Foreign Language Training in U.S. Undergraduate IB Programs: Are We Providing Students What They Need To Be Successful?

ABSTRACT

A growing number of U.S. business schools now offer an undergraduate degree in international business (IB), for which training in a foreign language is a requirement. However, there appears to be considerable variance in the minimum requirements for foreign language training across U.S. business schools, including the provision of “business” language courses, and in what is viewed as “competence” or “fluency” in a foreign language. Similarly, business schools differ in their procedures for how the foreign language requirement is applied to foreign native speakers and/or to speakers of heritage languages. This study reports the results of an online survey that was sent to 226 schools offering a major or concentration in IB. The findings from 79 reporting schools indicate that the level of proficiency expected of foreign language learners in the IB program continues to vary widely, that few schools require a course in the business aspects of the foreign language, and that there is inconsistency in what is meant by foreign language “competence” and “fluency,” as well as in the treatment of foreign native speakers and heritage speakers of foreign languages. The results question whether students who satisfy the minimum foreign language requirements in undergraduate IB programs are adequately prepared for the professional IB world.

KEYWORDS:

• International business curriculum
• Foreign language proficiency
• Linguistic competence
• Online survey
• Native and heritage speakers

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jim Johnson

Jim Johnson, PhD, is Professor of International Business at Rollins College, FL, USA. He also earned a Master’s degree in Linguistics and taught foreign languages for several years in Europe and the USA and earned his PhD from the University of South Carolina. He previously served at Old Dominion University, VA, and has been a visiting professor in Italy, Peru, and the UK. Dr. Johnson’s research has been published in top-tier business journals—including Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal, and Management International Review. He has been a member of the Academy of International Business and the Academy of Management for over 20 years.