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While investigating a business transfer as part of a wider research project on external takeovers, an incident occurred that prompted the researchers to consider how the problem should be described and clarified by an appropriate academic corpus. This incident was linked to a decision taken by a buyer who risked putting the newly acquired company in difficulty. This decision led to what is described here as a “faux pas.” Convention theory and cognitive load theory were drawn on here to provide an initial conceptualization. The objective of this article is to help make the “faux pas” a useful concept for researchers, entrepreneurs, and their advisors.