Abstract :

This study investigates the English language needs of retail store employees in conducting business transactions and identifies the types of English-speaking activities required to support effective communication in retail settings in Toraja, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative descriptive design with thematic analysis following Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive model, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, workplace observations, and document analysis involving twelve retail store employees and four store managers across four retail establishments. Thematic analysis revealed five principal English language need domains: transactional communication, product knowledge communication, complaint and conflict resolution, relationship-building and rapport, and digital-mediated communication. Furthermore, seven essential English-speaking activity types were identified: greeting and service initiation dialogues, product inquiry and recommendation exchanges, negotiation and price discussion activities, complaint handling and problem-solving conversations, telephone and digital communication practices, cross-cultural interaction simulations, and professional presentation and reporting activities. The findings demonstrate that retail employees’ English communication needs extend significantly beyond basic conversational competence to encompass domain-specific vocabulary, pragmatic awareness, and interactional strategies essential for navigating the communicative demands of contemporary retail environments. These findings contribute to the needs analysis literature in English for Specific Purposes and offer empirically grounded implications for language curriculum design, workplace training programs, and English language policy in retail and service industries.

---

Keywords :

Business transactions, English for Specific Purposes, English language needs, Needs analysis, Retail store employees, Speaking activities.

---

References :

1. Adams, K. M. (2022). Art as politics: Re-crafting identities, tourism, and power in Tana Toraja, Indonesia. University of Hawaii Press.
2. Alya Audria, & Zaitun Qamariah. (2023). Evaluation of English language policy in the education system in Indonesia. PUSTAKA: Jurnal Bahasa Dan Pendidikan, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.56910/pustaka.v3i4.729
3. Berwick, R. (1989). Needs assessment in language programming: From theory to practice. In R. K. Johnson (Ed.), The second language curriculum (pp. 48–62). Cambridge University Press.
4. Bosher, S., & Smalkoski, K. (2020). From needs analysis to curriculum development: Designing a course in health-care communication for immigrant students in the USA. English for Specific Purposes, 21(1), 59–79.
5. Brindley, G. (1989). The role of needs analysis in adult ESL program design. In R. K. Johnson (Ed.), The second language curriculum (pp. 63–78). Cambridge University Press.
6. Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge University Press.
7. Burns, A., & Joyce, H. (1997). Focus on speaking. National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research.
8. Canagarajah, S. (2022). Transnational work, translingual practices, and interactional sociolinguistics. Cambridge University Press.
9. Cheng, W., & Mok, E. (2021). Discourse processes and products: Land surveyors in Hong Kong. In G. Forey & G. Thompson (Eds.), Text type and texture (pp. 78–95). Equinox.
10. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
11. Crystal, D. (2019). The Cambridge encyclopedia of the English language (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
12. Dudley-Evans, T., & St. John, M. J. (1998). Developments in English for specific purposes: A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge University Press.
13. Fong, C. K. (2022). English for retail communication: A needs analysis of frontline employees in Hong Kong. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 56, 101–118.
14. Forey, G., & Lockwood, J. (2020). Globalization, communication and the workplace: Talking across the world. Continuum.
15. Goffman, E. (1983). The interaction order. American Sociological Review, 48(1), 1–17.
16. Heritage, J., & Clayman, S. (2019). Talk in action: Interactions, identities, and institutions. Wiley-Blackwell.
17. Huhta, M., Vogt, K., Johnson, E., & Tulkki, H. (2013). Needs analysis for language course design: A holistic approach to ESP. Cambridge University Press.
18. Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes: A learning-centred approach. Cambridge University Press.
19. Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.
20. Kurniawan, A., Nurkamto, J., & Drajati, N. A. (2023). Culturally responsive pedagogy in Indonesian EFL contexts: Connecting learning to students’ cultural backgrounds. Asian EFL Journal, 27(4), 234–251.
21. Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
22. Long, M. H. (2005). Second language needs analysis. Cambridge University Press.
23. Long, M. H. (2015). Second language acquisition and task-based language teaching. Wiley-Blackwell.
24. Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
25. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
26. Moder, C. L., & Halleck, G. B. (2022). Testing the language of air traffic control specialists. Language Testing, 29(2), 299–320.
27. Nation, I. S. P., & Newton, J. (2023). Teaching ESL/EFL listening and speaking (2nd ed.). Routledge.
28. Nickerson, C. (2021). English for specific purposes and English as a business lingua franca. In B. Paltridge & S. Starfield (Eds.), The handbook of English for specific purposes (pp. 106–121). Wiley-Blackwell.
29. Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
30. Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
31. Poedjiastutie, D., Mayaputri, V., & Arifani, Y. (2021). Socio-cultural challenges in remote Indonesian areas: Barriers to English teaching and learning. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 6(3), 321–338.
32. Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
33. Thomas, J. (1983). Cross-cultural pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 91–112.
34. Widianto, E., & Pusse, T. K. (2025). Cultura franca: Investigating cultural gradations of Indonesian as a foreign language textbook. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-025-00335-y
35. Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Longman.