An Empirical Investigation of Cutting-Edge Teaching Techniques and Curriculum Development for Business English: A Case Study

The demand for strong communication skills in global business landscape is at an all-time high. The considerable surge of online and offline business at local and global levels necessitates the up-skilling of business students so that they excel in their educational and occupational domains. This empirical research, hence, aims to assess the Saudi business students’ educational and occupational needs for English first and then to innovate cutting-edge instructional methods and impactful business-English curriculum accordingly. The research examines if the instructional methods and the curriculum for business English prevalent in the current educational milieu of Saudi Arabia adequately address the business students’ educational and occupational needs. To achieve this objective, both quantitative and qualitative surveys were carried out involving a total of 2,000 business students, core faculty members, and business- English educators across various universities throughout the Kingdom. The findings indicate that the pedagogical methods and the business-English curricula do not fully align with students’ proficiency levels or their professional aspirations. Based on these insights, the study recommends a contextualized, task-based, and skills-focused approach to teaching in order to foster both linguistic competence and business acumen. In addition, this empirical research underscores the importance of aligning curriculum design with industry-specific needs and cultural sensitivity to ensure relevance and effectiveness.