Using business negotiation simulation with China's English-major undergraduates for practice ability development

Abstract

As an important part of business English practice teaching, this study explores the design and implementation of business negotiation simulation in a Chinese university context with 77 English-major participants, using online surveys and written document analyses. The English-major participants were satisfied with the approach used in the design of the business negotiation simulation, which mostly used real-world cases in the international context. The participants considered teamwork and group cooperation to be their most improved skills, along with other soft skills and practice abilities. Most of the participants reported that the business negotiation simulation directly reflected the real-world scenarios. Most of the participants ranked the negotiation process as the best sessions, followed up by preparation, group cooperation and discussion. Regarding areas of improvement, the participants needed more rehearsal and practice, more examples of negotiation, more guidance from the teacher on case selection and grouping, feedback from the teacher and the incorporation of simulation activities in offline classroom teaching settings.