Business English students learning to write for international business: What do international business practitioners have to say about their texts?

This article reports on a study of how Business English students’ writing was received by international business practitioners. The study draws on 40 texts of five Business English students writing in three business genre sets and 1043 comments on the texts by eight international business professionals. Building on Tardy’s (2009) framework for genre knowledge and the literature on business discourse, a coding scheme was developed to categorise the comments as formal, process, rhetorical, and subject-matter dimensions of genre knowledge and their respective sub-categories. The data analysis indicates that there was notable diversity amongst the professionals’ reception of the students’ texts. The professionals were concerned with all four dimensions of genre knowledge. Although the Business English students demonstrated a high level of genre knowledge and this was generally well received, there were considerable differences between the students and the professionals in all the four dimensions. While the professionals highlighted the transactional aspects of Business English as a lingua franca, they were also concerned with linguistic issues. The study results are discussed with reference to Business English as a lingua franca, genre knowledge, and the nature of business discourse. Implications of the study for Business English teaching are also discussed.

► The Business English students’ high-level genre knowledge was generally well received. ► The professionals were concerned with all four dimensions of genre knowledge. ► The students and the professionals differed saliently in handling specificity. ► The professionals highlighted both the transactional aspects of BELF and accuracy. ► Diversity among the professionals reflected heterogeneous discursive practices in business.