THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING GLOBALIZATION CONCEPTS IN BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACROSS GENERAL EDUCATION THROUGH CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION METHODS

Each day the impact of the global economy is evident around the world and in our communities through the business transactions that are made among people from different countries with diverse cultures and varied religious beliefs. The need for international business education is therefore apparent in the products purchased by Americans, in the companies where people work, and in the cross-cultural interactions that normally takes place. Because this economic interdependence is so important to the business world, all students must be prepared to live and work in a system that facilitates global business activities.1 This reality is reflected all the more in the growing importance of business education.

THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION

With its emphasis on both a strong general education (GenEd) and career foundation and real-world learning experiences, business education is uniquely suited to providing the new basic and employability skills that are critical to the success of all students, regardless of their major, in today’s highly competitive global workplace not just planning a career in business.2 These new employability skills encompass critical thinking skills, written and oral communications, computational and technological skills, honesty, integrity, teamwork, and interpersonal skills.

Today business educators are taking the lead in integrating new business practices, trends, and educational technologies into the classroom; for example QuickBooks and Peachtree for Computerized Accounting and web-related course sites that enhance critical thinking skills and student learning. To help business educators meet these challenges, the National Business Education Association (NBEA) has updated the National Standards for Business Education3 to serve as a guide for constructing curriculum, designing lesson plans, and evaluating students.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EDUCATION

The need to include international business in the business education curriculum is increasingly finding its way into the professional literature,4 and international business courses are being designed to respond to the exigencies of the global marketplace.

Furthermore, international business courses are essential in preparing students for future success in our global economy. Courses in international business frequently include the following topics and concepts:

• Foundations of International Business

• Global Business Environment

• International Business Communication and Culture

• Global Business Ethics & Social Responsibility

• International Trade Foundations

• Organizational Structures

• International Trade Relations

• International Management

• International Marketing

• International Economics

• International Accounting and Finance

• International Law and the Political and Legal Environment

• International Human Resource Management

Combining these curricular areas in teaching international business at the undergraduate level is further supported by the accreditation standards used to assess college business programs. The standards published by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) indicate that “every graduate should be pre- pared to pursue a business or management career in a global context.”5

As business relationships and global competition increase within the global marketplace and among international business partners, businesses seek employees who have an understanding of international concepts previously listed at all levels of the organization.6 An International Business course provides students a basic understanding of international business concepts that employers seek. No coincidence, therefore, that Policy Statement 837 notes a call for action by business educators to assist learners and future employees to acquire the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes necessary to function successfully in the global business and economic environment.

Graduates therefore must have an assured level of competence concerning inter- national business and who have the ability to relate to other cultures in different parts of the globe.8 They need to understand differences in time zones and the impact on business functions, understand global currencies and fluctuations in such currencies, and global measurement systems. They need to be ready to work in and accept responsibility in a global economy, to be able to communicate across cultures, and have a firm foundation in workplace diversity.

Students must continually be made aware of the trends and processes that characterize international business. Increased interconnectivity of cultures and countries requires that business students acquire or gain a worldwide perspective and be pre- pared to be flexible and adaptable in the cross-cultural setting they will in due course encounter.9 This will become more critical and demanding as international business continues to expand and the global marketplace becomes even more seamless and challenging due to pressures created by global economic fluctuations.

Business educators need to impart to students the skills for lifelong employability in a rapidly changing and dynamic global market.10 To accomplish this, business educators are beginning to infuse international business concepts into all areas across the curriculum and at all levels of education, including general education. At the same time, the business curriculum is becoming more comprehensive and specialized, and international business courses are being offered at both the two-year and four-year college levels, and it is primarily through two methods – infusion and creation – that such curricular development is being accomplished.

At the two-year or four-year college level, basic international business concepts such as trade organizations, economic communities, international marketing and management, are often integrated as instructional units into other courses such as introduction to business, management, marketing, and business communication.11 In most postsecondary programs, however, a one-semester course in international business is often offered and may also include a comprehensive international business program with specialized international business courses.

CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION METHODS

Infusion introduces and integrates international business terminology and concepts as instructional units and standards into existing courses. Creation develops a standalone International Business course. As discussed below, either method helps students develop a greater understanding of international business concepts, thereby facilitating greater understanding of the process of globalization and a worldwide perspective of the global marketplace.

INFUSION METHOD

By far the simplest form of incorporating international business terminology and concepts into the curriculum is by using the infusion method. This method focuses on integrating primary international business concepts into the existing business curriculum. Infusion is best suited for programs that are unable to expand and create a standalone International Business course.

Infusion allows educators to use international business concepts when and where they feel it is necessary. Many business educators offer that in order for business students to be globally aware and best prepared for the future workplace, international topics must be integrated into the business curriculum, for example, business ethics and social responsibility, and international business communication and culture.12

The infusion method is best exemplified in the Introduction to Business (BUS 100) course at Hostos Community College. The course textbook includes a chapter devoted to fundamental concepts in international business. Instructors regularly select relevant and current supplementary material from periodical literature and infuse into the international business lecture and subsequent class discussions. The same process of infusion of takes place in other courses, among them Accounting, Marketing, E-Commerce, Business Ethics, Management and Entrepreneurship as instructors design class discussions and activities with an international focus with articles from newspapers and periodicals such as The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, The Economist, and U.S. News & World Report. While students are exposed to currents events in the international business environment, they become more conscious of the effects of globalization on both the domestic and international front.

CREATION METHOD

The second method of incorporating international business concepts and content into the curriculum is the creation of a new course. This is the ideal option because the course is created to cover in depth the concepts specific to international business and the global economy. Such a course would allow students to fundamentally expand their understanding of the basic concepts at the international level. In addition, students enjoy their instructors´ focus on the following International Business Standards:13

• Raising awareness of the interrelatedness of one country’s political

policies and economic practices on another

• Teaching strategies to implement international business relations

through appropriate communication strategies

• Familiarizing students with the global business environment, and the interconnectedness of cultural, political, legal, economic, and ethical systems

• Exploring basic concepts underlying international finance, management, marketing, and trade relations

• Identifying forms of business ownership and international business

opportunities

Business education programs have an obligation to meet the need of the global economy and provide students with an understanding of international business as it relates to their future. The depth of an International Business course is far greater than what can be covered in the core business courses.14 Educators have an opportunity to expand on the material and go deeper into the content, allowing for a greater under- standing of the subject matter. A standalone course provides the greatest opportunity to reach these needs.

The products Americans buy in the global marketplace – from food and clothing, to automobiles, to electronics - are also evident in the cross-cultural interactions that take place daily.15 In addition, a variety of cultural variables influence human behavior and business practices. For example, humor in the form of a personal joke is a complex behavior that does not travel well across international borders. It requires sensitivity and awareness of cultural and social practices when conducting business abroad.

The worldwide accessibility of the Internet makes it an ideal tool for exploring business activities in other countries, the export/import regulations of a particular foreign country, or the political and economic news affecting markets around the world. The Internet also provides a venue for students to communicate with their counter- parts in classrooms around the world as e-pals or through cooperative international projects, such as planning a global marketing strategy for introducing a new product or service or implementing an international business plan for conducting business on a global scale.

CURRICULUM INITIATIVE & COLLABORATION

The Business Department is working closely with Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) on an initiative with other community colleges within and outside the City University of New York for creating a global academic network of resources for teaching international business. The primary objective of this grant-based initiative is to develop a full-fledged website with syllabi and teaching re- sources that faculty across the higher education spectrum may access to initiate a new course in international business, enhance an existing course, or expand an existing curriculum. The second objective is to advance curriculum development in other specialized areas of international business such as international management, international marketing, international ethics and trade relations, and international finance. This initiative will be embraced on a website.

Sound pedagogical modalities, standard syllabi, and current teaching materials for international business practices, globalization, global business trends and the global business environment in general will be made available on the website. The first stage is to develop and make available instructional strategies, effective leaning activities and materials for international business – from foundations of international business and global risks to other major topics that characterize international business, especially the expanding field of international business communication education.16 The second stage is to standardize the instructional methodology for international business. It is estimated that the website, webmaster support and corresponding material for the project will be completed by Spring 2010.

IMPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS EDUCATORS

Of course, the dynamic nature of political, economic, and technological environments provides relevant and real-life scenarios to expose our students to international topics through the infusion and creation method. These pedagogical approaches will allow our students to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the global marketplace.

The infusion and creation methods present two pedagogically sound practices to bring international business into the curriculum. One significant economic event can start a ripple effect throughout the global economy and students need to under- stand how one phenomenon influences another. The global marketplace demands knowledge in international affairs by all students at every level, and schools need to meet this essential need. Preparing students to understand international business and globalization can only benefit U.S. companies in becoming more competitive in the global marketplace.

SUMMARY

This article calls attention to the importance of teaching international business in the business education curriculum and across the general education curriculum. The global business environment will impact careers of all business students at all levels. Business educators should view globalization as an essential component of the business curriculum and foster the creation method.

Business educators should also help students develop a balanced understanding of international business and the policies and programs that facilitate global business. In addition, business educators should help students gain attitudes and skills that will enhance their successes in the international business environment. This includes flexibility and adaptability, intercultural communication and collaboration skills, and a sense of urgency that will help facilitate an increasingly globalized workplace.

On the other hand, the infusion method allows educators across the general education curriculum to use international business concepts when and where they feel it is necessary. It encourages the educator to look into international business resources to find current information that is relevant to the topic under discussion. By expanding their own knowledge and skills and through interdisciplinary collaboration with other colleagues, departments and other post-secondary institutions of higher education, educators can provide students with the “bigger picture” when it comes to international business education. The goal is to ensure that graduates from career and Liberal Arts programs will be better prepared to function in the global marketplace.

While there are many reasons for reduced American competitiveness in terms of educational performance, many observers point towards the complacency and poor work ethic of American students. Friedman,17 speaking of the urgency that Americans should feel in response to globalization, stated:

There will be plenty of jobs out there…for people with the right knowledge, skills, ideas, and self-motivation to seize them. But there is no sugar-coating the new challenge: Every young American today would be wise to think of himself or herself as competing against every young Chinese, Indian, and Brazilian…individuals [will] have to think globally to thrive, or at least to survive. This requires not only a new level of technical skills but also a certain mental flexibility, self-motivation, and psychological mobility. (276)

A better understanding of international business will help students make more informed career decisions. Business educators have the responsibility of preparing students with a confident level of competence in international business and to live and work in a system that facilitates global business activities.

Héctor López
Business

ENDNOTES

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