Although the influence of learner beliefs on performance and satisfaction in particular instructional contexts is uncontested, empirical studies have so far concentrated on students in various geographical rather than discipline-specific settings. Starting from the premise that tertiary sector ESP students may have more in common than their choice of discipline, this study uses interviews and questionnaires to investigate first and fourth year business students' beliefs about effective language learning. The influence of students' conceptions of learning on their use of strategies is explored, and then juxtaposed with their evaluation of the reality of the business English classes. Results suggest that there are indeed belief and behaviour patterns that are fairly consistent across, and specific to, business students. It was found that some perceptions seem to be so well-entrenched that they are unlikely to change even when confronted with an unsympathetic learning environment, and that it takes more drastic interventions such as an extended stay abroad to refashion deep-seated conceptions of learning. Differences emerged between more and less successful students, indicating that the former not only draw on beneficial beliefs, but are also better at adjusting their expectations and at deploying autonomous strategies. (Contains 4 tables.)