“English is basically the starting requirement; you can’t really get along without it” — The English language needs of export
industry companies in Eastern Finland
Ilkka Laulainen University of Eastern Finland Philosophical faculty School of Humanities English language and Culture September 2021
Itä-Suomen yliopisto, Filosofinen tiedekunta Humanistinen osasto
Englannin kieli ja kulttuuri
Laulainen, Ilkka A.: “English is basically the starting requirement; you can’t really get along without it” – the English language needs of export industry companies in Eastern Finland Pro gradu -tutkielma, 102 sivua, 2 liitettä (8 sivua)
Syyskuu 2021
Avainsanat: Kielitaidon tarvekartoitus, työelämä, vientiteollisuus, englanti työelämässä, englannin kielitilanteet, kielitaito
Tämä tutkielma käsittelee englannin kielen tarvetta suomalaisessa työelämässä kvalitatiivisten tutkimusmenetelmien avulla. Tutkielman tavoitteena on kartoittaa itäsuomalaisten
vientiteollisuusyritysten englannin kielen tarpeita. Tutkielma on tehty yhteistyössä Karelia- ammattikorkeakoulun kanssa, ja tuloksia on tarkoitus hyödyntää Karelian englannin kielen opetuksen kehittämisessä. Englannin kielen tarvetta työelämässä tarkastellaan seuraavien tutkimuskysymysten avulla:
1. Millaisissa tilanteissa ja työtehtävissä englantia tarvitaan itäsuomalaisissa vientiteollisuusyrityksissä?
2. Mitä englannin kielitaidon osa-alueita työntekijöiden katsotaan tarvitsevan itäsuomalaisissa vientiteollisuusyrityksissä?
Kielitaidon tarvekartoitukset kuuluvat soveltavan kielitieteen piiriin ja niitä käytetään usein kehittämään kieltenopetusta vastaamaan mahdollisimman hyvin kielenkäytön tarvetta
oikeassa elämässä. Van Hestin ja Oud-de-Glasin (1990) kielitaitotarpeen analyysin määrittelyn mukaan tämä tutkielma on työnantajalähtöisenä tarvekartoituksena kielen tarvitsija -lähtöinen, eikä kielen käyttäjä -lähtöinen. Se tutkii kielen tarvetta nykyisen kielenkäytön
perusteella, ja tarkastelun kohteena ovat englannin tarve eri tilanteissa sekä tarve englannin kielitaidon eri osa-alueille. Edelliset kielitaidon tarvekartoitukset Suomessa ovat pääosin keskittyneet vertailemaan tarvetta eri kielille. Jotkin edelliset tutkimukset ovat kuitenkin
keskittyneet myös englannin tarpeeseen eri kielenkäyttötilanteissa (Huhta 1999; Leppänen ym. 2009; Airola 2004), ja niiden mukaan englantia tarvittiin useimmiten erilaisten
dokumenttien lukemisessa, sähköpostiviesteissä, puhelinkeskusteluissa, sosiaalisissa tilanteissa ja työmatkoilla.
Tutkielman menetelmänä on puolistrukturoitu haastattelu. Aineisto koostuu viidestä haastattelusta, joissa jokainen haastateltava edustaa yhtä vientiteollisuuden yritystä Itä- Suomesta. Haastattelut sisältävät taustakysymyksiä yrityksestä sekä englannin asemasta ja käytöstä yrityksissä, sekä kysymyksiä englantia vaativista tilanteista, englannin kielitaidon osa- alueista, ja arvioista englannin kielen tarpeen kehityksestä lähihistoriasta tulevaisuuteen.
Haastatteluista koottu aineisto teemoitellaan ja siihen sovelletaan laadullista sisällönanalyysiä.
Tutkielman tulokset on jaoteltu englannin kieltä vaativiin tilanteisiin, englannin kielitaidon eri osa-alueisiin, sekä tarpeiden muutokseen historiasta tulevaisuuteen. Tulokset osoittavat, että englantia tarvitaan eniten sähköposteihin, asiakaspalveluun, kokouksiin ja neuvotteluihin, puhelinkeskusteluihin, dokumenttien lukemiseen ja ongelmanratkaisuun liittyvissä tilanteissa.
Joitakin englanninkielisiä tilanteita määritteleviä päälöydöksiä ja tekijöitä ovat myös englannin tärkeä rooli yritysten sisäisessä viestinnässä, tilanteiden ja käytön syiden suuri vaihtelu
yritysten ja työntekijöiden välillä, sekä digitalisaation ja globalisaation vaikutus englannin kielen tarpeeseen.
Tärkeimmät englannin kielitaidon osa-alueet yrityksissä puolestaan ovat keskustelutaidot, luetun ymmärtäminen, kirjoittaminen, kuullun ymmärtäminen, ammattisanasto ja
kulttuurintuntemus. Englannin kielitaidon osa-alueisiin vaikuttavissa löydöksissä korostuvat kommunikatiivisuuden ja viestin välittymisen korostaminen virheettömän kielen sijasta, painotus suullisen kielitaitoon ja rohkeus puhua englantia, sekä kehotus opiskella englannin lisäksi myös muita vieraita kieliä.
Tutkielman tulokset tarjoavat Karelia-ammattikorkeakoululle monipuolisia mahdollisuuksia kehittää englannin opetusta vastaamaan työelämän ajankohtaisia tarpeita. Tulosten valossa
aiheeseen olisi kannattavaa suunnata lisää laadullisin menetelmin tehtyä tutkimusta.
Erityisesti samankaltainen laadullinen tutkimus englannin kielen käyttäjille eli työntekijöille täydentäisi kuvaa englannin kielen tarpeesta suomalaisessa työelämässä.
University of Eastern Finland, Philosophical faculty School of Humanities
English Language and Culture
Laulainen, Ilkka A.: “English is basically the starting requirement; you can’t really get along without it” – The English language needs of export Industry companies in Eastern Finland Master’s Thesis, 102 pages, 2 appendices (6 pages)
September 2021
Key words: language needs analysis, working life, export industry, English in a work context, English situations, language skills
This thesis explores the subject of English in a Finnish work context through qualitative research methods. More specifically, the aim is to uncover the English language needs of export industry companies in Eastern Finland. The study is conducted in collaboration with Karelia UAS, and the results are meant to be utilized in developing English language teaching at Karelia UAS. The English language needs are examined with the help of two explorative research questions:
1. In what kind of situations and tasks is English needed in North Karelian companies?
2. What aspects of English language skills do North Karelian companies need the most from their employees?
Language needs analysis studies are a part of the field of applied linguistics and are often used to gather information for developing language education to better match the actual language needs of real life. According to the definitions of Van Hest and Oud-de-Glas (1990), the present study, as an employer-focused English language needs analysis, observers the language from the perspective of the requirer of the language rather than the user.
Furthermore, the need is measured through the current use of the language, and the competences measured are the need for the language in different situations, as well as the need for different aspects of language skills. Previous language needs analyses in Finland
have mostly focused on comparing the need of different languages. Some previous studies have additionally explored the need for English in different situations (Huhta 1999; Leppänen et al. 2009; Airola 2004), and the most needed situations have included reading documents, emails, telephone conversations, social situations and travel.
The method of this study is semi-structured interviewing. The data includes five interviews, in which each interviewee represents one export industry company in the region of Eastern Finland. The interviews include background questions about the companies and the status and use of English, the different situations in which English is needed, and the different aspects of language skills, as well as the projected development of language skills from the past to the future in their company. The answers from the interviews are categorized thematically and the final data is analyzed qualitatively.
The results of the study are divided into different situations and different aspects of language skills, as well as the development of the language skills. Some common themes and
explaining factors are brought into the analysis. The results show that English is needed most in situations related to emails, customer service, meetings and negotiations, telephone
conversations, visits, reading documents, and problem solving. Some key themes that are related to the situations of English use include the important role of internal communication as the reason for using English in various situations, the uniqueness of the needs and reasons for English use in the companies, and the effect of digitalization and globalization on the language needs and situations of language use in the companies.
The companies estimate that the most needed aspects of language skills in their companies are conversation skills, reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension,
occupational vocabulary and cultural competence. Some key issues in relation to language skills are the emphasis on communicative success instead of faultless language, the emphasis on spoken communication and the courage to use the language, as well as the
encouragement to learn other languages besides English as well. The results of the present study offer versatile possibilities to develop the language education of Karelia UAS to match the current directions of English use in working life. For future research, the results of the
study encourage more qualitative language needs studies. A similar study from the
perspective of employees as language users would offer interesting and valuable information to complete the landscape of English language needs in Finnish working life.
Table of contents
1. Introduction ... 1
2. The status and use of English ... 6
2.1 English in Finland ... 7
2.2 The use of English in a Finnish work context... 9
3. Language needs analysis ... 16
3.1 Language needs analysis in Finland ... 18
3.2 Different aspects of language skills ... 21
4. Methodology ... 24
4.1 Method ... 24
4.2 Materials ... 26
4.3 Ethical considerations ... 29
5. Results ... 31
5.1 The importance of English ... 31
5.2 Situations of English use in the target companies ... 39
5.2.1 Written communication ... 45
5.2.2 Spoken communication ... 53
5.3 English language skills in the target companies ... 62
5.4 English language needs in the past and in the future ... 71
6. Discussion ... 77
6.1 Key findings ... 77
6.2 Implications for language teaching... 84
6.3 Validity and limitations ... 90
7. Conclusion ... 93
References ... 96
Appendix 1 ... 103
Appendix 2 ... 107
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1. Introduction
This study focuses on the use and needs of the English language in the Finnish working life, more specifically in export industry companies in Eastern Finland. The accelerating
globalization and the spread of the English language have established English as an integral part of the every-day life of Finns. English has achieved an unwavering status as the primary lingua franca of our time, and its use in Finland has increased to an unprecedentedly high level (Leppänen & Nikula 2008: 16–21). English is used in the media, leisure activities, work contexts and everyday communication (Leppänen et al. 2009: 51–54, 92–100). Even if one does not actively use the language, the exposure to it is nearly inevitable. This increased English use and its consequences have attracted a growing amount of research and interest in utilizing the information on how English is used in different domains. As previously
mentioned, one of these contexts is work, which will be the main focus of this study.
The aim here is to find out in which kind of situations and tasks, such as customer service, meetings or reading and writing different documents, the English language is used in Finnish working life, more specifically in Eastern Finland. Another aim of the study is to find out which aspects of language skills are the most needed in the North Karelian working life.
Furthermore, the study sets out to create a comprehensive and detailed picture of the language needs of the companies by gathering descriptions, examples, explanations and reasons concerning the different situations of English use and the different aspects of
language skills. Moreover, study intends to acquire additional information about the nature of language use and needs in the region and the overall importance of the English by examining the frequency of English and the importance of English in comparison with other languages.
Additionally, the study aims to provide information on the development of the English language needs in the region by analyzing the past and future English language needs of the target companies. The study has been conducted in collaboration with the Karelia University of Applied Sciences (Karelia UAS): the institution has assisted in the collection of data for the study, and the aim is to use the results for developing and allocating the English teaching in the university of applied sciences.
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The region was chosen, as it offers a chance to co-operate with the local university of applied sciences and utilize the results in practice. Additionally, recent research (Kolehmainen et al.
2020a) has found Eastern Finland surprisingly multilingual, warranting for more research in the region. Kolehmainen et al. (2020b: 7–10, 24) note that while the region has previously been regarded as a rather monolingual area with Finnish being the only commonly spoken language, many other languages, such as English, Spanish, Russian or Serbian, have their uses among different groups and domains. Kolehmainen et al. (2020b: 10) add that the strong position of English as an undisputed lingua franca holds true in Eastern Finland as well.
However, the status of English in Eastern Finland is quite recent according to Kolehmainen et al. (2020b: 10), as historically the use of English has not been very prevalent in the region, nor has the language held any significant prestige. The use of English has arrived in the wake of globalization, immigration and higher education. Kolehmainen et al. (2020a) present various articles that give a glimpse of the use of English in different domains in Eastern Finland, such as leisure activities (see Paulasto 2020) or internet and social media (see Penttilä 2020;
Laitinen et al. 2020). Economic and Industrial life are mentioned as important sources for multilingualism in the region (Kolehmainen et al. 2020a: 9–10, 23), but no specific research was conducted or included where the focus is on present time language use in the context of work. This leaves a clear avenue for further research in the field of English language use and needs in the domain of working life.
With the help of examining the situations of language use in the area, the purpose of this study is to chart the English language needs of companies in Eastern Finland. This is done by interviewing the executives and employers of export industry companies in Eastern Finland.
The study utilizes the perspective of the executive roles of the company, as the purpose is to achieve a more complete picture of the regional language needs. Executives are usually able to provide information about the language needs of the whole company, which offers a broader perspective than a focus on the limited language use situations a single employee engages in.
3 The research questions for this study are:
1. In what kind of situations and tasks is English needed in North Karelian companies?
2. What aspects of English language skills do North Karelian companies need the most from their employees?
To justify the topic of this research, the study has a practical motivation in functioning as a language needs analysis for developing the language teaching in higher education in the Karelia UAS, which is located in Joensuu, Eastern Finland. Language needs analyses are studies or reports that aim to chart what kind of language skills are needed among a certain group of people in a certain domain. In this study the aim is to find out what kind of English language skills are needed in export industry companies in Eastern Finland. The results of the study can then be utilized in the corresponding fields in higher education, which in this case are the English teaching and education in the degree programs of engineering and business in Karelia UAS.
Additionally, the study is academically relevant: previous studies that on some level examine work-related, situational or skill-related language use (Leppänen et al. 2009) or conduct a language needs analysis nationally (Huhta 1999, 2010) or regionally (Airola 2004) have either different foci or are possibly outdated. Leppänen et al. (2009) have a more general approach, as their study is more of an explorative survey looking to map the use English in Finland through numerous different points of view, such as the role of English in the informants’ life, the use of English in different domains, such as work, free-time or internet, the meaning of English compared to their first language or the role of English in Finland in the future. In the study, work is not explored to a detailed extent, nor does the study offer any qualitative approaches or description.
Huhta (2010), on the other hand, focuses more on defining the method of language needs analysis and exploring its uses, rather than focusing on actually specifying the needs of a certain target group. In her study on business and industry language needs (Huhta 1999) she
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provides an extensive language needs analysis, which offers both qualitative and quantitative results and uses a very similar premise to the present study. However, in contrast with the present study, the focus of her study is on multiple languages, and the results are from 20 years ago, so it is reasonable to expect that changes in language needs have occurred.
Airola’s (2004) work is a report that surveys the language needs of corporations in Northern Karelia, focusing on comparing the need for different languages, as well as the frequency of different situations in which languages are needed. Her study is similar to the present study in region but offers no qualitative or explorative results on corporate English needs. Similar to Huhta (1999), the study is possibly somewhat outdated, leaving the present study plenty of room to explore the current language needs in the region and uncover possible recently emerged needs. Furthermore, all of the mentioned previous studies offer great possibilities for points of comparison with the present study to illustrate changes or directions in the language needs: Airola (2004) regionally, Huhta (1999) on qualitative aspects, and Leppänen et al. (2009) as the most recent study before the present study. Furthermore, one of the reasons I chose this topic and perspective for my research was a personal interest in the subject matter of work relevance and professional use of the English language, as I study to become a language teacher and a guidance counsellor. Additionally, the practical aspect of the study and cooperation with Karelia UAS provided me with an invaluable opportunity to prepare tasks related to institution research and development, as well as practice my project working skills.
The paper includes a theoretical framework for the study, description of the method and materials, qualitative, explorative and descriptive results from interviews, and some discussion and conclusions of the main findings. The paper is structured to follow the conventions of an MA thesis. After the introduction, the status of English is discussed in the second section, including some literature about the status of English in Finland as well as main findings in the previous studies on the use of English in the Finnish working life. The third section follows on the concept of language needs analysis and presents some previous studies on language needs analysis in Finland. These are followed by the theoretical
framework for different aspects of language skills, such as listening comprehension or
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pronunciation. The fourth section introduces the methods and materials for the study. In the fifth section, the results of the study are presented and analyzed in the context of the
theoretical framework and previous studies, focusing on the overall importance of English in the companies, the different English language situations, different aspects of language skills, and the language needs of the target companies in the past and the future. In the sixth section, the main findings are discussed in the light of the research questions and theoretical framework of the study. Additionally, the sixth section reviews the implications of the study for language education and discusses the validity and limitations of the study. Finally, the list of references and the interview structure in Finnish and English as appendices are provided at the end of the paper.
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2. The status and use of English
To better understand and discuss the status and use of English in the Finnish work context, it is meaningful to first examine the status of the English language in Finland as a part of a global perspective: how can the English in Finland be positioned in a global framework of world Englishes? To set the frame of reference, the position of Finland regarding the English language is illustrated using the reputed three circle model by Kachru (1985). The model defines the position of English in a specific country by using history and the official status of English to categorize the English language in different countries. As these variables have remained virtually unchanged since the model’s development, the model can be seen as relevant and purposeful despite its age.
Kachru (1985) uses the model of three concentric circles to reflect the position of English in different countries. The inner circle represents the countries, which have English as their primary native language due to being the countries where English originated from or being one the early colonized English-speaking countries. These include, for instance, Great Britain, the United States of America, New Zealand and Australia. The next circle, extending outwards from the center, is called the outer circle. It depicts the countries which have English as an additional official language or in which English has an otherwise strong position in the community. These countries are usually characterized by a history of colonization by an English-speaking country, mainly Britain, which has greatly influenced the status of English in the country. An example of a country positioned in the outer circle would be Nigeria or India.
The last circle is called the expanding circle, where English is regarded as a foreign language.
In these countries English has no officially recognized position, nor have they usually been under English colonial rule. However, in the expanding circle countries English has a strong status as a language taught in schools, as a prevalent language in the media and as an influential language in a work setting. English in Finland is positioned in the expanding circle of the model.
The three circles model has received a fair share of criticism and definitely has some limitations. For instance, the model has been criticized for not being dynamic and flexible
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enough to describe the constantly changing uses and statuses of English in different countries, as the English use in reality is not so easily defined as the model implies.
Additionally, the model does not take into account the vast differences inside national borders, as different communities or domains might use and see the position of English in very different ways. (Bruthiaux 2003) This is especially true in drawing the line between the outer and expanding circles, as in some countries English is gaining official status and uses, but not necessarily among the whole population. Additionally, it has no historical or colonial background in many of the countries, where the definitions are difficult to distinguish. Finland can be seen to close in on this problem on some domains. For instance, in some companies or institutions, the official language might be English, either by a non-formal standard or a mandated decision (Sanden and Kankaanranta 2018). Additionally, it should be noted that the clear placement in the expanding circle does not mean poorer language skills; Crystal (2003:
6) notes that one should not assume that the three-circle model provides a hierarchy in fluency, using the wide range of speakers in the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries as an example, as they are extremely fluent compared to some speakers in the outer circle.
Keeping this criticism in mind, Finland is still most suitably positioned in the expanding circle, and can be examined in that global frame of reference. In the next chapter the role of English in Finland in discussed in greater detail based on its position in the expanding circle.
2.1 English in Finland
Despite being placed at the outermost circle in the Kachruvian model, the status of English in Finland is very prominent, and the importance of English has been increasing fast in the past decades. The increasing importance of the English language can be seen in a national survey by Leppänen et al. (2009) when examining the English use and proficiency of younger
generations as opposed to older generations, as well as in the future predictions of the importance and influence of the English language. In the survey, the younger generations aged 15–24 and 25–44 estimated their language skills in all areas to be significantly better than what the older generations aged 45–64 and 65–79 estimated their skills to be (Leppänen 2009: 82–83). Furthermore, the younger generations reported using English more frequently and in more contexts than the older generations (Leppänen et al. 2009: 101). Additionally,
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when asked about the future of the English language in Finland, 90% of all respondents
estimated that the importance of the English language will increase in the future (Leppänen et al. 2009: 131). Leppänen and Nikula (2008: 16–17) state that the effects of globalization, trade, media, the internet, and effective language education are among the primary reasons for the rising popularity and status of English.
The main avenues for English-language encounters in Finland seem to mirror the defining avenues of language use in the expanding circle: the position of English in Finland can be observed through its use and prevalence in education, media and work. When considering education, English is certainly in a strong position in language teaching, as it is the most popular option for the first foreign language (usually referred to as A1) in Finland, which children usually start learning in the first grade of elementary school (Taavitsainen and Pahta 2003: 6). The rising popularity and the increasing importance of English can be observed in education, as the age of starting to learn English at school was recently lowered from the third grade to the first grade of elementary school (Finnish National Board of Education 2019b: 3–
4).
In addition to education, English holds a strong position in the Finnish media as well. English- language popular culture and entertainment, such as music, television and other electronic media are a prevalent part of the Finnish media landscape. The preservation of original English audio and subtitling the programs instead of implementing a Finnish voice-over on them has had a large influence on the abundance of English contact that has been available for Finns (Leppänen et al. 2009: 112; Taavitsainen and Pahta 2003: 5). However, as the consumption of English language media accounts mainly for receptive language use, it is noted in Leppänen et al. (2009: 112) that speaking and writing in English are much less common than merely listening to language or reading in it.
9 2.2 The use of English in a Finnish work context
In addition to the status of English in learning and teaching and its prevalence in the media, the third major avenue for English in a country positioned in the expanding circle of the Kachru model is professional or work context. Leppänen et al. (2009: 92, 112, 114) point out that Finns use English and are exposed to English more in their spare time as opposed to work, but that work is still a meaningful context in which English is used. Approximately a half of the employed respondents reported using English on a weekly basis at work (Leppänen et al. 2009: 105). Additionally, in other studies that focus on language use at Finnish work contexts, English was reported as being the most frequently used foreign language among Finns at work by a large margin, with Airola (2004) reporting that English was needed and used more than any other language in North Karelian corporations and Huhta (1999: 62) pointing out that English is the most important language in 84% of Finnish companies.
The use of English in Finnish work or professional contexts has been investigated to some extent. The national survey on English in Finland (Leppänen et. al. 2009) or comprehensive reports, such as Prolang (Huhta 1999), a national report on vocational and professional language use and teaching, have offered a broad, comparative overview on the different situations and contexts in which English is used in Finland. Furthermore, a regional report on language use and needs in North Karelia (Airola 2004) provides regional results that offer great comparative possibilities with this study. As the present study focuses on situations of English use in work contexts, the same aspect is discussed in detail when reviewing the previous studies. Table 1 below illustrates the 5 most frequent or important English language situations in work contexts in the most relevant previous studies. In Leppänen et al. (2009:
104) the situations are ranked based on the frequency of use, whereas in Airola (2004) and Huhta (1999) they are ranked based on perceived importance.
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Table 1. The five most frequent or important situations of language use in a work context in previous studies. (Leppänen et al. 2009; Airola 2004; Huhta 1999).
Leppänen et al (2009)
Airola (2004) Huhta (1999)
The most frequent or important situation
Searching for information online
Reading
occupational texts or literature
Social situations (introductions, small talk)
2nd most frequent or important situation
Reading web pages Travel Telephone
conversations 3rd most frequent or
important situation
Reading emails Telephone conversations
Travel
4th most frequent or important situation
Reading documents Customer service Reading manuals, instructions,
professional literature 5th most frequent or
important situation
Reading manuals or product information
Social situations Writing email messages, faxes; taking notes in a meeting
The national survey by Leppänen et. al. (2009: 104) lists 14 different work-related situations, the frequency of which was surveyed. The situations were related to reading English texts, such as manuals; writing English texts, such as emails; or speaking English in communicative situations, such speaking with partners and clients on the phone. Of these situations the most frequent were searching for information online, reading web pages and reading emails.
Similarly, Huhta (1999: 90) provides 17 situations of using English in a work environment in her research for Prolang. These situations were related to either reading, writing or oral communication in English as well; most of them were a combination of two or more of these attributes. According to Huhta’s (1999), the most important situations for communication in English were social situations, such as introductions or small talk, telephone conversations, travel, and reading manuals or literature. It is meaningful to note that the studies were conducted ten years apart, and Huhta (1999) does not, for example, emphasize email
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communication or include the use of internet for websites or searching information at all. In Airola’s (2004: 38) report, 17 situations of English use are compared. Of these, the most important contexts are reading occupational literature, travel, telephone conversations, customer service and social situations, again emphasizing reading and verbal communication, but not even including electronic communication as a separate option. These studies offer a reliable reference point for previous studies on work-related English language situations.
However, the differences in the studies and the age of the more recent study by Leppänen et al (2009) suggest that a new, more current examination of the English language use in work contexts could be of great interest in the field. As the use of English in work contexts clearly changed in the 10-year period between the earlier studies, it is quite reasonable to assume that some interesting changes have emerged in the last ten years after the publication of Leppänen et al. (2009) as well. In addition, the effects of the rapid progress of digitalization and emergence of social media on English use in work contexts are largely unresearched, which calls for new research on the issue in its own right.
Some research has also been conducted on specific situations, uses, tasks or occupations regarding the use of English in a Finnish work context. For written communication, these situations include the use of English in email situations in a professional context (Alatalo 2002;
Kankaanranta 2005), and other written communication (Yli-Jokipii 1994; Louhiala-Salminen 1995), which has largely become obsolete due to emails. Kankaanranta (2005) examines the use of English in internal emails of a large Finnish multinational company. According to her, English is often used as the language of communication in a multinational company, which was the case in the target company in her study as well. Furthermore, in the study of
Kankaanranta (2005: 179–182) the amount of English use in the internal email communication varied between employees, as the distribution of English messages of all messages varied from 13% to 90% based on the employee. The study of Kankaanranta (2005) indicates that emails are used extensively, but as the study examines the linguistic aspects of the emails, the contexts and more specific situations of emails remain largely unstudied, offering the present study a great opportunity to complete the knowledge on English email use in that regard.
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In addition, English in Finnish business contexts has been studied from several other perspectives. Louhiala-Salminen (2002) studies the English language discourse in work context, examining the English language use of Finnish managers in multinational
corporations. According to Louhiala-Salminen (2002: 211) “the salient features that emerged include: the ‘native corporate language’ status of English (i.e. English used as the corporation’s first language in various types of national and international contacts), intertextuality, parallel and mixed use of spoken and written language, and the decisive role of e-mail as a
communication medium.” Her main findings (Louhiala-Salminen 2002: 224–227) elaborate that the situations of English are extremely intertwined in many occasions, often occurring in sequences that were closely related together and appeared multimodal in nature. This included both spoken and written situations and interactions, which interrelated as well.
These findings pose a formidable consideration for the present study, as the one the
premises is to compare the different situations. This can obviously be difficult, if the situations are linked closely together and therefore difficult to distinguish. Luckily, the qualitative
approach of the present study offers the interviewees the possibility to react and describe these kinds of difficulties, should they arise. Additionally, Louhiala-Salminen (2002: 224) discusses the position and importance of English in the company, stating that English was observed as the ‘native corporate language’ in the study, thus having an important role in the company and even being used in situations containing only Finnish speakers.
Furthermore, on the topic of the position of English in Finnish companies, Sanden and Kankaanranta (2018) examine the linguistic landscapes of Finnish companies and their
language policies, pointing out that in several companies there is an unwritten rule of English being the standard and expected language in many situations. This type of language policy, where a language is regarded the unofficial standard in certain situations, can be described as a non-formalized language-policy. These covert language policies are based on the practical need and importance of the language, rather than an official authorization. (Sanden and Kankaanranta 2018: 546–547) According to Sanden and Kankaanranta (ibid.), they seem to be quite common in Finnish companies.
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Language choice and policies have been examined in other studies as well: Louhiala-Salminen et al. (2005) examine the language use in two mergers between companies from Finland and Sweden, both of which then chose English as their new language. These studies offer some important points of reference for the present study, as some of the companies are
multinational or a product of a merger. Additionally, the concept of language policy is important in all of the target companies, as they function in the field of export industry.
Räisänen (2014), then, explores occupational language by focusing on the English language use and competences of Finnish engineers. Her study is more case-oriented, focusing on defining the trajectories of the English language competence of Finnish engineers. According to her, the English skills of the engineers are constructed over time. She places a strong emphasis on learning the language in a work context and sees this as a process of socialization into the working life and the necessary English competences. Pitzl (2019)
presents similar findings and notes that in working life, new employees can be socialized into the profession, field or company from the perspective of language as well: they often learn quickly what kind of language is acceptable and frequently used. Pitzl (2019) bases this idea in Wegner’s (1998) theory on community of practice, which essentially describes an occupational or skill-oriented group, in which learning and sharing information or responsibilities is central.
Kankaanranta and Louhiala-Salminen (2007; 2010; Louhiala-Salminen & Kankaanranta 2013) investigate the concept of business English as a lingua franca (BELF) in Finland extensively.
Louhiala-Salminen and Kankaanranta (2013) define BELF as lingua franca use of English in the specific functions of business contexts. They study the perceptions of BELF-users
(Kankaanranta and Louhiala-Salminen 2010) as well as the different skills and situations which are important in BELF. The main competences and features of BELF are business
communications skills and strategic skills, which are seen by Louhiala-Salminen and Kankaanranta (2013:29–30) as more important than traditional language skills, such as pronunciation, writing or grammar skills. Additionally, Louhiala-Salminen and Kankaanranta use the term communicative success in measuring what language skills are essential. This means that according to them, achieving a goal related to work or business tasks through communication is the primary aspect that matters. This is of great interest to this study, as the
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purpose is to look at the language needs of companies regarding different skills and
situations, it is also meaningful to consider if the companies in the present study agree with the premise of communicative success, rather than possessing language skills that help produce native-like spoken and written English with no mistakes. This in turn has implications for language teaching, as in which skills are valued and sought after in the regional working life, and therefore the most important ones to teach to the students. Additionally, according to Kankaanranta & Louhiala-Salminen (2010: 206–207) the number of non-native speakers in BELF communication situations is far greater than the number of native speakers, and the respondents of their study estimated that around 70% of all communications takes place between non-native speakers. This divide is examined in the present study as well, as it has implications for language teaching: if most of the communication situations happen with other non-native speakers, is it meaningful to use materials reflecting native language use as the primary models in teaching English?
Furthermore, the English use and needs in Finnish working life can be explored by placing it among other languages and discussing the multilingual competences and needs of the
Finnish working life. From the perspective of the present study, English has been identified as the most important and frequently used foreign language in the most relevant previous studies examining language use and needs in Finland (Huhta 1999: 61; Leppänen et al. 2009:
42; Airola 2004). However, there is some literature that raises the question of multilingual competences and need for other languages as well. According to a national report on the status and levels of language competences in Finland (Pyykkö 2017: 112), the language competences in Finland are narrowing, and fewer and fewer people study other foreign languages besides English. This can be seen to arise from the increasing importance of English, and the decreasing importance of other languages. However, Vaarala et al. (2021: 84–
96) note that teachers and students in Finnish higher education find the possibilities to study other languages besides English to be too narrow, implying that there is interest in pursuing broader language competences as well, by focusing on learning and teaching other foreign languages in addition to English.
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In the context of Finnish working life, the need for multiple languages can be seen in the study of Räisänen and Karjalainen (2018), which examines the language use and needs of young engineers. According to them, English is still by far the most important language in the work of the engineers, but other languages are still needed, as they are seen as useful and utilized in some situations. The additional languages in their study that were mentioned as the most useful were Swedish, German, French and Chinese. The auxiliary role of additional languages was noted in the studies of Leppänen et al. (2009: 42), Airola (2004) and Huhta (1999: 61–62) as well. Leppänen et al. (2009: 42) present that 18.1% of respondents needed Swedish at work, and 4.7% needed German at work, while the role of French and Russian was marginal, with 1.6% and 1.8% needing them at work. Similarly, according to Huhta (1999: 61-62), employers mentioned Swedish as one of three most important languages in the company in 86% of the companies, while German was placed among the three most important languages in 68% of companies: Russian was needed as one of the three most import languages in 17%
of companies and French in 13% of companies. However, in the regional survey of Airola (2004), the importance of Russian is much more prevalent. This regional importance of Russian in Eastern Finland can possibly be contributed to the proximity with the Russian border, increasing the amount of trade with Russian companies and customers.
In addition, Schlabach (2016) has studied the plurilingual competences in Finnish companies.
He states that in plurilingual situations, English is the most commonly utilized language as a part of plurilingual competences, usually accompanied by the local language or L1, meaning Finnish or Swedish in Finland. After that, the most common languages used in multilingual situations were German, French and Spanish. This indicates that although English is the dominant language, other languages can also be utilized to some extent in multilingual
situations, meaning that the need for multiple languages does not necessarily mean complete conversations in a certain language, but using the language to some extent in combination with other more dominant languages, such as English or Finnish.
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3. Language needs analysis
The remaining part of this theoretical framework will address the topic of language needs analysis. The first section will discuss the theoretical background and purpose of language needs analyses to set a foundation for this theoretical framework. After that, a review of previous literature and research in the field of language needs analyses in Finland is made to position this study in the theoretical framework and identify an academically viable and interesting niche for the study. Lastly, this section will discuss one of the variables of this particular study, different aspects of language skills, through relevant theoretical literature.
The concept of language needs analysis is defined by Brown (2009: 269–271) as an essential part of the process of planning and carrying out language education. It is most commonly used as a practical tool when surveying a small group of people, usually students, about their needs in a specific language course or program. In addition to practical, small-scale
applications, language needs analysis can be approached from the perspective of larger reports and research. For example, language needs analysis can be used in applied linguistics with a practical application in mind, such as developing language education or language learning, or in sociolinguistics with a general curiosity for language use in mind. Van Hest and Oud-de Glas (1990: 20–21) note that language needs analyses can be conducted for many reasons, for instance to improve curricula and language education in secondary education, to improve in-company training related to language use and communication, to assist in the planning of national curricula or guidelines for language teaching, or to examine the effects of foreign language skills on commercial success and needs.
Several studies and literature or methodology reviews that discuss and define the themes of language needs analysis also note the issue and problematic concept of needs(Huhta 2010:
32–25; Vandermeeren 1998: 159–165; van Hest and Oud-de Glas 1990: 10–13). Of these, van Hest and Oud-de Glas (1990) provide a triangular model for defining the concept of foreign language needs, consisting of the reasoning behind the needs, the subject of the needs and the object of the needs. This definition can be utilized in operationalizing the different aspects
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of language needs. The definition of language needs by van Hest and Oud-de Glas (1990) is summarized in table 2 below.
Table 2. A summarized model for the concept and definition of foreign language needs (Van Hest & Oud-de Glas 1990).
Key elements Possible interpretations
Subject of needs (whose needs are studied?) • Requirers
• Users Need (How does the need arise?) • Use
• Lack of competence
• Key asset in the future Object of needs (What kind of competences
are needed?)
• Different languages
• Different aspects of language skills
• Different situations
Firstly, Hest and Oud-de Glas (1990: 10) present possible definitions for the reasoning behind the needs: foreign language needs can be defined as based on the actual studied use of the language by deducting that the language will continue to be needed in these same contexts in the future. On the other hand, the definition can arise from the lack of competence and proficiency in a foreign language. In that case it is possible to deduce that the language related situations or skills that cause problems due to the lack of competence or proficiency are in need of improvement. The third possible reasoning for language needs is identifying key assets, in which the language need is defined as a key to new assets or opportunities, such as new markets.
Secondly, it is meaningful to ask whose need we are discussing. Huhta (2010: 32) and van Hest
& Oud-de Glas (1990: 11) both use the same terminology on the agency of language needs with the concept of language user and language requirer. The needs of the user are
individual, whereas the needs of the requirer are professional (Huhta 2010: 32). The
perspective of the requirer can mean, for example, a company, a field, an institution or even the society.
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Lastly, according to van Hest & Oud-de Glas (1990: 13) the third dimension in the concept of foreign language need is the object of need: what kind of competences are needed? Van Hest
& Oud-de Glas (1990) present three possible objectives for a language need: different
languages, situations, and skills. The object of language need usually helps in formulating the research questions for the study and functions as the operationalizable variable of the language needs analysis: most of the needs analysis studies survey either the situations in which language is used, what different languages are needed, or which language skills are needed. For instance, Airola’s (2004: 26) report on language needs in North Karelia consisted of a survey, in which she used the need for different languages as variables by asking the informants to evaluate the importance of different languages in their work on a scale of very important to not needed at all. Additionally, in the same survey the situations of language use were used as variables by asking the informants to evaluate importance of pre-chosen
situations of language use in their work on a scale of very important to not needed at all (Airola 2004: 32).
3.1 Language needs analysis in Finland
As the scope of this study is limited to Finland, it is meaningful to look into some of the previous language needs analysis studies conducted specifically in Finland. Furthermore, as the present study is limited to professional English and work contexts, the previous studies examined in this section will be focused on that domain as well. The results of the most relevant previous studies have already been presented in section 2.2, as that section covers the themes of English use in Finnish working life. This section focuses on exploring the language needs studies from a methodological point of view, examining how they can be placed into the theoretical framework of van Hest and Oud-de-Glas (1990). The previous studies in the field will thus help position the current study in the theoretical framework, as well as to identify a viable academic niche and thus establishing motivations and points of interests for the current study.
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Huhta (2010: 36–37) writes about the history and implications of language needs analysis in Finland and according to her, language needs analyses have been prevalent in Finland from the 1970s onward. They have previously been conducted for many different purposes, as discussed in section 2.3, by many different institutions and instigators, such as independent companies that want to assess and enhance the language skills of their employees,
universities and universities of applied sciences that wish to develop their language teaching to match the future use and needs of languages in the students’ respective fields, and
government funded projects that aim to assess the language situation on a larger scale and possibly develop national guidelines and curricula (Huhta 2010: 39). Huhta (ibid.) points out that the current trend among language needs analysis research is a shift in the objective of needs: whereas many studies conducted in the last century focus on the objective of need in different languages, the focus has shifted more towards the need in different language skills and situations of language use. For instance, one of her own recent empirical studies on language needs analysis focuses on the objective of different situations and skills rather than the priority of different languages (Huhta et al. 2006).
When it comes to the agency of language needs studies, both user-focused needs analyses and requirer-focused needs analyses have been conducted in Finland. Studies where the informants are the employees working in a certain field using the language represent the user-focused group of studies: Räisänen (2014), for instance, studies the English language competences of Finnish engineers from the user point of view by interviewing the engineers about their language use and perceptions and observing their language use at work. The study of Leppänen et al. (2009) is not a language needs analysis by definition, as it does not explicitly examine language needs, but rather investigates language use from a broader perspective. However, the study can be utilized as a user-focused point of reference for the present study, as both studies look at the language use of Finns, even if the aims of the studies differ. Another example of a user-focused language needs analysis is the study of Kuosa (2020), in which she examines the Swedish language need of Finnish lawyers.
The studies where the informants are the employers, executives or in-service trainers working in a certain field represent the require-focused group of studies, as they have an idea of the
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different tasks or situations requiring language skills in their company. For example, Huhta (2010) examines the effects and uses of language needs analysis to company stakeholders.
Airola (2004) focuses on the corporate language needs in North Karelia, and surveys and interviews the employers in the region. In addition, it should be noted that many of the studies draw from both user and requirer perspectives to achieve a more complete picture of language needs. Lax (2007), for instance, explores the needs for Swedish in a regional study that focuses on Kokkola. The study draws from the user focused language needs analysis, as she uses the interviews of employees from different fields as her methodological approach.
However, Lax (2007) also includes a smaller requirer-focused approach to her study by interviewing a few informants that were responsible for the in-service training of the
organizations in Kokkola. Huhta (1999) studies the language needs in Finnish professional and work contexts. Her study, similarly to Lax’s (2007), has both user- and requirer-focused
aspects, but the main target group and largest group of informants of the study were the employees using the language, who answered a questionnaire about language needs in work contexts, thus making it a more user-focused study. Furthermore, Lehtonen and Karjalainen (2008) focus on the language needs of graduating students in the working life. They use both user- and requirer-focused approaches as well, by employing mixed methods in their study with surveying the graduates with a questionnaire and then interviewing the employers, focusing on the issues that arise from the graduate questionnaire. The present study uses employers and executives as informants and is thus a requirer-focused language needs analysis. They can provide a better perspective of the language needs of a company in general, which better matches the aims of the study, rather than the personal views offered by a single employee of a certain company.
When looked at from the point of view of the object of language needs, various previous studies using language needs analysis in Finland focus on comparing the needs for different languages in certain fields (see Huhta 2010; Airola 2004; Lehtonen & Karjalainen 2008) as previously mentioned. All of the studies in question reach the same conclusion that English is undisputedly the most important and needed foreign language in the work environment, regardless of field or occupation. Therefore, this study takes a different approach and focuses mostly on the English language and its implications and language needs in the work context.
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Regarding the objective of language needs, the present study focuses on the language needs for different aspects of English language skills and different situations in which English is needed. A few of the previously mentioned studies already look into this either from the perspective of English (Räisänen 2014), Swedish (Lax 2007) or all languages (Huhta 1999, Leppänen et al. 2009, Airola 2004). As the different situations for English use in a work context were addressed in the section 2.2, the more specific results of these key language needs studies can be found in that section as well.
Some of the previous language needs analysis studies in Finland have a regional approach.
One of these is the report on corporate language needs in Northern Karelia (Airola 2004), which was discussed in greater detail in section 2.2. It was actually conducted in the same region as the present study, thus offering possibilities for comparing the results in a regional setting. Moreover, most of the discussed relevant and significant previous research in the field (Airola 2004, Huhta 1999) is possibly a little outdated, having been published over a decade ago, thus leaving plenty of room for new research on the topic.
3.2 Different aspects of language skills
Having a command of a specific language is multidimensional, which includes many different aspects regarding knowledge, comprehension, and production. For this study, the theoretical framework used to categorize these different aspects of language skills is the framework provided by the European Union: the Common European Framework of Reference for languages, also known as CEFR (Council of Europe 2001). CEFR is used as a guideline in
language learning, teaching and assessment. It is also used in planning and realizing language education on a national level in different European countries, including Finland. As the
practical aim of this study is to provide useful data for developing the language education in the regional university of applied sciences, it is rational to use the same theoretical framework in analyzing the aspects of language skills in the working life, which is used as a guideline in the target education. In addition, CEFR is a suitable theoretical framework for defining language skills in the context of work, as it has a very practical and communicative approach
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to language skills, which works well together with the functional and practical mindset often prevalent in the working life.
The core function of the CEFR is a framework used to measure the foreign language proficiency of a speaker on a six-point scale from A1 to C2. The proficiency is expressed through many different variables, which can be considered different aspects of language skills. In the communicative and action-based approach of the CEFR these aspects are called language activities (Council of Europe 2001: 57), and they are defined based on whether they are productive or receptive, and whether they require spoken or written use of the language.
The different language activities are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. As the CEFR accentuates communicativeness (Council of Europe 2001: 9–14), the activity of speaking was further separated into two categories to make a clear distinction between the more
mechanical and more interactive activities of pronunciation and conversation. The language activities and their derivative categorization is presented in Table 3 below.
Table 3. The different aspects of basic language skills (Council of Europe 2001: 57–73)
Receptive Productive
Spoken language Listening Conversation Pronunciation
Written language Reading Writing
In addition to the main activities with which language proficiency can be described, the CEFR mentions that these activities are sum of many even smaller linguistic competences, such as lexical, syntactic or pragmatic understanding (Council of Europe 2001: 101–130). However, as the need or use of these competences in a work context would be extremely hard for a non- linguist to evaluate, and the scope of the study does not call for an extremely detailed description of linguistic competences, the broader and more practical categorization of language activities was used instead. However, previous studies on the need of different language skills have acknowledged some of these more specific linguistic competences as important or situational aspects of language skills. For instance, Airola (2004: 48–50) includes grammar knowledge, cultural competences and occupational vocabulary as variables when
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studying language skills in the working life. The same competences can be found on CEFR as well, but as smaller or situational competences. These skills, grammar, cultural competences and occupational vocabulary, are included in the present study as well, to offer comparative data with previous studies. In conclusion, the different language aspects that are included in the interviews of the present study are reading comprehension, writing, listening
comprehension, pronunciation, conversation skills, grammar knowledge, cultural competences, and occupational vocabulary.
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4. Methodology
In this section the method, materials and ethical considerations of the study are addressed and explained. The section covers the selection and use of the method for data collection and analysis, the practical steps of the research process, an overview of the data of the study, as well as the ethical questions related to the collection and management of the data.
4.1 Method
The method used in this study is interviewing. It was chosen as a method, as it allows a detailed and case-oriented approach to the topic. The nature of the research is qualitative, as the study focuses on examining the language use in different unique situations and through different skills. According to Eskola and Suoranta (1998: 7–8, 13–15) qualitative research is often used to examine questions and topics that are difficult or impossible to analyze
statistically, and that the more descriptive and subjective nature of qualitive study can make it seem softer that its quantitative counterpart. However, many issues and questions benefit from the use of qualitative methods. These include researching themes like experiences, identity, or case-depictions of phenomena. As this study aims to discover and survey the English language needs of companies by examining the different skills and different situations and how they progress, the qualitative method of interviewing is a fitting choice for the study, as it is suitable for providing data that is rather case-oriented and experience-based.
As reported by Eskola and Suoranta (1998: 87–89), there are various types of interviews which can be used for data collection: structured interviews, semi-structured interviews, thematic interviews, and unstructured interviews. Kurki and Mustanoja (2020: 275–277), define the types very similarly, except they see the thematic interviews as part of semi-structured interviews. Eskola and Suoranta (1998: ibid.) explain the use of the four different types of interviews as follows. In structured interviews, participants are asked the same questions in the same order, and options for answers are given or answers are categorized using pre- defined categories. In semi-structured interviews the questions are still the same for all participants and usually in the same order, but the wording can be changed, and follow-up
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questions can be made. An unstructured interview is more like a free-flowing conversation, in which only the topic is pre-determined. Kurki and Mustanoja (2020: 276) note that the more unstructured types of interviews offer the informants the possibility to tell about their experiences, feelings, memories, opinions and explanations. As the present study is a language needs analysis and as such a linguistic study, it is meaningful to distinguish the differences between sociolinguistic interviews and other interviews. According to Kurki and Mustanoja (2020: 274, 277–284), sociolinguistic interviews examine the use of language and often focus on gathering authentic speech, which can then be analyzed. This method is used, for instance, in researching dialects. However, the present study is not a sociolinguistic interview, as the language which the interviewees themselves use will not be focused on, nor is it meaningful. This study focuses on qualitatively analyzing the contents and information the interviewees provide, not the actual language use of the interview.
The interview method chosen for this study is semi-structured interview, as it allows the researcher to compile both straightforward, comparable data, and case-oriented situations and experiences. The interview structure includes questions on background variables, the main research questions of situations of language use and language skills needed, and other questions that are related to the aims of the study (see Appendix 2). The questions and the structure of the interviews were formulated based on the research questions, as well as the information drawn from the theoretical background of the study. Furthermore, previous research on the topic was used to model and formulate some of the questions to ensure comparable results. The background questions include questions on the position of the interviewee, the size of the personnel, the educational composition of the personnel, the field of the company, company language policies, and practices on evaluating, valuing, or assessing language skills in the hiring processes. In the question sequences concerning language
situations and language skills, the interviewee is first asked to pick the five most important situations in which English is used and the three most important aspects of language skills from predetermined lists of situation categories and skills. After picking the three most
important situations, the interviewees are then asked to provide example situations based on all the given categories and describe them. After picking out the three most important aspects of language skills, the interviewees are asked to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of
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their personnel in regard to the different aspects of language skills. The auxiliary questions include questions on the frequency of language use, the amount of communication with native and non-native speakers, the need for different languages apart from English, and language needs in the past and in the future.
The data collection via interviews and data management and analysis were conducted as follows. First the proposals for participating in the study were sent to the selected companies.
These proposals included a basic description of the study, including aims, methods and ethical considerations. When the companies agreed to participate in the study, the
representatives of the companies were interviewed at an appointed time. The interviews were conducted in Finnish, as that is the first language of all the interviewees. By using the first language of the interviewees, the task of explaining and reflecting on rather complicated and detailed topics was made as easy as possible to achieve the most accurate and extensive results. The interviews were conducted electronically via distance communication tools due to the Covid19 pandemic. The Finnish interview outline (see Appendix 1) was sent out to the interviewees beforehand, so that they were able to prepare for the interview. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed for the data analysis. The data was then analyzed
qualitatively. In this study, this meant examining the examples of different situations and skills which the interviewees discuss. Relevant examples were drawn from the transcribed data and presented categorically, based on the themes that arise in the interviews. In addition, some results are presented quantitatively, such as the most common English language situations in all of the respondent companies. However, this is done for illustrative purposes, as no
statistical analysis was conducted for this study due to the small number of participants and the qualitative nature of the study. As the interviews, and thus the transcripts, are in Finnish, the excerpts drawn from the data were translated into English in the results section by the researcher.
4.2 Materials
The material of the study consists of 5 interviews with representatives of export industry companies in Eastern Finland. The more specific focusing of the study, as well as choosing
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and contacting the target companies, was done in collaboration with Karelia UAS. The collaboration is based on the idea that the results of the study are meant to be used in
developing the language education of the university. In turn, the contacts and partnerships of the institution were utilized in contacting the representatives of the target companies.
The scope of the study was narrowed down to examine the language needs in a specific field, to better match the scale of a Master’s Thesis. As the aim of the study is to examine the language needs of the regional companies and provide information to the Karelia UAS for developing language education, the study was narrowed down with the requirements and needs of the institution in mind. The field of companies in Eastern Finland was chosen via an internal query, in which the English language teachers and heads of education departments in Karelia UAS were asked to express their needs, ideas and preferences about the target field of the study. Among the proposals, the field of export industries was chosen as the specific focus of the study, as many of the largest companies in the region represent this field of companies.
They are large corporations that function in multiple countries and are therefore expected to include the use of the English language in their daily functions. The selection of the companies was performed with relevancy and practicality in mind. Karelia UAS has a key-partnership arrangement with some of the regional companies: these companies help development education and curricula to match the needs of the working life, as well as cooperate in the form of internships and thesis commissions. Therefore, it is justifiable to utilize these contacts and alliances for the purposes of this study as well. In addition, the companies that were chosen for the study are for the most part some of the largest and most prominent
companies in the field of export industries in Eastern Finland and major employers for the graduates of Karelia UAS. Furthermore, one of the previous studies, the report on language needs (Airola 2004), which was utilized frequently in the theoretical framework of this study, were conducted by or on cooperation with Karelia University of Applied Sciences. This indicates that the approach is indeed valid, functional and a suitable choice for this study as well.
The interview structure was piloted in an export industry company in South-Eastern Finland.
Originally, the pilot was not planned to be included in the data, but because the interview
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structure or outline needed no changes, and the pilot interview produced great results, the results of the pilot company were decided to be included in the final material as company 1.
As the other companies in the study were from the region of North Karelia, the scope of the study had to be slightly adjusted to include the pilot company. Although the regional scope of the study is thus Eastern Finland, the results and implications are still relevant for Karelia UAS, as the institution is essential in the larger region as well, in terms of both student admission and producing educated employees in the region. In addition, it should be noted that the company was moderately smaller than the target companies of the study, thus broadening the possible landscape of language needs the study can produce.
Finally, a brief overview of the companies in which the interviews were conducted is
presented. This includes the background information of the companies, which consists of the position of the interviewee in the company, the size and educational composition of the company, the field of the company and the language policy or official working language of the company. This provides the necessary information to place the results in a context regarding the size and field of the company, as well as the educational level of the employees. The information is presented in Table 4 below.
