Addressing AACSB Global and Technology Requirements: Exploratory Assessment of a Marketing Management Assignment

Abstract

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) standards mandate knowledge of global and technology issues. Businesses desire employees with ability to analyze international markets and to be adept with technology. Taxpayers supporting public universities and organizations hiring business school graduates expect accountability for what students learn. This article's exploratory assessment of an international Internet research assignment for a marketing management course distinguishes this pedagogical tool by accounting for skills improvement among graduate students completing the assignment, providing perceived (indirect) measures of AACSB desired areas of learning, along with allowing for insight into who requires what additional learning to achieve rigorous standards. All seven assessed global and technology skills demonstrated manifest practical improvement from the assignment, with some showing appreciable enhancement. Students indicated considerable satisfaction with their significant investment of effort, despite focusing on only a few concepts in such a comprehensive course. Analyses of student personal characteristics provided encouraging findings that the assignment proved highly valuable for students with significantly different amounts of prior international and technology experience.