Cégep Beauce-Appalaches accounting and management students had a special professional experience when they attended a mock business lunch in English in Georgesville last week.
In total, 23 students experienced total linguistic immersion for almost two hours, including menus and table service, to negotiate a fictitious contract between Cégep Beauce-Appalaches and Altrum. This business lunch simulated a meeting between customer and supplier.
At each table, half of the students played the role of Cégep representative negotiating the purchase of various signs and personalized plaques, while the others acted as Altrum salesmen. Customers had to juggle a set budget and time constraints, while sellers offered different products and delivery times.
This is not the first cohort to experience this as the Georgesville management has been welcoming teachers Nancy Lagueux and Weena Bouchard and their students as part of their Business English course for some years.
« This type of scenario allows students to have hands-on negotiation experience as well as perfecting their commercial language. “, specified Nancy Lagueux. ” During this exercise, they learn to use the appropriate terms in the context of a business relationship as the English that should be used in business is not at the same level as in friendly conversation. ».
Altrum’s Director of Operations Sandy Bougie acted as a mentor to the students during the tutorial. Last October, he also met with 3rd year students to discuss various topics, including the rise of teleworking in industries in a post-pandemic context, how to adapt your company to this new practice, the “clash” of generations and also technology as rules of etiquette to be put into practice in videoconferencing.
The Business English course teaches students to use terms appropriate to a business relationship. His goal is to help shape Beauceron’s business succession to meet the need for a bilingual workforce for local businesses operating internationally. The scenarios are numerous, be it telephone conversations, letter writing or face-to-face meetings.
