Nurturing interculturally competent graduates

Internationalization has progressively moved centre-stage in tertiary level education since the turn of the millennium. Many national governments are now mandating it, echoing calls by other entities such as EFMD & AACSB, the business school accreditation agencies, to internationalise business education with a view towards meeting the demands of employers for interculturally competent graduates in today’s globalized world. This study examines the impact of one Business School’s endeavor to augment the undergraduate educational experience beyond the formal curriculum, by offering BBA students opportunities outside of the classroom to develop themselves personally and professionally, through participation in various overseas immersion schemes. Data for this research was collected using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), which was administered as pre- and post-tests, for all outbound students. Results showed that duration of an immersion experience is not as important in students’ intercultural development, as the incorporation of interventions designed to enhance the intercultural exposure and learning of the students.