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ABSTRACT: In today’s era of cut throat competition, people face several challenges to survive and excel in their respective fields. Amongst all the challenges communicating in English language is majorly faced by various individuals in the organizations. English is the language of trade and industry, Through this research paper we have tried to throw a light on importance of English language in the corporate world some of the objectives are to know the perception of executives about English language and use of English language in corporate. Further we have tried to identify the challenges faced while communicating in English and to know the ways to improve English. The paper also tries to identify the importance of English language in exploring the technology and to tap the global opportunities that are available for and individuals career development.
INTRODUCTION:English is one of the most important languages in the world. It can even be said to be the single most important language. Yes, other languages are important too, but not for the same reasons as English are important. English is important because it is, maybe, the only language that trulylinks the whole world together. If not for English, the whole world may not be as united as it is today. The other languages may be important for their local values and culture. In India, English is not used only for the utilitarian purpose but also for the interpersonal and Inter-institutional communication. It works as the Business Language as well as the Lingua Franca, which means that it is required to carry out the business and also to communicate with people of different cultures as India is a multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. It is no more working as the status language of the elite class or the educated class of the society, rather it is working as an instrument to bring success in life. The youth of India are aware that English can win them good jobs with rich salary if they are good in English. The social scenario in Uttar Pradesh has changed from ‘Banish English’ to ‘Welcome English’. A few years back the U.P. state government was trying to implement only Hindi in all offices and public places in place of English. It did not succeed. Now with the invent of multinational companies and the young professional getting a number of jobs with them need to know not only workable English but good presentational and communication skills too. Therefore, English has become a ‘welcome’ phenomenon all around. Blooming tourism industry, MNCs, BPOs, NGOs, missionaries and native speakers of English in India are demanding its youth to be proficient in English and the young people of India are aware of the usefulness of the target language. India is progressing at the rate which none other country is, except China. One of the major benefits that Indians have is the knowledge of English. Other nations have a limitation of this communication skill. But till now the command over this language is limited to the smaller section of the corporate world that get to interact with their counterparts abroad. To grow and prosper in all the spheres and become more visible in the global world, the knowledge of English language has become an important criterion. We all have the responsibility of taking India to a different level in the global arena. To contribute our bit, we, as a part of the corporate world, need to perform well in our field. To be listened and taken notice, we need to communicate well. As the world looks towards Indiamainly for its IT and BPO services, we need to know the language which the world understands. Communication and networking is the key to be successful in the IT and BPO industry. Since us as adult learners understand the importance of English language in the corporate world, we must try to achieve competency in the language. We need to learn the basics of the language within the language rules, to structure it properly and use it smartly. This means that if I am interrupted and am not able to finish a sentence, I should be able to structure it properly and complete the sentence meaningfully. This will win half of the battle in today’s corporate world. There are various reasons for the importance of English language. They are listed below.
1. Travel: When a person travels to another part of the world either for the sake of business or even as a tourist, the languages may differ. In these conditions, English is the language that helps people to deal with the situation. It is like a universal language.
2. Same country: In countries like India, where the land is so vast with people of various cultures live, the languages of each part of the country also differ. Under the circumstances, English can be the only link as people in each place will not be able to learn all the other languages to communicate with the people. English bridges this gap and connects the people.
3. Education / Studies: The presence of English as a universal language assumes importance in the fact that more and more people leave their countries not only for the sake of business and pleasure, but also for studying. Education has increased the role of English. People who go to another country to study can only have English as their medium of study. This is because the individual will not be able to learn a subject in the local language of the country. This again reinforces the fact that English language is very important.
4. Correspondence:All correspondences between offices in different countries and also between political leaders of various countries are in English. This linking factor also tells of the importance of English language.
5. Internet: In spite of the growth of Internet in various languages, English is the mainstay of the Internet users. This is the language in which most of the information and websites are available. It is very difficult to translate each and every relevant webpage into the language of various countries. With Internet becoming very important in E commerce and also in education, English language is bound to grow. Thus the importance of English as a language is emphasized. The future of English as a language is very secure. In this era of consolidation and trying to unify various aspects of life, it will not be long before English can be made as a single language of the world like the single currency and the union of various nations.
LITERATURE REVIEW: Several researches have been carried out across the globe to identify the importance of English language at various levels. A research paper by Dr. Noor Azina Ismail on “GRADUATES’ CHARACTERISTICS AND UNEMPLOYMENT: A STUDY AMONG MALAYSIAN GRADUATES” tried to investigate the effects of graduates’ characteristics on the chance of being employed. The results showed that the employment prospects of graduates with a good command of English and who possess leadership and technical skills were better when compared to those without those skills. K.P.S.K. Ilavenil in his research paper entitled “English and Engineering Education: The Need to Move beyond the Employability Discourse” has tried to study the deep and well-entrenched links between the English language and Engineering education in India. Further, he has also studied the employability practices prevalent in India and the emphasis that is given to possessing communication skills.A paper by Meenakshi H. Verma on “Learner’s Attitude and Its Impact on Language Learning” has studied the attitude of learners towards language learning in a second language learning environment. The paper discusses learner’s attitude it also highlights the teacher’s approach and methodology to teach the pre-designed curriculum. The research was carried out in UttarPradesh and found out that students took the courses to pass the Examination and get good job. Students were also seen leaving courses due to lack of proficiency in English. IntakhabAlam Khan in his paper “Learning difficulties in English: Diagnosis and pedagogy in Saudi Arabia” tried to identify the importance of English language in higher education system and found out that English language was crucial at that level. Being the medium of instruction, and an important tool of communication, English seemed to be very important in a developing country like Saudi Arabia. Through this research, they concluded that In order to face with the pedagogic issues, the teacher has to be well equipped, and make diagnostic study in order to analyze linguistically the nature and type of difficulties that the Saudi learners face during the course of study. Murali M. in his work entitled “TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN INDIA – A REVIEW” found out that factors such as environment, family background, income, unwillingness of parents play a vital role in success of learning process. Further, he has also pointed out the importance of a teacher in this learning process. In teaching-learning process, two things play the vital roles; one is the delivering capacity of the teacher and the other one is the receiving capacity of the students. Without the two aspects, the teaching-learning process will not be a successful one. By the effective teaching, the students can be enabled to go for right choices, judgments and also decisions individually. Further, he identified four language skills that contribute for proficiency which are Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. In a research “Student perceptions of English as a developmental tool in Cameroon” by Gladys NgwiFocho, found out that the teaching and learning of English in schools has been viewed mainly as a means of immediate academic advancement. Further, Learners are not informed about other potential gains resulting from proficiency in the language such as access to jobs, international communication and global education. They also concluded that apart from courseobjectives, teachers should come up with general goals and educate students on the contributions of English to development in all its ramifications. A paper entitled “Orientations and Motivation in English Language Learning: a Study of Bangladeshi Students at Undergraduate Level” by Sayeedur Rahman analyzed and determined the various socio-psychological orientations of the undergraduate students of private universities of Bangladesh towards learning English. The study focused on what is considered as the two most important social psychological variables: attitude and motivation. The research ultimately showed that students focused on English for its ‘functional role’ (i.e. its utilitarian value) in limited and discrete domain areas where knowledge of English was required. A research paper by V.Saravanan entitled “Sustainable Employability Skills for Engineering Professionals” aimed at exploring the skills set required for sustainable employability of engineering graduates in India. They found out that students with skills like positive attitude, effective communication, problem solving, time management, team spirit, self-confidence, handling, criticism, flexibility, etc which are also known as soft skills as a whole, have much more better chances of survival in the tough corporate world compared to the students who are lacking in the soft skills.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:
• To know the perception of English language in corporate.
• To know the problems and challenges faced by employees working in organization.
• To know the steps taken by individuals as well as organizations to improve communication in English language.
• To know the importance of English language in career of an individual and organization.
• To know the relationship between usage of modern gadgets/technology and English language.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
Type of Research: Descriptive Research
Sample Size: 100 executives
Sampling Method: Non-probability convenient sampling
Sampling Unit: Ahmedabad
Sampling Tool: Questionnaire with open and closed ended questions
Type of data: Primary data and Secondary data
-Primary data was collected through survey using questionnaire and secondary data was collected through journals and websites.
HYPOTHESES:
Hypothesis 1:
Ho: English language is not very important for entry into corporate world.
H1: English language is very important for entry into corporate world.
Hypothesis 2:
Ho: Proficiency in English does not uplift the career of the person.
H1: Proficiency in English uplifts the career of the person.
Hypothesis 3:
Ho: Knowledge of English language is not mandatory at organization level.
H1: Knowledge of English language is mandatory at organization level.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION:
• Majority (93%) of people use English language as a medium of communication in organization.
• English is highly preferred language as compared to the vernaculars.
• Lack of confidence was a major problem faced by maximum respondents (30.6%) while communicating in English.
• Reading was highly used to improve English language.
• No actions were taken by majority of organizations to improve English language although it was most preferred language at organization level.
• Further, English language is very important for having an entry in organization; it also helps for career upliftment and is mandatory at organizational level.
• Around, 86% respondents agree by saying that English language enhances the personality of the individual.
• 87% of respondents feel that English language is very important to communicate with top management in organization.
• 69% of respondents conclude that English is important for social networking like Facebook or Twitter and others.
• 84% of the people feel that English gives the opportunity to learn a lot about globalissues.
LIMITATIONS:
• Time was a constraint as the research could not be carried out for longer period of time.
• Due to few improper responses, some deviations in the analysis is possible.
• Since, only 100 executives of Ahmedabad were surveyed, the results cannot be generalized.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
• As English is the mode of communication in majority of the organizations, some sincere steps must be taken by majority of the organizations to improve the English communication skills.
• Organizations can conduct seminars, workshops, training programs and various other activities to improve communication skills.
• Confidence should be instilled amongst the employees to use English language as a means of communication.
• Employees should also be self motivated to use English language and should take maximum steps to improve themselves if they are lagging behind.
• Good communication skills lead to creation favorable first impression and career into corporate also becomes easy.