Reconceptualizing English for International Business Contexts

This book presents a critique of current English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) practices using research conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The authors identify English communication behaviors that hinder or promote success in the workplace, and trace these back to curricula and teaching practices. The authors suggest which skills employers need and expect from employees, and question whetherEnglish courses concerned with general academic English skills and business vocabulary are sufficient training for linguistically-complex workplaces. The book also examines whetherthe focus on achieving native-like proficiencywith high grammatical standards and a strongemphasison form are adequately preparing students who aspire to use English in professional contexts as a means to ‘get their job done’.