Belf Competence as Business Knowledge of Internationally Operating Business Professionals

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© 2010 SAGE Publications. This is the post print version of the following article: Kankaanranta, Anne & Planken, B. 2010. Belf Competence as Business Knowledge of Internationally Operating Business Professionals. Journal of Business Communication. Volume 47, Issue 4. 380-407. ISSN 0021-9436 (printed). DOI: 10.1177/0021943610377301, which has been published in final form at http://job.sagepub.com/content/47/4/380.abstract.
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School of Business | A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

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en

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380-407

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Journal of Business Communication, Volume 47, Issue 4

Abstract

Business 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.

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Kankaanranta, Anne & Planken, B. 2010. Belf Competence as Business Knowledge of Internationally Operating Business Professionals. Journal of Business Communication. Volume 47, Issue 4. 380-407. ISSN 0021-9436 (printed). DOI: 10.1177/0021943610377301.