ERIC EJ899300: Study Abroad and Career Paths of Business Students

2008·0.14 MB·English

by  ERIC

Frontiers: The Interdscplnary Journal of Study Abroad
Study Abroad and Career Paths 
of Busness Students
Tammy Orahood
Indiana University
Jennie Woolf
Indiana University
Larisa Kruze
University of Southern Maine
U.S. corporatons contnue to poston themselves for nternatonal com-
petton as the demand for cross-culturally competent employees contnues to 
rse n response to globalzaton (Orahood, Kruze and Pearson, 2004, p. 117). 
Thomas Fredman explans that as a result of globalzaton “we are now con-
nectng all the knowledge centers on the planet together nto a sngle global 
network, whch — f poltcs and terrorsm do not get n the way — could 
usher n an amazng era or prosperty, nnovaton, and collaboraton, by com-
panes, communtes, and ndvduals” (2006, p. 8). However, the U.S. strug-
gles to find cross-culturally competent employees prepared to handle socety’s 
growng needs n Fredman’s “flat world.” “In a borderless marketplace, eco-
nomc patterns and busness practces n one regon can determne the fate 
of a company on the other sde of the globe. Increasngly, beng a corporate 
leader demands an nternatonal background” (Schoeff Jr., 2006). At large cor-
poratons such as Proctor & Gamble (P&G), recognton of the value of such 
experence s commonplace; t s a “key ngredent you must have f you aspre 
to be a global player n the long term” (Sracusa, as cted n Schoeff Jr., 2006). 
Employees complete overseas assgnments to gan a better understandng of 
how busness s conducted around the world. Proctor & Gamble beleves that 
“exposng future P&G leaders to new markets and cultures has produced a 
deep pool of manageral talent” (Schoeff Jr., 2006).
In fact, falure to gan nternatonal experence can prove to be detrmen-
tal to career success. Busness graduates are no longer competng wth just 
the 450,000 other Amercan busness graduates each year, or even wth the 
approxmately two mllon Amercan unversty graduates each year, but they 
are now competng wth mllons of graduates worldwde (U.S. Department 
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Tammy Orahood, Jennie Woolf, and Larisa Kruze
of Educaton, 2004). Multnatonal employers lke Kmberly-Clark, Noka, 
and Semens value the talent they dscover overseas because those “hres have a 
great deal to offer at a fracton of the cost of an expatrate. Furthermore, they 
usually have a far better grasp of the market and an ntmate understandng 
of the language and culture of ther homeland” (Ruz, 2006 ). Therefore, t s 
vtal for busness students, n partcular, to have overseas experence durng 
college, before they enter the compettve workforce. 
Busness students not only need to gan nternatonal experence, they also 
need to effectvely market these experences to potental employers. In 2006, 
the Insttute of Internatonal Educaton, the German Academc Exchange Ser-
vce, the Brtsh Councl, and the Australan Educaton Office commssoned a 
study to determne the demand for study overseas from Amercan students and 
employers (J. Walter Thompson Educaton, 2006, p.1). The results showed 
that “employers’ most mportant selecton crtera n recrutng canddates are 
nterpersonal sklls” (J. Walter Thompson Educaton, 2006, p.2). The majorty 
of alumn from study abroad programs gan nterpersonal sklls from the need 
to communcate wth people from dfferent backgrounds, cultures, and lan-
guages. The study found that although employers agree that studyng abroad 
helps to gan nterpersonal sklls, roncally, they do not specfically seek out 
canddates wth study abroad experence unless they are hrng for a job whch 
requres cross-cultural sklls. Ths may ndcate that recruters are not yet rec-
ognzng the postve lnk between the sklls they seek n a canddate and the 
nterpersonal sklls that study abroad alumn gan from ther overseas exper-
ence. (J. Walter Thompson, 2006). The study also revealed the top sklls that 
recruters feel those wth nternatonal experence acqure: cross-cultural com-
muncaton sklls, flexblty, autonomy, leadershp sklls, nnovaton, matu-
rty, presentaton sklls, ambton, ndependence, and cultural awareness. The 
study’s sponsors are now undertakng marketng efforts to show employers 
that study abroad partcpants are exactly the type of employees they seek.
The Kelley School of Busness (KSB) at Indana Unversty (IU) recog-
nzed early the benefit of an nternatonal experence for ts students. (KSB 
defines an nternatonal experence as consstng of at least 6 weeks outsde the 
U.S., and ncludng an academc component.) In 1981, the KSB mplemented 
ts first study abroad experence strctly for undergraduate busness students. 
Followng that ntal program, KSB added programs n Europe, Asa, Mexco, 
and Brazl. KSB students may now choose from sxteen semester programs, sx 
summer programs, varous short-term programs and one Dual Degree wth the 
European School of Busness n Germany. KSB also has ts own career servces 
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specfically desgned for busness students. One of ts stated objectves s to 
empower a dverse student populaton to actvely manage ther career choces 
n the global marketplace. 
Approxmately 48% of KSB students partcpate n a study abroad exper-
ence, n part due to the nternatonal dmenson requrement (IDR) of all bus-
ness students. In order to satsfy ths requrement, whch was mplemented n 
1998, KSB students must complete sx hours of an nternatonal dmenson 
n one of four categores: 1) two years of foregn language; 2) nternatonal 
busness and economcs coursework; 3) area studes coursework; or 4) partc-
paton n a mnmum sx-credt overseas study program. The IDR has drectly 
contrbuted to the growth n numbers of KSB students who choose to study 
abroad (Sdel et al., 2003).
To assess the mpact of busness students’ nternatonal experence durng 
college on ther post-graduaton careers, the authors of ths study surveyed 
KSB alumn who were five to ten years nto ther careers. The goal of the 
research was to determne the mpact of nternatonal experence on alumn’s 
career paths. In addton, the survey sought to compare the career paths of 
alumn who studed abroad to those who dd not study abroad.
Research Questions
Lttle research has consdered the effects of study abroad experences on stu-
dents’ career choces. Lkewse, there s a lack of research on how study abroad 
experences affected professonals later on n ther careers. As a result of ther 
2004 study, the authors concluded that further research was needed n the area 
of career nterests and choces among alumn of study abroad programs at the 
Kelley School of Busness (Orahood et al., 2004). Havng determned that bus-
ness students who study abroad have a greater nterest n workng for a company 
wth an nternatonal dmenson, the authors wanted to find out f, when five 
to ten years out of school, those same students were more lkely to be workng 
n a company wth an nternatonal dmenson than students that dd not study 
abroad. The followng research questons guded the follow-up nvestgaton:
1.   Were alumn career nterests, plans, and job searches affected by 
studyng abroad n college?
2.   Was alumn career preparaton and development affected by studyng 
abroad n college?
3.   Dd study abroad alumn use ther undergraduate nternatonal expe-
rence durng the job search process?
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Tammy Orahood, Jennie Woolf, and Larisa Kruze
Methods
Research Design and Instrument
The authors developed a survey nstrument for KSB alumn who were five 
to ten years past ther undergraduate degree. The alumn were asked to self-
assess the mpact of studyng abroad on ther career nterests, plans, and choces. 
The 42 questons and statements were developed based upon prevous study 
abroad and career plannng research and ncluded both closed and open-ended 
formats. Questons asked partcpants to report the followng nformaton: ther 
work hstory snce graduaton, whether they felt ther study abroad experence 
was an asset n findng a job, the locaton and nature of all jobs snce graduaton 
and whether or not the postons contaned an nternatonal dmenson. 
Statements asked partcpants to evaluate ther level of nterest n workng 
for a company wth an nternatonal component post-graduaton on a five-
pont scale from “Strongly Interested” to “Not Interested.” Topcs ncluded: 
nterest n workng for U.S. companes wth an nternatonal focus, nterest n 
workng for a multnatonal company wth overseas offices, and level of nter-
est n workng n a foregn country. Alumn were also asked to self-assess ther 
foregn language skll level n wrtten, spoken, and lstenng competency by 
utlzng a scale of one to five wth five representng fluency. 
To reach the desred partcpant pool, the survey nstrument was admn-
stered through a webste. Identficaton mechansms guaranteed that partc-
pants could submt only one web-based survey. A scrpted e-mal message 
nvted the alumn to partcpate n the study, asked them to complete an on-
lne survey, and drected them to the webste lnk. Those who dd not complete 
the survey after the ntal e-mal receved a second e-mal remnder approx-
mately 14 days later.
Respondents
The populaton for ths study ncluded approxmately 3,000 KSB alumn 
and specfically targeted those who had completed ther undergraduate degree 
five to ten years earler. Durng the three-week collecton perod, 458 partc-
pants completed the survey, resultng n a 16 percent response rate. There were 
41 responses from ndvduals who ndcated holdng an F1 or J1 vsa, whch 
ndcates that they were an nternatonal student. These respondents were not 
ncluded n the data analyss because we wanted to lmt the study to Amercan 
alumn who studed overseas. The 417 remanng survey responses were sorted 
to dstngush between students who partcpated n a study abroad experence 
of sx weeks or more and those who dd not study abroad.
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Frontiers: The Interdscplnary Journal of Study Abroad
Findings and Discussion
In ther ntal study n 2004, Orahood, Kruze, & Pearson found that 
busness students’ career choces are heavly mpacted by ther study abroad 
experence. They dscovered that study abroad partcpants were sgnficantly 
more nterested n workng for a company wth an nternatonal focus (61%). 
than those busness students who dd not study abroad (27%). In addton, the 
desre these students had to work n a foregn country was sgnficantly greater 
for those who studed abroad (41%) than those who dd not (17%). 
We antcpated that the follow-up survey results would prove that bus-
ness majors who studed abroad n college would be more lkely to follow 
a career nvolvng an nternatonal dmenson than those who dd not study 
abroad n college. However, the findngs surprsed us. We found that although 
busness students who studed abroad tend to have a sgnficantly larger nter-
est n workng for a company wth an nternatonal component (83% vs. 68%), 
the number of alumn who found work wth nternatonal clents/customers 
was greater for those who dd not study abroad (26% vs. 33%). Only 20% of 
alumn who studed abroad were not nterested n workng abroad versus 46% 
of non-study abroad alumn.
We analyzed several reasons that could explan why the data dd not prove 
our hypothess. One possble explanaton s that busness today s nherently 
global, whch means that even those who do not have a specfic nterest n 
nternatonal busness are bound to find nternatonal aspects to ther job. We 
notced a consensus among alumn that they dd not feel that ther experence 
abroad mpacted ther career plans, but t ncreased ther nterpersonal sklls, 
makng them more outgong and changng ther outlook on lfe. One alumnus 
sad: “My study abroad experence on my resume absolutely had an mpact n 
my ganng employment, but dd not mpact my career plans.” Another sad, 
“Culturally t changed my lfe, but by the tme I went abroad I had decded 
on a major.”
Second, specalzaton wthn the busness currculum closely relates to the 
study abroad experence for busness students. Students who major n account-
ng and finance, for example, must choose that route early n ther undergradu-
ate schoolng and have lmted flexblty n coursework because of the large 
number of specfied credts. It s not unusual for such majors to pre-determne 
a firm or ndustry n whch they want a career. In contrast, students n other 
majors may be more lkely to re-focus ther career paths after a study abroad 
experence. These other majors have broader course optons, whch allow 
changes n career paths. 
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Tammy Orahood, Jennie Woolf, and Larisa Kruze
Therefore, one of the major conclusons from ths study was that studyng 
abroad on busness students tends to have more mpact on personal growth 
and development rather than on career choce. Although many alumn who 
completed the survey agreed that the experence was nvaluable, most of them 
stated that they had made major decsons on career choces pror to the study 
abroad experence, so t had a mnmal mpact on where they ended up work-
ng. The followng quotes llustrate ths pont: 
“I would hghly recommend an overseas study program for everyone, 
ncludng my own chldren someday. I feel that the experence dd more 
for my emotonal growth and confidence than t dd for my ntellect.”
“It’s my belef that my nternatonal experence was one of the best thngs 
I have ever done n my lfe. I can confidently say that I would be a very 
dfferent person had I not gone to London.”
There were also some who felt t was necessary to obtan nternatonal 
experence, regardless of personal nterest:
“[I] Strongly support nternatonal studes/study abroad programs... t s 
no longer a nce (sc) to have but mandatory for today’s nternatonal bus-
ness culture.”
“My study abroad experence on my resume absolutely had an mpact n 
my ganng employment, but dd not mpact my career plans.”
“Well-roundedness” was another term used n numerous responses. Even 
though studyng abroad may not mpact alumn’s professonal destnaton, 
study abroad bulds strong character and develops communcaton and nter-
personal sklls. Ths s llustrated n the followng responses from alumn:
“I strongly beleve that my study abroad experence has made me a more 
well-rounded ndvdual. It has ntroduced me to lvng and learnng n 
another country. I consder t an nvaluable experence.”
“Studyng abroad forces one to mature quckly and dscover one’s self. Due 
to the aforementoned, you gan a more well-rounded vew of the world 
and ncreased self confidence.”
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“Studyng abroad s a wonderful experence, as t makes one a more well-
rounded ndvdual. Vew t as a prvlege and an nvestment n [yourself].”
“I thnk my experence abroad expanded my thought process, and made 
me a more open mnded and well rounded ndvdual, that has helped me 
n my every day work and personal relatonshps.”
One major concluson that can be drawn from ths survey s that busness 
students who study abroad are more receptve to the dea of workng abroad 
than those who dd not study abroad (20% to 46%). We also dscovered that 
students from the Mdwest that studed abroad at KSB are more lkely to 
leave the Mdwest when choosng careers than those who dd not study abroad 
(70% to 50%). These results show that busness students who chose to study 
abroad are more lkely and wllng to adapt to new and unfamlar stuatons 
than those who dd not study abroad. Some of the alumn comments corrobo-
rate ths theme:
“My studes abroad were very valuable. However, t was not the dfficulty 
of the class work or even the materal of the classes, but the experence that 
was so mportant. I thnk nteractng wth students from all over the world, 
experencng the feelng of beng the only Amercan n a class, and seeng 
Amerca/Amercans from other vew ponts, made me a more well rounded 
person. My classes were lght and fortunately I had the opportunty to travel, 
whch provded a whole dfferent skll set not found n the classroom. Over-
all, a very mportant experence whch I feel lucky to have had.”
“Although I have not had the opportunty for nt’l assgnments n my 
career, I enjoy travelng nternatonally and workng wth ndvduals from 
other cultures. In my opnon, t s mportant for ndvduals to experence 
other countres/cultures so that they become aware of how ethnocentrc 
our culture s n the US. Students should be encouraged to study/travel 
abroad as those experences create well-rounded ndvduals n both the 
local and busness communtes.”
“My first years out of college, I wasn’t as nterested n a company wth nt’l 
focus. However, as I have gotten more experenced, I thnk t would be an 
exctng challenge to move abroad and experence sales from a dfferent 
vantage pont.”
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Tammy Orahood, Jennie Woolf, and Larisa Kruze
Conclusion
In concluson, we dd not find a causal lnk showng that study abroad 
sgnficantly mpacted alumn’s career paths. However, we dd find that the 
transferable sklls (communcaton, flexblty, adaptaton, etc.) that alumn 
ganed whle abroad were consdered valuable as lfe sklls. Therefore, t s 
mportant to contnue to educate employers on the mportance of these sklls, 
and the fact that study abroad partcpants value them.
As a result of our findngs, we recommend that students are ntroduced 
early to study abroad optons, even as early as the first semester of the freshman 
year. One reason for non-partcpaton s due to lack of pre-plannng. Early 
plannng wll enable students to fit an overseas experence nto ther four-
year plan. Snce t s advantageous for students to demonstrate cross-cultural 
competency and other nternatonal sklls when job-seekng, and throughout 
a career, overseas study s one more asset to brng to the table. 
In addton to educatng employers about the transferable sklls ganed 
durng study abroad, advsors and admnstrators also need to work closely 
wth career servces offices. Campus career servce offices can be an mportant 
partner to emphasze to students and employers the mportance of foregn 
language and mmerson experences and the benefits of study abroad. Stu-
dents reluctant to take classes overseas, or n a foregn language, mght be 
convnced f they could see tangble evdence, supported by the career servce 
office, that employers seek the sklls ganed by studyng abroad. The career 
servce office can be advsed about the merts of study abroad, by sharng some 
of the exstng lterature on what employers are lookng for n canddates, and 
how study abroad alumn are able to demonstrate these sklls. 
As the number of busness opportuntes abroad contnues to ncrease, 
we can hope to see a drect correlaton wth the number of busness students 
gong abroad. In today’s global economy, we should expect that employers 
wll seek students wth nternatonal experence, and alumn career paths wll 
proceed accordngly.
140
Frontiers: The Interdscplnary Journal of Study Abroad
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141