STUDY TOUR OBJECTIVE: EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN DEVLOPING ENTRY LEVEL INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PEOPLE

Abstract

ABSTRACT One of the objectives of an international business school program should be to aid in the development of students into entry level international business people. Whether the student embarks on an international career immediately upon graduation, mid-career, or not at all; the global marketplace will place value on the employee who can understand and successfully navigate the international business environment. Coursework in international business topics does not fully prepare the student to be able to conduct international business. Experiential learning is very important in international business studies because few students have been exposed to international concepts outside of the classroom.Experiential learning in the form of an international internship would be invaluable, however it is difficult to secure because it is much harder for a student to add value to an organization in another country where the language, culture and customs are unfamiliar. Furthermore, organizations are hesitant to commit resources to what could prove to be a “paid vacation” for the intern. Hence opportunities for actual international work experience are very limited. Recognizing the need for experiential learning in international business programs, many schools therefore recommend an international study tour to round out the students’ education and fill in the cultural gaps that are difficult if not impossible to obtain in the classroom but nonetheless necessary to develop the students into entry level international business people. Keywords Study Tours, Experiential Learning, International Business, entry level international business people