Abstract
Economies continue to become more integrated through international trade and foreign investment, as well as by more, and more, complex global supply changes. With the expansion in the level and scope of international business (IB), it becomes all the more important that university graduates seeking careers in IB be able to “successfully hit the ground running” as they enter the labor force. The Schulich School of Business introduced a Certificate in Managing International Trade and Investment for undergraduates in 2012. Its aim was to intensify their learning by deepening their knowledge of IB and providing them with integrative courses, real-world learning, and cultural intelligence, enabling them to be effective in organizations as soon as they graduate. To ensure that the curriculum was in line with real-world needs, executives and other experts were interviewed to identify the skills they wanted to see in people they were hiring for their IB activities. The factors identified from this qualitative research informed the development of the Certificate. The global mind-set fostered will give students a competitive edge both in the recruitment process and on the job.
Notes
2. 1Export Development Canada is Canada’s export credit agency, offering financial and risk management solutions to help Canadian businesses expand into international markets.
3. 2The information on the results of the interviews comes from the Schulich report prepared for EDC in October 2012, Conducting International Business: Research to Build an Undergraduate Curriculum. The primary author of this report was Serdar Yavuz.
4. 3We learned through experience with the IMBA, where an international internship is required, that, although resisted initially by students, it is a much better learning experience for them to be responsible for finding their own internships. The IMBA Internship Coordinator is there to help but does not have the ultimate responsibility of finding the internship.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Bernard M. Wolf
Dr. Bernard M. Wolf is Professor Emeritus of Economics and International Business at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada, where he also is Director of the Certificate in Managing International Trade and Investment. Dr. Wolf received his PhD from Yale University. His research interests include international trade policy, international business strategy, and the global development of the automotive industry.
Lorna Wright
Dr. Lorna Wright holds the EDC Professorship in International Business and is the Director of the Centre for Global Enterprise at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada. She received her PhD in economics from The University of Western Ontario. Her research interests include cross-cultural management, conditions for SME success internationally, and women-owned business.