ABSTRACT
Since the introduction of the concept of BELF (English as a business lingua franca; Louhiala-Salminen et al., 2005) it has inspired a number of researchers in applied and socio-linguistics, in business communication in particular, and recently also in the discipline of international management (e.g. Piekkari, Welch, & Welch, 2014). The concept of BELF was developed to grasp three imperative qualities that make it distinct within the ‘umbrella discipline’ of ELF (English as a lingua franca): its domain of use (international business), the role of its users (professionals), and the overall goal of the interactions (getting the job done and creating rapport).
