Un buon affare: Italian for Business

An eBook edition is available for $49.95, click here for more information and purchasing options. Ebook examination copies are also available to qualified course instructors.

Designed to prepare students to actively engage in the dynamic world of Italian business, Un buon affare is a versatile textbook aimed at the upper-intermediate level that fosters cultural competency, hones practical communication skills, and cultivates linguistic expertise necessary for making connections in one of the European Union's most important economies. It will also be of great use to professionals conducting business in Italy or with Italian companies. 

Features:

• A preliminary warm-up chapter that reviews basic vocabulary and economic terminology
• Engaging readings on a variety of business-related topics followed by activities for pairs and groups of students
• Activities that address practical matters, such as making travel arrangements, business communication, writing a business plan or a resume, or preparing for a job interview
• A writing section at the end of each chapter that provides practice and improves writing skills
• A film section in each chapter that discusses a film related to the world of Italian business
• Vocabulary and phraseology sections that enable quick access to useful terminology
• A companion website that provides new and updated materials related to the themes of the text, relevant links, and other useful information

Chapter topics include:

• The vocabulary of the Italian economy, including the economic sector, the consumer, the entrepreneur, legal structures of Italian companies, labor, the role of the state in the economy, and the public debt
• The history, geography, and political and administrative systems of Italy; the European Union; and the euro
• Products, design, "Made in Italy" brand, industrial districts, small and large companies, international trade, globalization, banks, and access to credit
• Creating a business plan, launching a new product, and the Italian advertising industry
• A web-based research project focused on the Italian company, Luxottica, in which students conduct online research on the company’s history, objectives, product line, and marketing  

Additional Resources:

Additional materials, links of interest, a sample syllabus, and the answer key to the exercises in Un buon affare is available for online reading and PDF download on the Un buon affare title support webpage here.

Reviews:

"An accessible, engaging textbook that serves as an effective introduction to the world of Italian business through interactive pair and small-group activities, while also providing ample opportunities for students to continue developing their listening, reading, and writing skills in Italian. The communicative activities are designed to support students’ continued oral proficiency development and enable them to actively and confidently participate in the world of Italian business. In order to fulfill this objective, many of the activities employed throughout the book are couched within the Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) approach. It is evident that the content of Un buon affare was meticulously selected, and Tassone provides instructors of Italian for business a great variety of activities to cover in class or assign as homework. Given its many strengths, Un buon affare is sure to actively engage students as they continue refining their Italian language skills while also deepening their cultural knowledge. Offering students and instructors a wealth of resources and interesting activities, this textbook is indeed "un buon affare," a good deal—a bargain, as the author states in the Preface to the Instructor."
     —Christina A. Mirisis, St. Norbert College, in NECTFL Review

Praise for Un buon affare: Italian for Business:

"Created to help prepare students for the world of Italian business, [Un buon affare] is also a great resource for professionals conducting business in Italy or working in the U.S. with Italian-based companies. . . . A versatile textbook, Un buon affare hones practical communication skills and cultivates the linguistic expertise needed to make connections in Italy. Being culturally competent and having the skills of a second language can mean big pay-offs in the business world."

    —Exceprt from Giuseppe Tassone: Opening the door to the dynamic world of Italian business, by Rita Cipalla, published in L'Italo-Americano (June 2017). Read the full article on the L'Italo-Americano website here.

About the Author:

Giuseppe Tassone is a language educator with many years of experience teaching and coordinating courses in public and non-profit universities and organizations, including the University of Washington, Seattle University, and the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington.