Faculty Perceptions of Communication Skills and Needs of Business School Undergraduates in Singapore

• Main Author: Wharton, Glenn
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2002
• Subjects: Business
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/2198; https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=8811939&site=ehost-live
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In Singapore in 2000, the government launched a Speak Good English Movement to improve English language skill and to limit the use of Singlish (a local variety of English) by promoting the use of (Standard) English among the general population. This campaign was motivated by government perception and media reports of a decline in English language skills. Using a 40-item questionnaire, this study investigated whether faculty at a large Singapore business school shared similar perceptions of inadequate communication skills, in this case among undergraduates, and also sought to explain their perceptions. The findings indicate that the faculty perceived undergraduate communication skills to he in need of improvement, thus [ending support to employer and government criticism. An analysis of survey responses revealed some probable underlying causes for faculty perceptions, including an apparent lack of real commitment to the improvement of such skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]