In an era in which the global economy and geopolitics - shaped by the crisis of globalisation, sustainability challenges, and cutting-edge technologies - are rapidly evolving, Tomorrow’s Business is a new course in Business English designed to address these changes.
Designed for Italian high school students preparing for the new Esame di Maturità, this innovative textbook guides learners through the world of future work and economics. Updated to reflect current socio-economic and geopolitical realities, it equips Business English students with essential professional, linguistic, and personal skills.
The content links classroom learning to real-world competences, covering topics ranging from ethical influencers to key ideological movements shaping the 21st-century world (such as populism, nationalism, environmentalism, and dataism), as well as the goals of the UN 2050 Agenda.
The course is divided into four sections:
Each unit in the first three sections opens with Talking Slides: short, dynamic video lessons that introduce key concepts and keywords students need to tackle the units’ topics. These engaging visuals, together with communicative activities, set the stage for deeper exploration, promoting active listening and vocabulary acquisition.
Similarly, the five units in the fourth Cultural Context section open with BBC documentaries (Video Focus) and help learners develop vocabulary and discussion skills through Thinking Routines, structured strategies that make students’ thinking visible and support deeper understanding. Additional YouTube videos provide further depth.
Delving into the textbook, the activities in units labelled DIGCOMP and GREENCOMP promote the development of transversal competences. Those marked EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS are designed to build the abilities students need to succeed both at school and in the workplace. Furthermore, the CAPOLAVORO section guides students in creating meaningful work through a real, documented, and reflective learning process that integrates knowledge, skills, and creativity.
A distinctive feature is the AI CORNER, which promotes a critical and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence as a necessary tool for modern professionals. The proposed activities include chatbot-based tasks for business language comprehension and production and conclude with personal reflection prompts, fostering ethical AI awareness.
TOMORROW’S CAREERS sidebars offer guidance for career orientation and help students reflect on their abilities and interests, including in relation to future professions. In addition, exercises labelled ORIENTAMENTO are specifically designed to support students in reflecting on their aptitudes, aspirations, and possible educational and professional pathways.
WORTH KNOWING boxes introduce interesting facts about the world of work, as well as tips for effective communication.
Since some business and economics topics require a greater linguistic effort from students of English for Specific Purposes, additional interactive exercises have been included in the A Business World in Transformation and Business Theory sections. Identified by a Vocabulary Booster symbol and accessible via MyDigitalBook, these activities help students consolidate and recycle sector-specific vocabulary.
Teachers are aware that Business English students may occasionally require additional language support. For this reason, in some units of the English in the Workplace section, extensive language work is presented in dedicated pages entitled Deep into Business Language, which can be used to reinforce grammar structures, language functions, and communicative situations.
In this third section, Language Banks charts offer colour-coded phrases to support business correspondence, video calls, interviews, and mediation tasks. Across the seven units, oral and written models of the most common types of business correspondence are presented, developed through their various stages and accompanied by basic documentation related to shipping, payments, and invoicing.
To foster employability, Down to Business pages simulate real workplace scenarios and help students develop soft skills. These pages are accompanied by videos showing real-life examples within a business environment.
The acquisition of content and specialised language always occurs through listening to and reading current texts that are as authentic as possible. For this reason, the IN THE NEWS! section offers in-depth press articles accompanied by vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking activities. These texts, together with the digital extensions HOT TOPIC!, also provide excellent preparation for the reading comprehension tasks of a possible written Esame di Maturità. It is also worth mentioning the CASE STUDY pages, which enable students to analyse business cases and develop problem-solving and decision-making skills, with a view to school-to-work training (Formazione Scuola-Lavoro).
In Section 4, five units present an overview of the main historical, geographical, economic, and political aspects of the UK, the USA, and other major English-speaking countries, before addressing Constitutions, human rights instruments, European and international organisations such as the UN and the European Union, as well as issues arising from Brexit and Bregret.
The final units focus on the environment, gender equality, cancel culture, technology and online safety (with specific reference to DigComp 3.0), and other issues related to the world of work.
Literature is explored through Lit Bites, short pages juxtaposing classic and contemporary excerpts linked to unit themes. On Screen features sidebars highlighting selected films, while Civic Education activities develop citizenship skills, critical thinking, and behaviours necessary for responsible participation in civic life. These activities are also included in the first two sections of the textbook.
Pronunciation receives particular attention in Tomorrow’s Business. Accent Lab functions as a listening workshop exposing students to a range of English accents. Sections 1 and 2 include IN THE NEWS! articles in British and American English; Section 3 features dual-recorded Language Banks; and Section 4 immerses learners in country-specific accents (e.g. Australian, Canadian). Short follow-up activities ensure comprehension, a key skill for global business communication.
A wide range of audio files and podcasts supports discussion and debate activities, enhancing listening comprehension and interaction.
Final sections include Study Tools to practise writing essays and reports, structuring debates and presentations, and producing effective translations; self-check digital quizzes, a grammar reference section, and an English-Italian glossary. The Towards Exams section offers a mock Esame di Maturità test, sample tasks for the B2 First exam, INVALSI practice, and interdisciplinary maps to help students make connections between different subjects.
Last but not least, at the end of each unit the REVISION and STUDY MAP pages offer practical exercises to reinforce what has been covered throughout the unit and are useful for independent revision and inclusive learning.
Tomorrow’s Business is an educational resource designed to support ESP students in developing the knowledge, skills, and critical awareness required for future professional contexts, while also fostering active citizenship and responsible participation in social and professional life
Referenze iconografiche: Family stock/Shutterstock