Understanding students' perceptions and attitude toward learning about internships in a business school

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Wai Leong Ho ◽  
Scot Squires
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Business School ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Academic Advisor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
College Curriculum ◽  
Data Collection Instrument ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Undergraduate Business Students

PurposeInternships are an integral part of a college curriculum, yet students are sometimes unaware of how to secure this opportunity. This research aims to determine efficient methods to provide information to students within the given majors, identify barriers on what is stopping students from seeking out internships earlier and identify the appropriate time for students to receive internship information.Design/methodology/approachThis study undertook descriptive research in a preliminary investigation of the undergraduate business students' attitude toward learning about the internship program offered by a business school of a state funded university in Michigan, USA. The data-collection instrument consisted of structured closed-ended questions relevant to undergraduate business students' perceptions and attitude toward learning about the internship program.FindingsThe results of this survey of 631 undergraduate students revealed a relationship between gender and the willingness to gain information about internships. Additional findings revealed that students who received information at the beginning of their schooling were more likely to plan for the internship in advance. Finally, students who preferred to receive information about internships multiple times were most likely to contact their academic advisor or internship director for more resources.Originality/valueTogether, the results of these findings can be used for current institution and other business schools with similar setting to reduce the barriers students face and allow undergraduate business students greater accessibility to internship positions.

Undergraduate business students’ perception of auditing: impact of proximity and knowledge on auditors’ stereotype

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Espinosa-Pike ◽  
Edurne Aldazabal ◽  
Itsaso Barrainkua
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Professional Status ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Studies ◽  
The Core ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Undergraduate Business Students

Purpose This study aims to explore undergraduate students’ stereotypes of auditing and the influence of knowledge of the profession and its sources on the stereotype. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a questionnaire distributed among 360 undergraduate business students at 21 higher education institutions in Spain. Findings The study reveals that undergraduate business students consider auditors competent and ethical. Auditing is viewed as an interesting and rigorous activity, which requires high responsibility and contributes significantly to society. Students perceive that the auditing career is difficult but contributes to professional development. The knowledge acquired through business studies influences the creation of a positive image of the profession and of auditors. Practical implications The profession could benefit from the fact that having more information about the profession improves students’ perceptions of it. The provision of auditing courses through the degree and related activities to increase the visibility of the profession during the first years of the degree could improve the auditor stereotype and enhance students’ intentions to enter this profession. Originality/value Previous studies have analyzed the image of the accounting professional as a homogeneous professional status. This study specifically addresses the image of auditors, who are at the core of the traditional accounting domain. It analyzes the influence of sources of knowledge (academic training, having familiars and media) on auditors’ stereotypes. Moreover, it provides evidence concerning the perceptions of the new generations (Gen Z).

Examining US business undergraduates’ use of career information sources during career exploration

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30
Author(s):  
Mun Yuk Chin ◽  
Chelsea A. Blackburn Cohen ◽  
Matthew T. Hora
Keyword(s):  
Business School ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Career Exploration ◽  
Career Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Information ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Support Students ◽  
Undergraduate Business Students

Purpose Campus career services are increasingly scrutinized as the primary career development resource for undergraduates. The purpose of this paper is to use Career Construction Theory to examine all sources of career information used by undergraduate business students and their contributions toward career exploration and development. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed-methods design, a survey was first administered to 372 university students enrolled in an undergraduate business school in the USA. Focus group interviews were conducted with 35 students from the survey sample. Descriptive statistics are reported, and inductive themes and causal networks were derived from qualitative data. Findings In order of prominence, students endorsed using sociocultural (e.g. family) and institutional (e.g. career services center) resources, and exploratory activities (e.g. work experience) as career information sources. These sources contributed toward students’ vocational development by enhancing their psychological readiness for work, building social capital and facilitating decisions. Research limitations/implications Participants were sampled from one undergraduate business school in the USA and were self-selected into the study. Practical implications Career services and higher education professionals should think of the career-related information sources available to students as a complex ecosystem of advice instead of singular resources that exist in isolation. Professionals should also attend to students existing sources of career information and consider ways to support students’ development of social and professional networks and opportunities. Furthermore, universities should consider the potential for integrating career exploration into course curricula as opposed to tasking career services offices to be fully responsible for students’ career-related outcomes. Originality/value This study is the first to examine undergraduate business students’ sources of career information and their contributions to career development. Its insights offer evidence for ways to tailor interventions to support students’ use of available information sources beyond campus career services.

A comparative study of formal coaching and mentoring programmes in higher education

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni Jones ◽  
Helen A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Business School ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Practice Recommendations ◽  
Matching Process ◽  
Two Phases

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate two coaching and mentoring programmes focused on the ever-increasingly important aim of enhancing the chances of professional level employment for undergraduate students, at two UK universities. In addition, to offer recommendations to enhance coaching and mentoring success within higher education (HE).Design/methodology/approachTwo similar programmes are compared; the first study is a coaching programme delivered in two phases involving over 1,500 students within the business school. The second study is a mentoring programme involving over 250 students over a ten-year period within the business school at a different institution.FindingsThe two programmes have been compared against the key success criteria from the literature, endorsed by coaching and mentoring experts. The results highlight the importance of integrating with other initiatives, senior management commitment, budget, an application process, clear matching process, trained coaches and mentors, induction for both parties, supportive material, ongoing supervision and robust evaluation and record keeping.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on two similar institutions, with comparable student demographics. It would have been useful to dig deeper into the effect of the diverse characteristics of coach/mentor and coachee/mentee on the effectiveness of their relationships. In addition, to test the assumptions and recommendations beyond these two institutions, and to validate the reach and application of these best practice recommendations further afield.Practical implicationsThe results identify a number of best practice recommendations to guide HE institutions when offering coaching and mentoring interventions to support career progression of their students.Originality/valueThere are limited comparison studies between universities with undergraduate career-related coaching and mentoring programmes and limited research offering best practice recommendations for coaching and mentoring programmes in HE. The top ten factors offered here to take away will add value to those thinking of running similar programmes within HE.

Developing business students’ intercultural competence through intercultural virtual collaboration: a task sequence implementation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luana Ferreira-Lopes ◽  
Iciar Elexpuru-Albizuri ◽  
María José Bezanilla
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Learning Potential ◽  
Task Sequence ◽  
Virtual Collaboration ◽  
Intercultural Relationships ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Undergraduate Business Students

Purpose Allowing for interaction with foreign cultures without the need to travel, intercultural virtual collaboration represents a potential tool to develop business students’ intercultural competence. This study aims to explore students’ perceptions towards the implementation of a research-based task sequence in a project in which undergraduate Business students from Spain collaborated virtually with undergraduate business students from The Netherlands during a semester. More specifically, this paper investigates what intercultural competence indicators were mostly developed by the sequence implemented; how much each task from the sequence in question developed different intercultural competence indicators; and how much students enjoyed participating in each task. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected through after-task reflection questionnaires. A quantitative analysis of Likert-type questions was carried out and open-ended responses were used to illustrate findings. Findings Results reveal that the task sequence developed different dimensions of students’ intercultural competence and, particularly, fostered a positive attitude towards intercultural relationships, increased students’ cultural knowledge and awareness and equipped students with skills to work in diverse teams. It also showed that as complexity grew along the sequence, the average students’ perception of their intercultural competence development tended to decrease. The majority of students’ very much liked participating in the different tasks. Originality/value Designing telecollaborative projects can be very challenging and understanding the learning potential of different pedagogical strategies for virtual collaborative environments can help teachers to take better-informed decisions.

Reweaving the rainbow: qualitative color in business education

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Starr-Glass
Keyword(s):  
Business Education ◽  
Business School ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
Business Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Central Direction ◽  
Undergraduate Economics ◽  
Personal Insight ◽  
Limited Generalizability

Purpose This study aims to reflect on the dominance of a narrowly focused analytical approach within business schools, which provides an artificially fractured and disjointed understanding of the contextual complexities and interconnectedness that students will encounter in the future. This approach unnecessarily constrains sensemaking and inhibits creative response to future social and organizational complexity. As business schools and their graduates come under sustained scrutiny and criticism, it perhaps appropriate to reexamine and reframe their analytical bias. Design/methodology/approach The central direction taken in this study is that of critical reflection on the present author’s practice and experience in teaching undergraduate economics and accounting. Although the analysis may have limited generalizability, it is hoped that it may prove of interest and value to business school educators. Findings The preferential business school reliance on analytical perspectives suggest that they fail to appreciate the nature of business, its embeddedness in broader society and the competencies required by undergraduates and graduates. This study argues that an emphasis on holistic systems, synthetic fusion and an appreciation of complexity – rather than a reductive analytical agenda – might benefit business schools, their graduates and society at large. Originality/value This study provides an original, albeit personal, insight into a significant problem in business education. It offers original perspectives on the problem and presents faculty-centered suggestions on how business students might be encouraged and empowered to see quality as well as quantitative perspectives in their first-year courses.

Internship impact on career consideration among business students

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 1003-1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Rothman ◽  
Ruth Sisman
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Career Path ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Job Functions ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the impact of the internship experience on business students’ career intentions in regard to pursuing a career path in the same job function or industry as their internship. Design/methodology/approach After completing and reflecting on an internship, 198 undergraduate students responded to the prompt: “discuss the impact of the internship on your career consideration.” Responses were analyzed using a content analysis methodology in order to determine whether or not interns would pursue the same job functions (e.g. sales) or industry (e.g. non-profit) as their internship in their post-graduation job search. Findings Across the job functions and industries identified within the internships, 54 and 45 percent of interns confirmed their expectations of career fit, respectively. The implications of confirming and disconfirming these expectations for students are discussed. Originality/value Given the value of internships to business students, surprisingly few studies have examined their influence on undergraduates’ career considerations. Students select internships with the intention of learning about job functions or industries for possible career fit, yet the authors know little about whether the experience confirms or disconfirms their expectations. This study seeks to address this gap. The authors suggest that internships, as experiential activities, merit greater attention as they provide students opportunities to learn what they do or do not want to do, where they do or do not want to work and whether their self-concept fits a possible career path – saving themselves and potential employers the cost of job dissatisfaction and turnover.

Personality, belief in a just world, and attitudes toward criminal responsibility defenses: a preliminary study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Robyn Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Criminal Responsibility ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Just World ◽  
Voir Dire ◽  
Content Type

Purpose In Canada, if it can be proven that a defendant was suffering from a mental disorder at the time they committed an offense, they can be found Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD). These cases are often decided by jury. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the dark triad (DT), social dominance orientation (SDO) and belief in a just world (BJW) on undergraduate students’ attitudes toward the NCRMD defense. Design/methodology/approach A total of 421 undergraduate students completed questionnaires measuring SDO and the DT. After being primed for high, low or neutral BJW, they indicated their attitudes toward NCRMD. Findings The BJW manipulation had no effect on attitudes. High-SDO/DT participants held less favorable attitudes toward NCRMD than participants who scored low on these variables, F(1, 420)=20.65, p<0.01, η p 2 = 0.05 . Psychology and criminology students had significantly more favorable attitudes toward NCRMD than business students. Practical implications This study can be helpful in improving jury impartiality in trials involving mental illness and criminal responsibility; assessment of SDO and the DT; awareness of career roles relating to insanity defense bias; and improving the voir dire process. Originality/value The results of this study may be used to improve the voir dire process in trials involving the issue of mental illness and criminal responsibility and to preserve the impartiality of the jurors selected for these trials.

Money attitudes survey of business students in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-246
Author(s):  
Urmatbek M. Tynaliev ◽  
Carolyn Erdener
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Money Attitudes ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Love Of Money ◽  
Former Ussr

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the money attitudes among students at English-language business schools in the transitioning Central Asian nations of the former USSR, namely, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Design/methodology/approach The survey was carried out in 2017, using previously established measures of Love of Money survey questionnaire. Over 300 undergraduate students in English-language business degree programs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan participated in the survey. A few hypotheses were tested using three-way MANOVA to test the influence of three factors (country, gender and student years). In addition, post hoc analysis, and one- and two-way ANOVA methods were used for multiple comparisons. Findings The results showed evidence of increasing convergence among students who are farther along in the program. Some statistically significant differences were also found, mainly in regard to gender differences in money attitudes across countries and student levels. The results of statistical analysis suggest a need for further research on attitudes and values related to money in the modern nation states of Central Asia. Originality/value This study is one of first attempts to study the values and attitudes regarding money among the first generation of business students who were born and grew up after their respective countries gained independence. The findings imply the development of a relatively homogeneous labor pool for business organizations across regions that are characterized by increasing differentiation among countries within the region.

Factors influencing career choice of tertiary students in Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 992-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godfred M.Y. Owusu ◽  
Anthony Essel-Anderson ◽  
Teddy Ossei Kwakye ◽  
Rita Amoah Bekoe ◽  
Charles Gyamfi Ofori
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Career Choice ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Attractive Option

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence Ghanaian tertiary students’ career choices. The paper explores the dimensionality of the career choice factors within the Ghanaian context and also ascertains their degree of influence on students’ career choices. Design/methodology/approach The study employs survey method of research and a set of questionnaire was used to examine the factors that influence students’ career choices. A total of 354 undergraduate students from the Ashesi University College in Ghana participated in the study. Factor analysis was conducted on the career choice factors and differences in response between science and business students were ascertained by means of independent sample t-test. Findings The findings of this study indicate that university students in Ghana place much premium on intrinsic value and employability/financial prospect in their career choice decisions than such factors as prestige and desired working conditions. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study are relevant for policymakers and tertiary education providers interested in making the study of science an attractive option for university students in Ghana. Originality/value The findings of this paper highlight some of the underlining reasons for the unpopularity of the study of sciences among university students in Ghana.

Attitudes toward cheating among business students at a private Kenyan university

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Rosario Catacutan
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethics Instruction ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The One ◽  
Attitudes Toward Cheating ◽  
Ethics Courses ◽  
One Way Anova

Purpose This study aims to investigate attitudes toward cheating among business students at a private university in Kenya and examine if a significant difference exists in cheating perceptions among students who have completed one or two ethics courses, and those who have done none. Design/methodology/approach A total of 554 undergraduate business students participated in this research. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the one-way ANOVA. Findings The results found that students perceived cheating in exam-related situations as quite serious, while cheating on written assignments was not considered a serious offence. Results of the one-way ANOVA indicate that there was a significant difference in the cheating perceptions ratings for the three groups. Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicate that the mean score for students who have done two ethics courses was significantly different from that of students who have done only one ethics course. Practical implications This study has a number of implications for educators and administrators. Ethics instruction cannot achieve its desired effect on student behavior without institutional support. Administrators also need to be cognizant of the influence that school environment has on student cheating. Faculty and university administrators can influence students’ behavior in the way they practice academic integrity in their teaching and administrative functions. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this research is the first study to explore academic cheating at a private Kenyan university where ethics instruction is taught to undergraduate students.

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