As one of the top three leading univer sities of under graduate BE program , the development of BE program in School of International Business (SEIB) of GDUFS reflects the development of undergraduate BE program in China, which is frequently used as model by other universities and colleges. Therefore, it is necessary for GDUFS to keep up with the fast-changing environm ent and coursebook selection is worth researching into.
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CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Related Studies on Business English
To evaluate the coursebook of BE program s, we must first figure out what BE is. Due to the differences in people’s interpretation and practices of BE, a lot of terms in BE are confusing, vague and even left undefined.
2.1.1 The Origin of Business English
According to Ellis and Johnson (2002), BE m ust be seen in the overall context of ESP (English for Specific Purpose). Hutchinson & Waters (1987) attribute the em ergence of BE to two key historical pe riods. The first is the end of the Second World War, which contributed to the fast expansion of science, technology and business tradings all around the world. The second is the 1970s’ Oil Crisis, which attracted capital and knowledge for oil-rich countries. As a result, the language used in these knowledge transmission, capital flow and business tradings gradually became English. Due to its position as the most important communication tool, the expressions and cultures of BE shows a strong western style.
Meanwhile, they claim that a revolution in linguistic also contributes to the development of BE, which shift the focus to how language is used in real-life communication. They ar gue that language vari es when the partic ular contexts and different specific communication purposes are taken into account. Therefore, it becomes possible to base language teaching on the needs of learners.
The final reason relating to the origin of BE is learners’ psychology. As mentioned above, BE is considered as a br anch of ESP as it shares much theoretical bases with ESP and its development has a close connection w ith the emergence of ESP.
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2.2 Related Studies on Material Evaluation
Material evaluation is of crucial importan ce in EFL teaching. This part will briefly present the role and importance of m aterial evaluation and then review the related literature both abroad and at home.
2.2.1 The Role and Importance of Material Evaluation The role of teaching m aterial in English language teaching (EFL) is describ ed by Cunningsworth (2002) as follows:
1) It is a resou rce for presenting teaching materials, including spoken and written. Coursebook is the most direct means to acquire language knowledge.
2) It prov ides learners with class activ ities to practice. Be sides presentatio
