrators…etc)

3 To account for differences in learning needs and styles

4 To create a syllabus which will meet the needs of the learners as fully as possible

courses in order to develop or evaluate a particular curriculum

1.2 Definition of ESP and different types of ESPs

1.2.1 Definition of ESP

The term ESP has quite lots of definitions and here are some of them:

ESP is defined as “the role of English in a language course or programme of instruction in which the content and aims of the course are fixed by the specific needs of a particular group of learners” (Richards & Schmidt, 2010, p.198)

According to James Dean Brown (2016, p.5), ESP is fundamentally linked to “the specific needs of a particular group of learners,” or “put another way, if there is no

needs analysis, there is no ESP.”

“ESP is a particular case of the general category of special-purpose language teaching.” (Strevens, 1988, p.1)

According to Hutchison & Waters (1988, p.19), “it is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and methods are based on the learners‟ reasons for learning.”

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While Widdowson (1983, p.5) defined “ESP is essentially a training operation which seeks to provide learners with a restricted competence to enable them to cope with certain clearly defined tasks These tasks constitute the specific purposes which the ESP course is designed to meet.”

As definitions are mentioned above, ESP courses should have the distinctive features from GE course of skills, themes, situations, functions language and methodology

ESP course design is based on the analysis of students‟ needs and is tailor-made to meet these needs It is definitely that NA and ESP are inextricably intertwined

1.2.2 Types of ESP

Based on specifying language input according to the learners‟ target language use, ESP is commonly divided into English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) While the former focuses on the use of the language in (future) work conditions, the latter deals with teaching and learning English for study purposes (Dudley-Evans & John, 1998, p.34)

We can see their classification clearly when looking at this table:

Table 3 Classification of ESP

English for specific purposes

English for Academic Purposes English for Occupational Purposes

English for medical purposes

English for science

vocational English

Vocational English

English for business purposes

English for medical purposes

A classification of ESP, Duley-Evans, T & John, M.J (1998 pp.34-73)

EOP means English for Occupational Purposes EOP also includes some categories like English for medical purposes (these purposes may subdivide into smaller categories such as English for doctors, nurses, emergency medical technician…), hotel purposes (these purposes may subdivide into smaller categories such as receptionist, concierge, maids…), construction purposes and so forth

In conclusion, though the classifications of ESP are expressed differently and each researcher has their own points, the most common view is that ESP can be divided into EAP and EOP From my point of, English for graduates from mechanical engineering and electronic department at HaUI working in that 2 workplaces can be considered as a branch of EOP

1.2.3 Characteristics of ESP

ESP is commonly characterized with absolute and variable features:

Absolute characteristics:

- ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learning;

- ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of disciplines it serves;

- ESP is centered on the language (grammar, lexis, register, skill, discourse and genres appropriate o those activities)

Variable characteristics:

ESP

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- ESP may be related to or specific disciplines;

- ESP may use, in specific teaching situation, a different methodology form that of general English;

- ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution

or in a professional work situation It could, however, be used for learners at secondary school levels;

- ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advances students Most ESP courses assume basic knowledge of the language system, but it can be used with beginners ( Robinson, 1981, quoted in Dudley-Evan & John, 1998, p.2)

1.3 Syllabus Design

1.3.1 Definition of the syllabus

Breen (1984, p.49) states that: “any syllabus will express- however certain assumptions about language about psychological process of learning, and about the pedagogic and social process within a classroom” For those, with the advent of communicative language teaching, the distinction between content and task is difficult to sustain

Nunan (1988) defines syllabus as follows: “Syllabus design is seen as being concerned essentially with the selection and grading of content, while methodology

is concerned with the selection of learning tasks and activities.”

Some people are often confused between syllabus and curriculum However, Krahnke, K (1987, p.2) makes a distinction for deeper understanding “a syllabus is more specific and more concrete than a curriculum, and a curriculum may contain a syllabus”

Above all, Nunan (1988, p.80) concludes that “curriculum is concerned with the planning, implementation, evaluation, management, and administration of education programs The terms „curriculum‟ and „syllabus‟ are sometimes used interchangeably, differentiated and sometimes misunderstood Nevertheless, syllabus and curriculum

in this paper are differentiated

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1.3.2 Steps to design a syllabus

According to Nunan (1988), in order to design a syllabus, there are at least 4 steps must be included:

1 Identifying needs and goals (make a need analysis at first)

2 Selecting and grading content (select the content and make a decision about the proportion of content among grammatical, functional, notional components you are going to put into)

3 Selecting and grading learning tasks (select specific tasks and make a decision about the level of difficulty and whether tasks are in the line with the general objectives)

4 Selecting and grading objectives (make a decision whether the objective is product-oriented or process-oriented The former means as a result of instruction, the latter doesn‟t mean the outcomes of instruction, but on the classroom activities themselves

However, from my point of view, it is necessary to include the step of “testing & evaluation” as the final one to complete syllabus designing process Evaluation reflects students‟ reasons for failing or succeeding and gives ways of improving their learning if necessary Through evaluation, we will minimize factors causing failures and maximize ones contributing success Testing and evaluation is a unique way to confirm whether the syllabus works or not

1.4 A brief summary of some existing relevant studies

There have been several studies concerning the communicative needs at national corporations However, firstly, we should be clear with the term “trans-national corporations” for the deep comprehension about this topic

trans-A reliable website defined TNC (trans-national corporation) is also known as a multinational corporation that operates and has assets or other facilities in at least one other country at one time These corporations have a headquarters in one country, but have offices or factories in various other countries Trans-national corporation is also called as multinational corporation defined as a large

as belonging to a particular home country where they are headquartered

After understanding a key term “TNC” as I mentioned above and communicative needs as mentioned in the part of literature review Then, I will write a summary of relevant studies which I read through

Firstly, according to the research about communicative demands at companies of Bhatia & Candlin (2001) and Jackson (2005), they use questionnaires, group interviews with students and teachers, classroom observation as tools to collect data Also, these tools were used to examine to different perspectives such as students, teachers, curriculum, writing performance, textual and workplace After their research, there is a suggestion for collaboration between the host departments and ESP specialists

Secondly, a large-scale study was conducted (Evans, 2010) to examine the spoken and written English in Hong Kong workplace The result of research was found that written English (emails, letters, and faxes) has been a key role and spoken English (listening and speaking) has just been a supplementary one However, his research result just stopped there It just was an investigation, no meaningful interpretation or suggestion was made

Other prominent studies on communicative needs at multinational corporations are from Qian (2005) in Hong Kong and Pattanapichet & Chinokul (2011) in Thailand The participants in their research are groups of graduates, engineering employees and professionals In their research, questionnaires and interviews are delivered to respondents and the finding was they used English for both internal and external communication