Global career aspirations: the case of business graduate students in Brunei

Abstract

As global business becomes increasingly important, there will be a greater demand for managers willing to take on global job assignments or pursue a global career. This study sought to examine: a) the level of interest in global careers among Brunei graduate business students; b) their reasons for wanting or rejecting international assignments; c) their evaluation of international versus domestic career opportunities. We surveyed 127 graduate business students (88 men, 39 women) from two institutions of higher learning in Brunei concerning their attitudes toward pursuing a global career upon graduation. The results indicated that, on average, the respondents reported some interests in pursuing an international career with no significant difference between male respondents and female respondents. Career aspiration, however, differed by marital status, age and ethnic group. The main factors that discouraged respondents from pursuing an international career were political instability in other parts of the world, fear of being exposed to more personal danger, fear of being socially isolated and lonely in a foreign country, and disruption of spouse's career. The majority of respondents, however, believed that they would earn a higher salary, have a more interesting professional life, and achieve greater status from an international career.