Management

Aspects of the education

internationalization of
management education
5
Basu Sharma and Judy Ann Roy
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

Growing globalization of national economies through trade and investment,

increasing internationalization of production through multinational
corporations, together with the rise of new forms of business organizations
such as networks and strategic alliances expanding across national boundaries,
have been the order of the changing business landscape in the 1990s. This
development has obviously created a necessity to further our understanding of
processes and consequences of internationalization and their implications for
management education. Consequently, there is now a heightened concern with
internationalization of management education.
Literature on globalization of management education has begun to proliferate
in the last few years. While there appears to be a general consensus that there is
no alternative but to go for internationalization of business education,
differences are apparent concerning the depth, scope, and mode of
internationalization[1,2]. These differences are reflected along various
dimensions – curricula, course contents, modes of delivery and research. The
objective of this paper is to examine some of these differences to discern
important emerging trends in internationalization of management education.
The article is organized into five sections. The first section examines
dimensions of internationalization, looking at concerns related to curricula,
research and executive management development programmes. The next two
sections describe the modes of delivery of internationalized management
education and the emergent patterns. Section four looks at the implications
these dimensions, modes and patterns have on the future of management
education. The final section offers a summary of the article and the conclusions
of the study.

Dimensions of internationalization
Internationalization or globalization entails a notion of exchange or, more
concretely, trade. If one looks at management education in this frame of
reference, one quickly discovers that the import aspect of globalization (i.e.
imports of foreign nationals into the business programmes) has already had a
history for some time now; however, the export aspect of internationalization of
management education has begun to gain momentum only recently, at least in Journal of Management
North America[3]. This development is largely a result of world markets being Development, Vol. 15 No. 1, 1996,
pp. 5-13. MCB University Press,
driven “toward a converging communality”, especially in the last few 0262-1711
Journal of decades[4]. This is also a result of growing concern with competitiveness of
Management business and societies in the global marketplace. The tendency has been
growing at such a pace that a transformation of management education seems
Development inevitable before too long. Given this development, one of the questions to ask
15,1 is: what modes and methods have been used in the process of internation-
alization of management?
6 Internationalization of management has been promoted along several
dimensions:
• curricula challenge;
• research activities, with both content and outlets being relevant;
• executive development programmes.

Curricula challenge
The rapidly changing environment has continuously presented new curricular
challenges to institutions providing management education[5]. The challenge of
the 1960s was the need to balance between a liberal and vocational emphasis in
business education[6,7]. The challenge of the 1980s was the need to maintain a
balance between upholding academic standards and becoming relevant to the
business community[8]; the latest challenge for business educators is the
challenge of intenationalization. This is also an area which has not received
much attention in North America. According to a survey article on
management education published recently by The Economist:
One snag is that, for all their global bluster, the schools often rely too heavily on an
international mix of student and faculty to “globalize” their courses, leaving their curricula
much the same. Those schools that have put globalization on the curriculum tend to tackle it
in rather less depth than their traditional, easier-to-pin-down subjects[9, p. 12].
In fact, the inspiration and urge to internationalize curricula came initially from
the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in the
1970s. Even in the 1980s, the AACSB urged and required business schools to
incorporate an international dimension in their curricula. To quote the AACSB,
“The purpose of the curriculum shall be to provide for a broad education
preparing the student for imaginative and responsible citizenship and
leadership roles in business and society – domestic and worldwide”[10, p. 26].
Even though there are a variety of ways of internationalizing curricular
contents, evidence indicates that curricular changes in terms of content have
taken different forms, e.g.:
• introduction of new courses in international aspects of functional areas;
• making an introductory course in international business required; and
• using material which is more tuned to intercultural business
environments.
However, as Ahmed and Krohn have noted: “… most textbooks devote only a
chapter or less to international topics rather than taking an international
approach throughout”[11, p. 78]. Again, while this inadequacy needs to be
recognized, it is also important to understand that there is no one optimal way Management
of doing this. As a matter of fact, the AACSB itself had recognized this quite education
some time ago. To quote the AACSB, “There is no intention that any single
approach is required to satisfy the worldwide dimension of the curriculum
standard, but every student should be exposed to the international dimension
through one or more elements of the curriculum”[10, p. 26].
7
Research activities
Internationalization of business research may be examined in terms of content
and outlet. As to the content, the degree of internationalization will be reflected
in whether researchers have refocused the scope of their enquiries in their
respective discipline so as to examine culture, practices and behaviour in other
countries, or companies in foreign countries. Both country-specific and
company-specific studies (or comparative studies of both) will come under this
area[12,13]. Over the years, there have been significant developments in cross-
national or cross-cultural research in the field of management. Any reasonable
review article in any specific area of business will certainly reflect this.
Where the research outputs are published by researchers, this can also be
considered an indicator of internationalization of management research in a
limited sense. Ricks[13, pp. 83-4] has compiled a useful list of such outlets. A
growing number of publication outlets, as listed by Ricks, certainly reflects the
fact that the research and publication side of business education has been quite
successful in internationalizing management education.

Executive education
Executive education is often touted as the most powerful catalyst for
organizational effectiveness. Most of the countries around the world have been
spending a considerable amount of money on such education. For example, US
corporations have been spending $30-40 billion a year on executive
management development education[14].
The demand for executive management education is spurred by the rapidity
of technological changes, globalization of companies and national economies,
and the declining “shelf-life” of an MBA, among others[9,15]. In fact, there has
been a lot of criticism of business education to inexperienced students, and it is
often reasoned that only people with experience can appreciate theories and can
assess applicability of such theories to practice[16]. This has led to a more
practice-oriented management education – management development.
There are two major providers of such education: in-company programme
and university-based executive education. With the growing apathy towards
MBA education, business has gradually been indicating its preference for
products of management development programmes. Many of those
programmes are conducted in house by larger corporations. Lately, universities
have also begun to play a role in this with many business schools having begun
to offer management development programmes to capture this market.
(Incidently, such programmes have significant international focus.)
Journal of Modes of delivering internationalization
Management There are various modes of delivery of internationalized management
Development education. These include: international cases; simulation exercises; study-
abroad programmes; and international internships.
15,1
International cases
8 Probably, Harvard Business School has been the undisputed leader in using
international cases in the teaching of business management. Over the years,
case method of teaching has become popular. Many schools have begun to
emphasize this mode of delivery. The number of case-clearing houses has
increased, and the focus on international cases has, accordingly, done the same.
However, the case method as a teaching tool has not always received
favourable comments. Mintzberg[16] believes that cases are part of the business
education problem, not the solution, as long as they are used in a prescriptive
manner. Also, Thakur and Vozikis have pointed out “…that the traditional
method of case analysis creates a temporary excitement with little residual
value in enhancing the students’ analytical skills and power of synthesis
through decision-making”[17, p. 36]. Another problem associated with case
method is cost associated with the creation of case material itself[18]. Many
institutions lacking resources may not be able to develop or even buy new case
materials.

Simulation exercises
Like cases, leading business schools have begun to pay attention to experiential
exercises and computer-based games that focus on international
management[19]. For example, INSEAD has developed and used such computer
programs as Markstrat – which simulates the process of running an effective
marketing strategy – and Sigma – which simulates aspects of international
management. At the University of Hawaii, a Multinational Management Game
has been used extensively. The game was designed as a top-management
decision-making exercise. It has gained so much popularity that the game is
currently used at the Pacific Asian Management Institute, the Japan-American
Institute of Management Science, and the Korean Management Programme[20].
Popular business simulation games used in the USA include INTOP, TIMS,
BSG, SPLAN, MMG and WISE. Klein et al.[21] have provided a good description
and an excellent evaluation of each of these games.

Study-abroad programmes
Another valuable means of preparing future managers is to study abroad. It
allows students as well as faculty to experience and be exposed to other
cultures directly[22,23]. A variety of business educational institutions have
been participating in this mode of the internationalization process. It is a direct
way of learning about foreign culture, language, and business behaviour, and is
also a more effective way of establishing contacts for future business networks.
Hence study-abroad programmes have begun to attract more attention in North
America in recent years, especially in the USA. This may be an attempt to Management
rectify the defect which North American students generally do possess. As education
Adler notes, “Americans speak fewer foreign languages, demonstrate less
interest in foreign cultures, and are more naïve in international business
situations than the majority of their trading partners[24, p. 5]”. To some extent,
this holds true for Canadians as well. Studying abroad will surely contribute to
the solution of these problems. 9
International internships
Some institutions have begun to make arrangements for international
internship as a part of their programmes. Selected students in a business-
management programme are assigned to specific firms in a foreign country to
work for a predetermined period of time. On completion of the internship, the
students are required to write a report analysing a business problem and to
present it. A faculty member may work as a co-ordinator. Sponsoring
companies in host countries generally look after local expenses, while home
institutions and students together deal with international travel expenses. In
some cases, some external agencies provide grants to cover part of the
expenses. Like study abroad, this is another valuable means of preparing
managers for the global village, which also involves more stakeholders, thereby
making it similar to a co-operative venture.

Emergent patterns of internationalization

As the world gets closer to the twenty-first century, more new forms of
globalization of management education have begun to emerge. Some of these
emergent patterns are:
• joint ventures between two business schools in two countries;
• educational networks;
• diversification of faculty and students;
• globalized multidisciplinary action projects; and
• international faculty exchanges.

Joint ventures
A joint venture between two business schools in two countries has already
appeared as the most potent emerging form of globalized management
education. Ventures between Dartmouth College’s Amos Tuck School (New
Hampshire, USA) and the International University of Japan, between the
University of Califonia at Berkeley’s Haas School and the Nomura School of
Advanced Management, between Stanford University (California, USA) and the
National University of Singapore, and between the UK’s Cranfield School of
Management and the Sofia School of Management in Bulgaria are some of the
examples in this respect. These ventures take different forms depending on
institutional strengths and preferences. However, one thing which is common to
Journal of all is that there is involvement of faculty from both the participating
Management institutions.
Development
Educational networks
15,1 Networked education will be another likely pattern to evolve in the near future.
The networks, like business networks, can be vertical, horizontal, regional and
10 international. They are a useful method of efficient division of labour and
complementarity among management educational institutions. This has not
fully taken root yet, hence its potential is far from being exploited. However, this
pattern has the greatest potential to succeed in today’s global village. In fact,
business organizations have been transforming along this line already. So why
not educational institutions!

Diversification of faculty and students

Diversification of faculty and students has become another important
development in recent years. Almost all the business schools emphasize
diversification these days. However, some have been practising in earnest while
others have been only preaching about it. The INSEAD in France is the most
outstanding example of diversification as it has MBA students from over 35
countries[9] and faculty from a large number of countries around the world.

Global MAPs
The School of Business Administration at the University of Michigan is the
pioneer for the multidisciplinary action projects (MAPs) model. White describes
the model as follows:
In MAP, faculty from four required courses (people, information, measurement, and
operations) team teach with a focus on how to lead, manage, and use knowledge of each
subject area to achieve world-class operational effectiveness, i.e., quality, cost, delivery, cycle
time, and innovation. After faculty lay out basic concepts in 7 weeks (they used to do it in 14),
we invite experts from companies like Xerox and Motorola to provide an intensive one-week
executive education course to students and faculty on process improvement. Teams of
students, guided by faculty, work full-time on a project to analyze and improve a specific
process in a sponsoring company and then make final presentations and recommendations to
the faculty and company management[25, p. 138].

More and more business educational institutions may go for global MAPs as
they combine aspects of integrative management, teamwork, and globalization.
Rapid technological changes and their diffusion rates make the method of
global MAPs a real, viable strategy.

International faculty exchanges

The central participant in internationalization of management education
process is the faculty, and one of the most effective ways of preparing faculty for
such a task is through faculty exchanges with foreign business schools[26].
There are several instances of faculty exchange programmes around the world,
and this mode is becoming increasingly popular as it exposes the faculty
concerned to a broader understanding of society, culture and business in Management
another country. education
Obviously, each of these patterns has its own pluses and minuses. One form
may be appropriate in one situation, while the other in another. Institutions may
have to make decisions on which form to choose on their own.

Implications for management education 11

One of the observed facts regarding internationalization of management
education in North America is that most of the business and management
schools still preserve nationalistic and regional outlooks. However,
management schools in other regions, especially Europe, are different. Allard
alludes to this by recollecting what De Meyer, an associate dean of INSEAD,
told him:
“I remember when I went to the US to study” says De Meyer. “When I got there, all I wanted
to do was act and be like an American. Not that I wanted a green card; I knew that I wanted to
come back to Europe. But when students come to a place like INSEAD, they don’t come to be
like the French. They’re here to defend their own culture”[27, p. 77].

However, the emergent trends discussed above adequately point out that
nationalism is gradually giving way to globalized regionalism and
internationalism. The implication of this is that content and method of
management education need to be in line with this change as well. Put
differently, a more nationalistic approach to management education should be
revised to make it significantly international in approach and orientation, and a
host of alternative ways to proceed in order to achieve this objective of
internationalization are discussed in the literature. Ultimately, however, it is the
institution itself which should determine the best way to go about it in view of
the opportunities and constraints it faces.
Internationalization is not possible without having internationally oriented
faculty[28]. Consequently, faculty development along the line is a first necessity
few institutions will be able to ignore. Again, there are various ways of doing it,
such as globalizing or regionalizing the labour market for faculty recruitment
and creating a central clearing house for faculty exchange[29]. Diversification
of student population and institutional efforts to promote internationalization
and to sustain it are equally important. This will be the ultimate test of
institutional commitment to internationalization of management.
All in all, as Peters has pointed out, “A little global breadth goes a long way.
And the absence of a global instinct will increasingly pinch in the years
ahead”[30, p. 757].

Summary and conclusions

Management education has been undergoing a major transformation. One of
the characteristics of this transformation is internationalization. This article
has briefly discussed various dimensions of internationalization of
management education. It has also attempted to identify major trends in the
Journal of internationalization process, together with their implications for business-
Management management education. Given the global restructuring of politics as well as
Development economies, it appears that educational institutions have no choice but to rise to
the challenge of globalization. It appears that educational institutions and other
15,1 providers of management education have no choice but to rise to the challenge
of global competition.
12 Internationalization requires a new mindset; it requires both commitment and
a reasonable level of competence and, among other things, at least a minimum
level of competence in international business on the part of faculty as well as
students[31]. However, different institutions may meet this requirement in
different ways. For example, it may be done “by inserting an international
business course into the core curriculum or by demanding that an international
component be taught in every course offered”[21, p. 159]. Similarly, different
modes and modalities for delivery are also possible.
To conclude, even though the sand is unsettling at the moment on several
counts, the future of internationalization of management education looks
anything but promising. However, institutions lacking a vigorous, systematic
and coherent strategy for internationalization of existing management
curricula will be at a serious disadvantage in the years to come.

Notes and references

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