Developing Competencies for Business Meetings in a Foreign Language Using Face-To-Face and Virtual Business Meeting Simulations

Mateja Dostal

Summary:  Competencies in interacting accurately and appropriately during a business meeting in a foreign language are key to the work of Business graduates. Therefore, the question arises as to how language teachers can best prepare their students for the international business environment. Two sets of in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with foreign language teachers at the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana were conducted; face-to-face before the pandemic about face-to-face business meeting simulations and virtually during the pandemic about virtual business meeting simulations. The transcripts of these interviews were analyzed, categorized and studied to explore how these competencies are developed at the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana via face-to-face (2010 – 2020) and virtual simulations (from 2020 –), comparing both versions, before and after the start of the pandemic. The qualitative study indicates that the new virtual learning environment can impose several limitations to developing competencies in business meeting interactions in a foreign language. However, it suggests that opportunities lie in the design of a combination of both, virtual and face-to-face solutions. The findings of the study provide insight into the development of students‘ competencies in business meeting interactions in a foreign language and contribute to continuingly improving the efficiency of teaching and learning via face-to-face and virtual business meeting simulations in a foreign language. This may consequently facilitate a better integration of Business graduates into the international business environment.