Almut Koester – författare

Language and Creativity at Work: A Corpus-Assisted Model of Creative Workplace Discourse explores linguistic creativity at work as well as the role of language in creative processes in the workplace. Using a mixed-methods approach involving corpus linguistics and discourse analysis, this book:Provides a critical comparison of previous studies in language and creativity in a linguistic context as well as in the context of businesses and entrepreneurship, and considers the insights that can be gained from both approachesArgues the case for workplace creativity as a linguistic and discursive phenomenon in addition to a cognitive or relational onePresents a model of creative workplace discourse that integrates creative language, the creative actions involving language, and alignment between speakersEmploys spoken corpus data from a range of workplace contexts recorded over a 20-year period;Examines professional practice and creativity in two different professional contexts: a residential care home and a small start-up company, and explores the roles of constraints, leadership and alignment in these contextsCritically interrogates the notion of creativity as an inherently positive phenomenon and analyses instances of problematic creativity in the workplaceDemonstrates how corpora can be used to underscore assessments of creativity and its realisations in real dialogic contexts.This book fills an important gap in the literature on creativity within both language and organisational studies, and as such will be key reading for students and researchers of English language, applied linguistics, communication studies and business management.

The Intertext series has been specifically designed to meet the needs of contemporary English Language Studies. Working with Texts: A Core Introduction to Language Analysis (second edition 2001) is the foundation text, which is complemented by a range of 'satellite' titles. These provide students with hands-on practical experience of textual analysis through special topics, and can be used individually or in conjunction with Working with Texts.The Language of Work:examines how language is used in business and the workplace, looking at a range of situations and data: from meetings to informal negotiations, promotional letters to emailsexplores representations of work in advertising, career magazines and workplace talklooks at the way people in business interact through small talk, politeness, customer care and management-employee relationshipsis illustrated with lively examples taken from the real world and includes a full index of termsfeatures a useful section on entering the world of work, exploring job adverts and texts that give advice on CV writing and developing 'transferable skills'.

The Intertext series has been specifically designed to meet the needs of contemporary English Language Studies. Working with Texts: A Core Introduction to Language Analysis (second edition 2001) is the foundation text, which is complemented by a range of 'satellite' titles. These provide students with hands-on practical experience of textual analysis through special topics, and can be used individually or in conjunction with Working with Texts.The Language of Work:examines how language is used in business and the workplace, looking at a range of situations and data: from meetings to informal negotiations, promotional letters to emailsexplores representations of work in advertising, career magazines and workplace talklooks at the way people in business interact through small talk, politeness, customer care and management-employee relationshipsis illustrated with lively examples taken from the real world and includes a full index of termsfeatures a useful section on entering the world of work, exploring job adverts and texts that give advice on CV writing and developing 'transferable skills'.

Exploring the characteristics of different types of workplace conversations, including decision-making, training, briefing or making arrangements, this enthralling account pays particular attention to interactions with a more social focus, such as small talk or office gossip.Presenting a range of approaches to analyzing such workplace discourse, Almut Koester argues for a combination of quantitative corpus-based methods, to compare specific linguistic features in different genres and qualitative methods involving a close analysis of individual conversations, to explore such issues as politeness, power, conflict and consensus-building. A corpus of conversations recorded in a variety of office environments both in the UK and the USA is used throughout to demonstrate the interplay between speakers accomplishing tasks and maintaining relationships in the workplace.

Exploring the characteristics of different types of workplace conversations, including decision-making, training, briefing or making arrangements, this enthralling account pays particular attention to interactions with a more social focus, such as small talk or office gossip.Presenting a range of approaches to analyzing such workplace discourse, Almut Koester argues for a combination of quantitative corpus-based methods, to compare specific linguistic features in different genres and qualitative methods involving a close analysis of individual conversations, to explore such issues as politeness, power, conflict and consensus-building. A corpus of conversations recorded in a variety of office environments both in the UK and the USA is used throughout to demonstrate the interplay between speakers accomplishing tasks and maintaining relationships in the workplace.

Language and Creativity at Work: A Corpus-Assisted Model of Creative Workplace Discourse explores linguistic creativity at work as well as the role of language in creative processes in the workplace. Using a mixed-methods approach involving corpus linguistics and discourse analysis, this book:Provides a critical comparison of previous studies in language and creativity in a linguistic context as well as in the context of businesses and entrepreneurship, and considers the insights that can be gained from both approachesArgues the case for workplace creativity as a linguistic and discursive phenomenon in addition to a cognitive or relational onePresents a model of creative workplace discourse that integrates creative language, the creative actions involving language, and alignment between speakersEmploys spoken corpus data from a range of workplace contexts recorded over a 20-year period;Examines professional practice and creativity in two different professional contexts: a residential care home and a small start-up company, and explores the roles of constraints, leadership and alignment in these contextsCritically interrogates the notion of creativity as an inherently positive phenomenon and analyses instances of problematic creativity in the workplaceDemonstrates how corpora can be used to underscore assessments of creativity and its realisations in real dialogic contexts.This book fills an important gap in the literature on creativity within both language and organisational studies, and as such will be key reading for students and researchers of English language, applied linguistics, communication studies and business management.

Workplace Discourse provides an overview of the rapidly developing field of spoken and written workplace interaction, taking a fresh perspective on research methods and key issues in the field. It examines discourse in a wide variety of workplace contexts using both genre analysis and a corpus-driven approach. The book draws on Koester's previous research, but examines the current state of workplace discourse more widely. It provides a descriptive account of the linguistic characteristics of workplace discourse within their social and organizational contexts, with illustrative extracts from real texts and naturally occurring spoken interactions. It showcases specific issues at the forefront of current research and practice in this area: the use of English as a lingua franca, the importance of relationship building and the teaching applications of research.

"Workplace Discourse" provides an overview of the rapidly developing field of spoken and written workplace interaction, taking a fresh perspective on research methods and key issues in the field. It examines discourse in a wide variety of workplace contexts using both genre analysis and a corpus-driven approach. The book draws on Koester's previous research, but examines the current state of workplace discourse more widely. It provides a descriptive account of the linguistic characteristics of workplace discourse within their social and organizational contexts, with illustrative extracts from real texts and naturally occurring spoken interactions. It showcases specific issues at the forefront of current research and practice in this area: the use of English as a lingua franca, the importance of relationship building and the teaching applications of research. Discourse is one of the most significant concepts of contemporary thinking in the humanities and social sciences as it concerns the ways language mediates and shapes our interactions with each other and with the social, political and cultural formations of our society."The Continuum Discourse Series" aims to capture the fast-developing interest in discourse to provide students, new and experienced teachers and researchers in applied linguistics, ELT and English language with an essential bookshelf. Each book deals with a core topic in discourse studies to give an in-depth, structured and readable introduction to an aspect of the way language is used in real life.

This new edition is designed to be flexible. The book is available both with and without answers, so it can be used in class or for homework. The 'with answers' version of the book comes with a handy pullout reference panel which allows students to review key grammar points. It is also available packaged with a CD-ROM. A fully updated version of the world's bestselling grammar title - extra practice is also available on the interactive CD-ROM that accompanies the book. For sale by Ernst Klett only.

An innovative, new multi-level course for the university and in-company sector. Business Advantage is the course for tomorrow's business leaders. Based on a unique syllabus that combines current business theory, business in practice and business skills - all presented using authentic, expert input - the course contains specific business-related outcomes that make the material highly relevant and engaging. The Business Advantage Upper-intermediate level books include input from the following leading institutions and organisations: the Cambridge Judge Business School, the Boston Consulting Group, Nokia, Dell, and Havaianas - to name but a few. The Student's Book comes with a free DVD of video case studies.