Browsing by Author "Kankaanranta, Anne"
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Item The ascent of international business communication(Helsinki: Helsinki School of Economics, 2009) Louhiala-Salminen, Leena; Kankaanranta, Anne; School of Business; KauppakorkeakouluItem Belf Competence as Business Knowledge of Internationally Operating Business Professionals(SAGE Publications, 2010) Kankaanranta, Anne; Planken, B.; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of BusinessBusiness English as a lingua franca (BELF) has come to dominate as the shared code used to "get work done" in international business. In this article, the authors explore internationally operating business professionals’ perceptions of BELF communication and its “success” at work, based on selected data from an online survey (N = 987) and in-depth interviews (N = 27) conducted in European multinational companies. The findings show that BELF can be characterized as a simplified, hybridized, and highly dynamic communication code. BELF competence calls for clarity and accuracy of content (rather than linguistic correctness) and knowledge of business-specific vocabulary and genre conventions (rather than only “general” English). In addition, because BELF interactions take place with nonnative speakers (NNSs) from a variety of cultural backgrounds, the relational orientation is perceived as integral for BELF competence. In sum, BELF competence can be considered an essential component of business knowledge required in today’s global business environment.Item Book review of Digital Business Discourse(2017) Kankaanranta, Anne; Department of Management StudiesItem Commentary on Louhiala-Salminen et al. (2005): Launching the notion of BELF(Elsevier BV, 2023) Kankaanranta, Anne; Department of Management Studies; Department of Management StudiesInspired by English as a Lingua Franca approach in linguistics, Louhiala-Salminen et al. (2005) introduced the notion of BELF (then called Business English Lingua Franca) in their article on internal communication between Finns and Swedes in two Nordic corporate mergers. It was a game changer in its approach to English as a professional tool getting the job done, while empowering internationally operating business practitioners and emancipating them from the role as failed native speakers. Using a mixed-methods approach with a survey and interviews on intercultural communication as well as meeting and email data enabled context-based findings on communicative practices: business was primary, linguistic correctness secondary. The notion of BELF has functioned as a springboard for empirical studies within (socio)linguistics, business/professional communication and even international management and has affected teaching and learning practices in various business schools. In the superdiverse business environment,avenues for further BELF studies are promising, exemplified by topics such as digitalized and virtual work contexts, developing business structures, translanguaging and multilingualism and ever more important issues of inclusion, diversity and power. Methodologies such as ethnography enabling close interaction with the everyday business practice are needed to understand where, why, and how interactions take place.Item "English? - Oh, it's just work!": A study of BELF users’ perceptions(Elsevier BV, 2010) Kankaanranta, Anne; Louhiala-Salminen, Leena; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of BusinessWith the increasing number of business professionals operating globally, knowledge of successful English lingua franca in business contexts (BELF) has become an important element in overall business know-how. Here, we report on a research project focusing on everyday BELF communication at work. It consists of an extensive survey, and related interviews among international business professionals. In addition to offering some quantitative data on communicative situations, the survey results show the respondents’ views of situation-specific factors in their communicative situations in relation to each other. Our findings suggest that English in today’s global business environment is “simply work” and its use is highly contextual. Thus, knowledge of the specific business context, the particular genres used in the particular business area, and overall business communication strategies are tightly intertwined with proficiency in English, which impacts upon teaching.Item The Evolution of English as the Business Lingua Franca: Signs of Convergence in Chinese and Finnish Professional Communication(SAGE Publications, 2013) Kankaanranta, Anne; Lu, W.; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of BusinessThis study questions the conventional view of the indirectness of Chinese communication. Drawing on qualitative interviews with Finnish and Chinese business professionals, the authors examine the effect of cultural identity on the directness of the communication of Chinese professionals who work for internationally operating Finnish companies located in Beijing and Shanghai, China, and who use English as the shared language with their Finnish colleagues. Three components of cultural identity (i.e., vocation as an international business professional, fairly young age, and the use of English as the business lingua franca) are particularly relevant in the participants’ professional communication and stimulated its openness and directness. The study finds that the evolution of English as the business lingua franca can be detected in the signs of convergence identified in Chinese and Finnish professional communication.Item Language as an issue in international internal communication: English or local language? If English, what English?(Elsevier BV, 2012) Louhiala-Salminen, Leena; Kankaanranta, Anne; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of BusinessThe present paper discusses internal communication in the global context, with a focus on language as an issue for the organization. Although ‘language’, naturally, is a resource that enables any – internal or other – communication, it has not been examined in public relations research but has been taken for granted or as given. The current pace of globalization in all sectors has rapidly globalized internal communication and the language issue needs to be addressed. On the basis of two empirical studies we discuss language strategy and language use in international internal communication. Our findings show that although a common ‘corporate language’ – which mostly today refers to English – enables internal communication, it is not a straightforward solution but a number of issues need to be considered. For example, as international communication in a business context is today mostly conducted by non-native speakers of English, their language can be characterized as BELF (English as Business Lingua Franca), which differs from ‘standard English’ in many ways. Also, language issues need to be considered for organizational credibility and knowledge sharing and for constructing trust and rapport in international interaction.Item Professional Communication in a Global Business Context: The Notion of Global Communicative Competence(Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2011) Louhiala-Salminen, Leena; Kankaanranta, Anne; Johtamisen laitos; Department of Management Studies; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of BusinessOn the basis of an extensive survey study conducted among business professionals engaging in global communication, this paper discusses communicative competence. Rapid changes in work environments, particularly advancing globalization and new technology, have highlighted the need for expanding our knowledge of the elements that constitute communicative competence in global encounters. Competence has been investigated by several researchers; however, the language perspective, particularly the language used for international communication, that is, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), has largely been ignored. Our findings indicate that global communicative competence (GCC) consists of three layers: multicultural competence, competence in English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) and the communicator's business know-how. Based on our findings, we present a model for GCC, which includes language as a key component. Implications for theory, practice, and education include the need for a multidisciplinary approach and the acknowledgement of ELF/BELF as the language of global interaction. ELF IBELF assumes a shared "core" of the English language, but focuses on interactional skills, rapport building, and the ability to ask for and provide clarifications.Item Remote communicating in a knowledge intensive business – views from the individual and organizational level.(2023) Lindholm, Jalmari; Eräranta, Kirsi; Kankaanranta, Anne; Johtamisen laitos; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of BusinessItem “So that was the moment I felt very much excluded" Effects of language on feelings of inclusion and exclusion of international MSc students at Aalto University School of Business(2023) Remes, Hilla; Kankaanranta, Anne; Pälli, Pekka; Johtamisen laitos; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of BusinessAn important trend nowadays in higher education institutions globally and in Finland is the promotion of internationalization as a strategic goal. This trend can be seen especially in the form of increased student mobility. Due to the internationalization, university students have become more diverse. Hence, the interest among scholars in researching international students and diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) issues has increased. The analytical framework of the present thesis is based on three key themes: international students, language, as well as inclusion and exclusion. Previous studies have typically focused on researching the themes separately, or by focusing on, for example, the integration of international students. This thesis, however, combines the themes and contributes to research by exploring the possible effects of language on international students’ feelings of inclusion and exclusion. This present study was conducted using qualitative methods in the context of Aalto University School of Business (Aalto BIZ) by interviewing its 10 international Master’s (MSc) students, and it investigates the topic through the following research questions: a) How can language create feelings of inclusion and exclusion in international MSc students at Aalto BIZ? and b) How could the feelings of inclusion be strengthened among international students? Findings show that language can cause feelings of inclusion and exclusion implicitly and explicitly through Aalto BIZ, student communities and other MSc students. Aalto BIZ’s Career services created feelings of exclusion when using Finnish language in communications, but their services were also considered helpful. Alumni network and faculty created mainly feelings of inclusion. Being able to join Aalto BIZ student communities and events created feelings of inclusion, but many international students were not able to join these activities despite efforts. Other MSc students were considered friendly creating feelings of inclusion, however, negative experiences in for example group works and the nature of MSc studies created feelings of exclusion. Findings also suggest that Aalto BIZ’s Career services, Learning services and faculty can strengthen the feelings of inclusion of international students for example by targeting information and events for them. Aalto BIZ student communities could improve the tutoring program and clarify communications to strengthen the feelings of inclusion in international students. International students can also affect this by attending events and student communities actively. As the extent of previous research regarding the topic is limited, this exploratory study serves as a first step in discovering more about the possible effects of language on the feelings of inclusion and exclusion among international students. The practical implications of this study are mainly intended for Aalto BIZ but can be also applied to other schools in Aalto University, and universities in Finland and abroad.Item A story that sells - Constructing the corporate equity story. A study evaluating the contents of listed companies’ equity stories.(2022) Klemola, Julia; Kankaanranta, Anne; Johtamisen laitos; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of BusinessThe objective of this thesis was to find out how corporate equity stories are used in voluntary investor relations communication. The equity story is the corporate strategic story for the financial community and its task is to present a company as attractive as possible to investors and other stakeholders. More specifically, this research focused on how the corporate equity story is constructed and how it is utilized by listed companies in building a capital market reputation. The research was carried out as a qualitative content analysis. The data was gathered from the equity stories published on 21 Finnish listed companies’ websites. All the analyzed companies belong to the OMX Helsinki 25 index. The equity stories were analyzed for their availability, structure, contents, and time orientation. Four key findings were discovered in the study. First, most of the equity story content is strategy-related and sustainability topics are closely connected to strategic content. Second, most of the equity story contents focus on non-financial information, and the share of financial information is noticeably smaller. Third, the equity story is clearly positioned as a reputation-building tool due to the choice of words and topics in the equity stories. Lastly, the quality and length of the equity stories vary to a great extent and there does not seem to be a standardized format or a framework for the corporate equity story. These findings indicate that although the equity stories shared a similar structure and contents, each equity story was also constructed individually, and made fit for the specific company. Different areas were emphasized across the analyzed equity stories. As extensive earlier research on voluntary IR communication has not been conducted, this study paves the way for further research in the field.Item Towards a Richer Understanding of Language and Identity in the MNC: Constructing Cosmopolitan Identities Through “English”(Springer, 2023-06) Karhunen, Päivi; Kankaanranta, Anne; Räisänen, Tiina; Center for Markets in Transition (CEMAT); Department of Management StudiesBringing in insights from sociolinguistics, this conceptual paper advances the theorizing on language and identity in the MNC, viewed as socially constructed by individuals in interaction when they cross fluid linguistic and geographical boundaries. We posit that the identities of global business professionals in the MNC are not intrinsically tied to nationality and native language, they are rather cosmopolitan and constructed in interactions in English as the working language (BELF: English as a Business Lingua Franca). We further conceptualize the multilingual MNC as a social constellation – providing the context for processes of identity construction but also shaped by them. We outline three propositions that capture the ways in which BELF contributes to the construction of a cosmopolitan identity on three dimensions (individual, interactional and contextual) in multilingual professional MNC settings. The first one concerns the identification of individuals as participants in BELF interactions drawing from their different linguistic resources, national origins and professions, and previous experiences. The focus in the second one is on BELF interactions that manifest an orientation to both sharedness and difference in skills, knowledge and social relations. The third proposition concerns the MNC context in terms of enabling BELF interactions and being (re)constructed as a social constellation with fluid linguistic and geographical boundaries. We further elaborate on the methodological implications of sociolinguistic and cosmopolitan approaches to IM research on identity in general, and how our propositions could guide future research on language and identity in the MNC in particular.
