Internationalization of Business and Economics Programs: Issues and Perspectives

s, Tamer Cavusgil

Through hard work, mak ing the program international will bring rewards to both the school and students.

he past decade has seen the emergence of a global economy. Virtually all of the free world's economies are directly linked. Eastern Bloc economies are anxiously looking forward to participating in free trade and competition through free enterprise. The scale of manufacturing, especially technology, has grown to the point where national markets are too small to support efficient operations. Environmental problems do not respect borders and cannot be solved on a country-bycountry basis. Finding solutions to economic, technical, and environmental problems requires transnational cooperation. As a result, an increasing number of firms face immense pressures to compete on a global basis. This is reflected both in the increase in the importance of international operations for many large firms and in the emergence of strategic alliances among often competing firms from OECD countries. Internationalization of business has taken on many facets. Competitive activity has assumed an international dimension in: trade; investment and ownership; manufacturing and sourcing; markets and customers; finance; and technology and R&D. It is safe to expect that, before the end of the

1990s, the transformation of all businesses in the industrialized world will be complete. Businesses will be either "globetrotters" or "globewatchers." The future globetrotters will engage in international business activities such as exporting or outsourcing. Globewatchers, on the other hand, will engage in either competition or cooperation with foreign companies in domestic markets, or at least scan the international scene for relevant developments. Among the globetrotters, multinationalism is spreading increasingly from the selling to the buying end of marketing. Large-scale players like Ford and General Motors have long notified their thousands of suppliers that, in the interest of the sustained viability of their industries, they are pursuing a policy of global rather than national sourcing. Internationalization is gradually forcing itself upon even the most parochial enterprises.
THE CHAII,ENGE FOR BUSINESS EDUCATION

ow should the education community respond to these changes? What are the implications of this new global environment for business education? What kinds of expertise do college graduates need to help prepare companies to compete globally? There is universal agreement that a sharp increase in the need for global knowledge on the part of firms and their managers exists. Indeed, there is almost a national outcry for some dramatic steps to cope with at least the most widely acknowledged of our failings, including students' ignorance of geography and (even recent) history. It is imperative that graduates, through the educational process: Business Horizons / November-December1991

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 gain broad training in humanities and social sciences; develop cosmopolitan orientations, sensitivity, and adaptability to cultures other than their o w n (cultural empathy); acquire foreign language skills; and gain exposure to international dimensions of business. There is also no doubt that: international aspects of business will affect all business graduates; m a n y will b e c o m e involved in international business later in their careers; m a n y will need in-depth knowledge of history, politics, literature, arts, culture, religion, and language, in addition to functional business disciplines; and m a n y will need to m o v e away from parochial thinking. These points are more important today than before. Unfortunately, because of c o m p a n y policies, the traditional source of international experrise--the overseas expatriate assignment--is available to fewer and fewer managers. At a recent conference on business education, concern was raised that large, multinational companies were shifting to local nationals for m a n a g e m e n t of overseas operations. Lee Morgan, retired CEO and chairman of the Caterpillar Corporation, noted that from the early 1950s through the late 1970s, his c o m p a n y placed thousands of employees abroad. As a result, five out of six top managers have had international experience and are well equipped to deal with global competition. However, he noted that there has b e e n a marked reduction in the use of expatriates and w o n d e r e d h o w future generations of Caterpillar managers will gain the expertise that is, and will continue to be, a key factor in the company's competitive success. Richard H u b e r of Chase Manhattan Bank expressed concern about the impact of the sharp reduction of American expatriates, and believes the United States is losing its inventory of middlelevel managers with international experience. All of the managers present agreed that international expertise will be critical if firms are to compete in the global marketplace, and that a substitute must be developed to replace expatriate experience as a means of developing international competence. For instance, Rex Adams of Mobil Oil observed that his international career has proved valuable as he has risen through the managerial ranks. He w o n d e r e d h o w Mobil will supply international expertise to its managers w h e n economic constraints n o w prevent expatriate careers for all but a very small proportion of managers. All this suggests that the education process assumes even greater significance in creating international knowledge. It implies that we need

to use the educational process in lieu of direct international exposure through expatriate assignment. And this requires internationalization of business schools.
W H Y INTERNATIONAI.IZE?

he oversimplified rationale for internationalization has three rubrics. First, there are pragmatic reasons: the need to prepare students for the 21st century, the need to meet employers' expectations for broadly prepared students, the need to b e c o m e effective cross-cultural negotiators, the need for an institution to be competitive with its peers, and so on. Second, there are liberal and liberating rationale: for example, the fact that exposure to international p h e n o m e n a and cross-cultural issues opens our students' minds to an entirely different world, and the fact that international education is inherently interdisciplinary, thus providing at least one means of overcoming the fragmentation of students' learning habits. Third, there are reasons connected with civic education: giving our students the tools necessary for making educated decisions about w h o should govern.

THE M E A N I N G OF INTERNATIONALIZATION

ntemationalization becomes a redundant concept w h e n w e stop making a distinction b e t w e e n domestic and international markets. To the so-called global companies that view the entire world market as an integrated marketplace, the domestic-international distinction is trivial. It is interesting to note that m a n y European business schools do not offer "international" courses, apart from very specialized topics. Rather, they treat both "domestic" and "international" dimensions in core courses. Internationalization should be a process that starts in public schools and is reinforced through college education. The early, formative years of the individual represent a critical period of acquiring both cultural empathy and language skills. It is ironic to hear the Japanese argue that our educational system is partly to blame for p o o r U.S. competitiveness. It is also appropriate to acknowledge the relatively long-term nature of the internationalization process. Whether one is talking about an individual or an institution, internationalization is best viewed as a gradual process. At the same time, this process can accelerate with proper intervention and proaction. Finally, it is important to recognize the multidimensionality of internationalization. For true internationalization to take place, progress on several fronts is paramount: courses and curriculum; 93

Internationalization of Business and Economics Programs: Issues and Perspectives

Figure 1 A Conceptualization o f the Internationalization Process

INPUTS Faculty with significant IB interests, expertise, commitment "Change Agent(s)" Administrators with commitment and support A strategy and agenda Resources Significant linkages to business community Interested and top quality students Collaboration with other colleges VALUE ADDING PROCESS OUTPUTS Graduates record of placement career advancement positions of responsibility quality of life Knowledge and Practice of IB competence accomplishments competitiveness School/Program peer ratings reputation longevity size growth

Formal Instruction
Curricular

Innovations Knowledge Creation and Dissemination Experiences and Exposure Service

study of foreign language and international studies; instructional and resource materials; student life (through c a m p u s activities, internships, overseas study); faculty and administrators; and linkages with the business community. A certain degree of synergy or c o m p l e m e n tarity exists a m o n g the c o m p o n e n t s . Efforts at any o n e c o m p o n e n t tend to reinforce progress o n others. In addition to active planning, encouragement and guidance from leaders of the organization c a n go a long way. In sum, internationalization requires a shift in our mindsets, a c h a n g e in the organizational culture, and a sincere c o m m i t m e n t to the enrichm e n t of educational experiences.

a p p r o a c h to internationalization. Efforts to internationalize a business p r o g r a m o u g h t to include progress o n several important c o m p o n e n t s . These c o m p o n e n t s are identified as "inputs" to a "value adding" process in a c o n c e p tual f r a m e w o r k presented in F i g u r e 1. Value adding a m o u n t s to w h a t business programs o u g h t to be involved in. The output of this process includes graduates, k n o w l e d g e , and a c o m prehensive program. The inputs include faculty, students, resources, and so on. The following discussion elaborates o n eight classes of inputs or c o m p o n e n t s that aid in efforts to internationalize. The nature of these c o m p o nents is summarized in F i g u r e 2.

1. C o m p r e h e n s i v e Strategy and Agenda.

The starting point in a proactive effort to internationalize an u n d e r g r a d u a t e business p r o g r a m is the formulation o f an overall strategy and an action a g e n d a to guide the internationalization drive. As m e n t i o n e d above, this strategy will be different for each institution. Its p u r p o s e is to serve as a blueprint or road m a p for internationalization. In addition to a carefully crafted strategy and action agenda, it is important that o n e or m o r e "change agents" e m e r g e in the institution to provide support and e n c o u r a g e m e n t for the effort. Change agents could fuel the internationalization efforts b y motivating, facilitating, and providing vision and leadership. Ideally, they serve as prinBusiness Horizons / November-December 1991

WAYS TO INTERNATIONALIZE AN UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

here is a w i d e variety of means to achieve the goal of internationalization. The choice d e p e n d s at least in part o n the structure, mission, finances, past history, knowledge, and experience of the faculty and politics of the institution. What is apt for o n e institution at one point in its history m a y be far from ideal at another date, and m u c h less so for another institution of a different kind. Therefore, each institution n e e d s to formulate its o w n u n i q u e

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cipal r e s o u r c e p e r s o n s for critical c h o i c e s to b e m a d e a l o n g the i n t e r n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n path. In mark e t i n g t e r m i n o l o g y , their c o n t r i b u t i o n a m o u n t s to serving as a " p r o d u c t c h a m p i o n . " W h e n c h a n g e a g e n t s are n o t available w i t h i n the institution, t h e y m u s t b e b r o u g h t into the efforts. 2. A F a v o r a b l e I n s t i t u t i o n a l Climate. A s u p p o r t i v e institutional e n v i r o n m e n t is m o s t critical to successful internationalization. Such a clim a t e r e q u i r e s that i n t e r n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n b e a d o p t e d as a legitimate institutional g o a l a n d reflected in its m i s s i o n statement. It also m e a n s that there is s e n i o r administrative c o m m i t m e n t to the o b j e c tives. A n infrastructure, often in the f o r m o f a central s u p p o r t office ( c e n t e r or p r o g r a m office), is also essential. T h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n efforts s h o u l d p r o c e e d in a cross-cutting m a n n e r w i t h i n a c o l l e g e or the entire institution, rather t h a n within a particular unit o r g r o u p o f p e o p l e . In o t h e r w o r d s , it is b e s t if the institution as a w h o l e can rally b e h i n d internationalization. 3. A l l o c a t i o n o f R e s o u r c e s . Financial res o u r c e s are essential for i m p l e m e n t i n g a variety of initiatives, i n c l u d i n g p r o f e s s i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t of faculty, travel, r e l e a s e time, internships, visiting lecturers, a n d so on. W i t h o u t a m i n i m u m level of m o n e t a r y s u p p o r t , the effort will b e crippled. In a d d i t i o n to l o o k i n g internally to g e n erate t h e n e c e s s a r y resources, a n institution can s e e k e x t e r n a l s u p p o r t . This c a n b e s e c u r e d f r o m the b u s i n e s s c o m m u n i t y , a l u m n i a n d friends, i n d u s t r y / t r a d e associations, a n d state a n d federal agencies. B u s i n e s s e s c a n s p o n s o r curricular initiatives, i n d i v i d u a l s t u d e n t s o r faculty, a lecture series, a n d so on. Title VI-B o f the U.S. D e p a r t m e n t o f E d u c a t i o n also m a k e s a n n u a l grants to e d u c a t i o n a l institutions trying to i n t e r n a t i o n a l i z e p r o g r a m s . T h e s e c o m p e t i t i v e grant p r o g r a m s i n c l u d e " U n d e r g r a d u a t e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Studies a n d F o r e i g n Language," "Business a n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l Education," a n d the n e w l y e s t a b l i s h e d "Center for I n t e r n a t i o n a l Business Education" p r o g r a m . Ano t h e r federal b o d y , the U.S. I n f o r m a t i o n Agency, also p r o v i d e s financial s u p p o r t for facilitating l i n k a g e s w i t h o v e r s e a s e d u c a t i o n a l institutions. 4. C u r r i c u l u m a n d I n s t r u c t i o n a l Materials. A c o m p r e h e n s i v e p l a n for internationalization m u s t also c o n s i d e r the c u r r i c u l u m aspects. Principal issues h e r e i n c l u d e p r e p a r a t i o n a n d a c q u i s i t i o n of instructional materials, e q u i p p i n g the library, i n t e g r a t i o n o f f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e training into b u s i n e s s p r o g r a m s , a n d the c h o i c e of c u r r i c u l u m strategy. T h e latter issue is i m p o r t a n t a n d d e s e r v e s e l a b o r a t i o n . W h e n c h o o s i n g the b e s t m e t h o d to i n t e r n a t i o n a l i z e a curriculum, t h r e e alternative strategies e m e r g e . T h e s e are infusion, addition, a n d majors. Infusion.. T h e c o n c e p t o f infusion is quite simple: to i n t r o d u c e c o m p a r a t i v e , international, a n d cross-cultural d i m e n s i o n s into existing

Figure 2 Internationalization Checklist

1. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY AND AGENDA
Is there a c o m p r e h e n s i v e strategy for internationalization? What are the principal thrusts o f this strategy? Is the strategy translated into an action agenda? Are there individuals w h o can serve as change agents? If not available internally, can they b e s e c u r e d from outside the institution?

2. FAVORABLE INSTITUTIONAL CLIMATE Is internationalization adopted as a legitimate institutional goal and reflected in its mission? Is there senior administrative commitment? Is there suitable support infrastructure? Does the internationalization effort permeate the entire organization? 3. RESOURCE ALLOCATION Are there adequate monetary resources for various initiatives? Have sources of external support been tapped? Have competitive grant applications been prepared for government support? CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS Have adequate instructional materials been prepared and/or acquired? Is the library properly equipped? Have foreign language and international studies been integrated into business programs? Which of the curricular strategies is the most appropriate? Infusion? Addition? Specialized majors?

4.

5. FACULTY Are there adequate professional development opportunities for faculty? Are there opportunities for international experiences? Can faculty build international dimensions into their research, teaching, and consulting activities? Does the reward system accommodate internationalization efforts? . STUDENTS Are there enriching overseas study opportunities? Do interested students have access to international internships and jobs? Does student life on campus offer sufficient international experiences (residence halls, films, visitors, etc.)? 7. LINKAGES TO BUSINESS COMMUNITY Are there meaningful vehicles for cooperation with the business community? Can internships for students and faculty be created? Can business sponsorship be gained for specific curricular initiatives, study abroad programs, lecture series, etc.? Can meaningful outreach and business assistance services be offered? Is there any potential for lifelong education programs? Would a business advisory board contribute to the internationalization drive? COLLABORATION WITH OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Which external partners add synergy to the efforts? How can a coordinated agenda be developed? In what areas does collaboration make sense?

8.

Internationalization of Business and Economics Programs: Issues and Perspectives

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courses throughout the curriculum. The goal is to m a k e students think comparatively in all of their intellectual inquiries. For infusion to be successful, the focus must be on required courses, including general education offerings w h e n they are a part of every undergraduate's curriculum and introductory courses for majors. The infusion strategy requires that examples used in an introductory marketing course include those drawn from other countries, not simply from the United States. Moreover, faculty n e e d to explain the cultural reasons w h y marketing needs to vary in different places in the world, not simply describe those differences. Adopting an infusion strategy for introductory and required courses provides a foundation on which other courses can build. It also helps students to bring international examples into disciplinary courses; this strategy might even get them to d e m a n d comparative perspectives in their more advanced and specialized work. An infusion strategy offers an institution a n u m b e r of additional advantages, most notably in the numbers of students' lives influenced. Equally as important, however, such a strategy affects students across economic, racial, geographic, gender, and skill categories. It is also relatively inexpen"For infusion to b e sive, because it does not successful, the focus require hiring large numbers of new faculty. It also must be on required avoids such expedients as courses, including requiring all students to take a single "third world" general education cultural course. That can offerings when they have the unfortunate conare a part of every sequence of allowing students to think that undergraduate "s international and comcurriculum a n d introparative p h e n o m e n a are not essential to one's maductory courses for jor. For reasons such as majors. " these, the infusion model seems apt for institutions short on resources for internationalization and that have a n u m b e r of key required courses for majors and across the institution. At the same time, however, infusion has a n u m b e r of disadvantages. It maximizes breadth at the expense of depth, because courses are taught by non-specialists. They are likely to skip the international, comparative, and cross-cultural materials, which they feel least comfortable teaching, w h e n e v e r they find themselves running short on time in the classroom.

~ k _

creative internationalization strategy. But it need not be. If one presumes that such courses can be developed in almost any field, then the strategy has m u c h to offer. Moreover, if one conceives of such courses in innovative ways, the creative opportunities offered by this strategy b e c o m e obvious. Not surprisingly, the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy parallel those of the infusion model. Adding specialized courses, taught by knowledgeable experts with passionate commitments to topics, taken by interested and committed students, is a relatively expensive strategy. It requires serious institutional financial c o m m i t m e n t - - a commitment that must be ongoing in terms of research support and m o n e y for faculty replacements. Moreover, such courses frequently attract those needing them least--those already sensitive to international p h e n o m e n a and already possessing some of the skills needed for the world in which graduates will live. Obviously, such a strategy is appropriate for institutions with greater resources available to them and w h o see as one of their goals providing leadership for the next generation.

International business majors and minors:

This strategy aims to bring together a n u m b e r of disciplinarily disparate courses. Thus it aims to make undergraduates' academic programs more coherent. It also offers students an exciting field to study that as a consequence will get them to hone the skills required of them. At the same time, such programs allow faculty w h o might not otherwise do so to meet and work together in devising, teaching, monitoring, and revising such programs. As a consequence of such interaction, they might also develop joint research and or outreach activities. On the other hand, development of such minors and majors might take pressure off of those responsible for general education, and other more traditional majors, to internationalize their courses. Thus, this strategy offers the potential of depth of exposure at the cost of breadth, especially for students w h o s e academic programs are affected. It may also be the only alternative if the infusion strategy fails to work. The role of foreign language instruction: It is not necessary or perhaps even relevant to review debates connected with foreign language entrance and graduation requirements. Such requirements do not m a k e a significant contribution to the internationalization of an institution unless they are adopted with that explicit goal in mind. It is useful, however, to underscore the point that for foreign language courses to serve as part of an effective internationalization strategy, they must teach more than simply grammar and literature. They also need to teach culture, Business Horizons / November-December 1991

Specialized international, comparative, and cross-cultural courses: In m a n y ways, adding new

courses to the curriculum appears to be the least 95

geography, politics, and history, in addition to business and economics. For this strategy to have a significant impact on our students, curricula must reinforce study of foreign language with non-foreign language courses. For example, it must force faculty in those other courses to recommend foreign language sources be used by those with foreign language skills. Such recommendations should, whenever possible, appear as recommended readings on course syllabi. The reasoning behind this, of course, is the same rationale as that for so-called "writing across the curriculum"--to make sure students know that the study of foreign language is critical in all disciplines and is a highly treasured research skill. Similar to infusion, this strategy involves risk taking--having faculty teaching outside their fields of expertise and passion. It poses unique and technical problems associated with the challenge of fairly evaluating the prior foreign language study of students transferring into the institution. Placement exams that really reflect the university's way of teaching foreign language are likely to be a disadvantage to those w h o have merely studied grammar and literature. But such evaluations are needed if students are to succeed in their subsequent study of foreign language and culture. 5. I n t e r n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n o f Faculty. Faculty development is the key to the internationalization of business schools. In particular, there is a need to stimulate international teaching, research, and outreach in the main-line functional areas such as marketing, management, economics, and finance. The problem does differ substantially across functional areas. For example, business faculty recognize at this point that marketing, strategy, and macroeconomics are inherently international. Furthermore, technical fields such as logistics, management science, the management of information systems, and microeconomics are areas in which internationalization is probably a low priority. Key areas to target for internationalization include marketing, economics, organization studies, and to some extent production. Courses such as environment of business, business ethics, and business strategy also lend themselves to internationalization. Nevertheless, there is general agreement that international knowledge and expertise should be an essential component of teaching in all the major functional fields. The target focus should be mainstream faculty in the primary functional areas. There is a need to identify key people in each functional area and to get them involved in international business instruction and research. What are some workable approaches to internationalizing faculty? Some suggestions follow.

Perhaps the first priority should be to legitimize internationalization by having respected people in the functional fields work on international problems. One solution might be a rotating chair for a visiting professor w h o does international teaching and research. Second, appeal to the intellectual integrity of faculty by demonstrating that current models have been developed in a limited context--in the United States or North American business environments. There is no reason to assume that these have general validity unless they are developed and tested in the context of global or worldwide business. Third, provide faculty with some international experience. Even a limited international experience can broaden an individual's horizons and develop an interest and commitment to internationalization and international business. And by providing overseas internships, sabbatical opportunities to do research abroad, and even relatively short-term travel, one begins to develop the sort of expertise and knowledge that faculty need to be effective if they are going to internationalize their teaching and research. Fourth, deans should offer support. This critical if the school is to internationalize the functional areas. However, commitment at the top alone is not sufficient. For many schools, an international umbrella "structure" is appropriate, rather than a separate international business department. A center, institute, or program office that can plan programs and channel resources to encourage internationalization of faculty, teaching, service, and research could provide the necessary organizational framework. Fifth, a "change agent" or "product champion" can be quite helpful. The process would be facilitated by appointing a senior, respected member of the faculty who is willing to make a strong commitment to internationalize his or her business school. To that end, it is critical that resources within business schools be diverted to classroom and research activities that are internationally oriented. The business community may be able to help in this area by providing funds specifically aimed at internationalization of research or course development. One of the best ways to stimulate faculty to acquire international expertise is to award professional development grants on a competitive basis for special projects involving curricular development, resource material development, travel, and so on. An across-the-institution competitive grant procedure can be developed for faculty wishing to gain the expertise necessary to infuse international dimensions or add specialized international course offerings. In the former competition, emphasis should be placed on faculty not traditionally involved in teaching such courses, whereas
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Internationalization of Business and Economics Programs: Issues and Perspectives

in the latter competition, those with international expertise would be expected to be prominent a m o n g the awardees. In both instances, however, emphasis should be on student impact rather than on the means by which the faculty will gain the necessary wherewithal to have that impact. In both instances, as well, faculty members' academic units should be expected to contribute to the grant, ensuring that the unit has a vested interest in the faculty member's successful implementation of his or her proposal and ensuring that it is part of the academic unit's overall internationalization efforts. Efficiency in resource allocation will also be greater if institutions develop workshops for faculty with similar interests and needs. Such workshops can be run by international business or area study centers where they exist, augmented by external lecturers. Indeed, faculty prefer learning from those off campus, even in those instances where those off campus m a y not have more substantive knowledge than on-campus resources. Each of the strategies discussed above calls for faculty and staff effort b e y o n d what is traditionally expended. Accordingly, successful internationalization strategies may require modifying an institution's reward system to underscore the importance of participation in the institution's internationalization efforts. Achievement of such a bold yet almost cost-free step requires that the institution ensure that its major decision makers have a commitment to internationalization efforts. Current emphasis in U.S. business schools on research productivity and publications, though not incongruent with the objectives of internationalization, may have to change. 6. Internationalizing the Student Body. In today's global environment, students often serve as the catalyst for change. Growing up in an era of global communication and travel, young people are anxious for an educational experience enriched by internationalization. Often, they dem a n d and initiate international experiences. The discussion b e l o w highlights three principal ways in which students' educational experiences can be enriched. These are overseas study programs, internships, and student life. Overseas studies.. There may be no single set of experiences of greater long-term benefit to a student in terms of expanding her or his international and cross-cultural perspective than to participate in an overseas study program, especially one in a cultural setting significantly different from the one with which they are most familiar. In developing and expanding overseas studies options, attention must be directed toward their integration into the curriculum as well as the variety of sites in which they are offered. Predeparture orientations and post-return debriefing 58

sessions are critical to ensure that students maximize their off-campus learning experiences. One of the limitations of this internationalization strategy is that even under the best of circumstances it will never involve large percentages of the student body. To some extent, however, this defect is compensated for by reopening the issue of required overseas study courses in selected majors, such as international business (realizing that financial biases must be overcome), and by developing specialized programs to attract students w h o do not ordinarily enroll in such programs. These include those majoring in professional programs and minority students. At Michigan State, for example, we have b e e n very successful in attracting business majors to our business law program in Rotterdam, management program in Sweden, or business and telecommunications in Brazil. In a similar context, Michigan State is proud of its sociology and political e c o n o m y program in the Caribbean, which allows minority students to learn what it means to be the majority and majority students to learn what it means to be in the minority. Perhaps as a consequence, w e have b e e n quite successful in attracting minority student enrollees. To the extent that any one campus lacks the infrastructure to offer the variety of programs inherent in such a strategy, students should be aware of consortia opportunities as well as offerings at other institutions. International internships and jobs: International internships and jobs offer m a n y of the advantages of overseas study programs with the possibility of overcoming some of the financial obstacles that often a c c o m p a n y more traditional overseas experiences. To implement such a strategy, institutions need to have the wherewithal to establish centralized offices where students can get the necessary information for enrolling in such programs. Given the likelihood that d e m a n d m a y exceed supply and that m a n y students without the necessary skills may be interested in applying for such opportunities, such offices will be well served if they develop written materials describing the sorts of skills and knowledge students need to have for such activities, as well as visa requirements and restrictions. Moreover, institutions n e e d to differentiate academic internships from w o r k experiences in terms of skills needed, credit to be awarded, and outcomes to be achieved.

Internationalization of student life and culture: Too often internationalization of undergraduate curricula is limited to a discussion of formal coursework. As the results of international knowledge tests empirically document, the numbers of co-curricular events (foreign plays, lectures, films, ethnic fairs) students attend and the amount of international media exposure they
Business Horizons / November-December 1991

have also significantly contribute to their knowledge of international affairs. Accordingly, internationalization strategies need to pay attention to the internationalization of student life and culture (as well as curriculum) if the goal is international knowledge on our students' part. Again, the available strategies are multiple and their adoption should be related to institutional resources and mission. Among the most obvious of such strategies are: Taking full advantage of the opportunities afforded by residence hall life and central locations (student unions) for co-curricular programming (plays, musical events, even alternative sports events). Increasing the use of foreign students as resources, after one has surveyed their level of interest and expertise. For example, international students can be useful participants in export consultancy assignments for business. They can also: (a) participate in on-campus television stations as commentators on current events in their countries; (b) conduct foreign language conversations in dining halls, teach culture, and so forth; and (c) work with students going on overseas study programs or potential Peace Corps volunteers. Expanding the use of SCOLA television programs, C-Span, and foreign films for educative purposes, with faculty-led discussions afterward to ensure that students have gotten the most possible out of the viewings. 7. Linkages to Business C o m m u n i t y . In some ways, the business community has been quicker to acknowledge the globalization of the marketplace than the business schools. And traditionally we have not fully exploited the fruits of meaningful cooperation with the business community. Linkages to the business community can be beneficial in our efforts to internationalize. (The term "business community" is used broadly to include groups and associations of firms, world trade clubs, and district export councils, as well as individual enterprises.) Here are some suggestions for business-academic cooperation: Business schools and firms can cooperate to provide internships for both students and faculty to aid in internationalization. Businesses can sponsor curricular initiatives, study-abroad programs, lecture series, individual students or faculty (in the form of fellowships), or any other international project. Business firms can help stimulate international applied research through funding and, more important, by facilitating access to international data and research sites. Business schools can be more active in responding to the applied research and counseling needs of particularly small and medium-sized

companies. Often an outreach office becomes an outlet for this activity. Executive development/management education is an area that inherently requires company-academic cooperation. Internationalization of this area is critical if managers are to obtain the international expertise they need to compete in the global environment. However, management education can also be a lever to help internationalize the undergraduate programs. And, of course, business schools and firms can work together to ensure that international education is valued in the recruiting process. Demand for internationally educated students will do much to stimulate internationalization of curriculum and faculty. One of the best ways of achieving healthy and productive academic-business partnerships is to create a Business Advisory Board. In fact, more and more colleges are establishing these advisory groups to seek input and counsel on even such sacred academic arti"in some ways, the facts as the curriculum. In establishing a busibusiness community ness advisory board, the has been quicker to question at the outset should be: "What do we acknowledge the really want from this globalizafion of the board?" Is the need for a marketplace than "prestige" board to provide visibility for the institution the business schools. or the specific academic program? Of course, there is nothing wrong with lining up some business leaders to meet every once in a while and hear a provocative speaker after a nice meal. It makes for good public relations and many executives are more than willing to help out in that way. However, a "working" board may be what is really needed. Though they may represent lower managerial levels than CEOs, working boards can and should be invited to join in active academic problem-solving and program development.

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8. Collaboration w i t h Other Educational Institutions. Because the agenda for internationalization is demanding, the reality of funding in many institutions and the current levels of experience and expertise often require a collaborative approach. Schools are better off engaging in cooperative ventures for simple economic reasons as well as for maximizing the impact each one can make in their respective institutions. Cooperation and a coordinated agenda for internationalization are essential for institutions in a region receiving their funding from the same government agency. Universities with a strong public service thrust are especially open to serve as resources. For example, at Michigan State various units and 99

Internationalization of Business and EconomicsPrograms: Issues and Perspectives

programs welcome opportunities to lend expertise to other institutions. These MSU units include the International Business Centers in the Eli Broad College of Business, the Office of the Vice Provost for University Outreach, the African Studies Center, the Center for Advanced Study of International Development, the Japan Center, and m a n y others. The newly established national resource centers should also play a major role in pioneering innovative approaches to international business education. Recently the U.S. Department of Education designated 16 centers of excellence in international business education and research. A special mission of these exemplary programs is to disseminate n e w approaches to teaching and researching international business. Thus the larger business school community should benefit from the academic outreach activities of these centers through shared experience and resource materials. The universities where the national resource centers have b e e n established are: Michigan State, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Bentley College with Fletcher School, Columbia, Maryland, South Carolina, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Memphis State with Southern Illinois, Brigham Young with Utah, Washington, Southern California, UCLA with San Diego State, and Hawaii. I nternation~tlization of the undergraduate curriculum is an exciting, multifaceted enterprise that institutions can achieve in a variety of ways. Tailoring strategies to an institution's unique needs and resources, rewarding faculty, staff, and student participation, and coordinating activities across the institution are essential to achieve the greatest and most appropriate impact. Internationalization efforts at an educational institution also provide an opportunity to take a fresh look at curricula. Periodic reexaminations of the curriculum are more appropriate today than ever. Internationalization can also be tied to ongoing efforts to sensitize the campus community to cultural/ethnic diversity. In fact, internationalization is just one dimension of diversity. Finally, internationalization can be an enriching experience for everyone involved. Such a special mission always provides a sense of satisfaction to the individuals involved in the change process. Certainly, there are m a n y barriers to overcome in the quest to internationalize our schools. One is the slow nature of the institutional change process in academic institutions. College administrators also tend to be b o u n d by tradition, often at the expense of something else. There are also problems on the corporate side that serve to inhibit the internationalization of business school faculty, students, and curricu100

lum. Perhaps most important are perceptions of corporate hiring and career development programs. Corporations come to campus to hire specialists: accountants, financial analysts, salespeople, or marketing researchers. Not only is there little attention given by corporate recruiters to hiring people with international expertise, but m a n y students perceive that corporations do not value their international experience or knowledge. In fact, corporate recruiters m a y even give the impression that international knowledge, foreign language proficiency, or international business expertise are sometimes seen as a negative because they m a y take the place of additional functional knowledge and expertise. Actual hiring is done b y h u m a n resource people w h o tend to look for competent and narrow functional specialists. Thus, one of the most important steps that could be taken by corporations to aid in the internationalization of business school faculty, students, and curriculum is for top m a n a g e m e n t to pay more attention to the hiring process and career development of junior people. It is difficult to promote internationalization of business schools w h e n one cannot tell students that time spent on acquisition of international knowledge and expertise will be valued w h e n they enter the job market or in the early years of their careers. A final point remains. Acquiring international expertise is a lifelong task and cannot be accomplished within a four-year undergraduate program. Thus, internationalization of managers requires that individuals develop the capability and motivation to continue to learn on their o w n and make effective use of any international experiences they encounter. Executive or m a n a g e m e n t education will b e c o m e increasingly important in internationalizing management, given the market decline in expatriation possibilities. In fact, there is a link between m a n a g e m e n t development/executive education and internationalization of business school faculties. ~1

S. Tamer Cavusgil is a professor of marketing and international business and Executive Director, Center for International Business Education and Research at the Eli Broad Graduate School of M a n a g e m e n t at Michigan State University, The author is indebted to Michael Schechter of Michigan State University for some of the ideas presented in this article.

Business Horizons / November-December 1991