Impact of International Field Experience on Business Management - Assignment Example

? Business Research Project on the Impact of international field experience on business management Introduction. The idea of international field experience in the development of business management is not new. A research conducted as early as in 1970 on the relevance of business students studying abroad reported that international field experience brought about a change in the culture of the home country (Alfaro, 2010). This was among the features that influenced the home country to establish a perspective that is broadened in the management of the business. In eighties, Armstrong (2008) showed out that international field experience helped in self development of leaders leading to a global perspective that is vital in global business management. According to Bruce (2001) until now the demand to sensitize the business teachers who are trained to enhance international field experience has been driven further and acknowledged widely. This is due to the movement of world cultures and global contacts that are increasing through international experience. In this respect, the new rule is that many businesses are increasing their diversity and enrolling their employees with challenging and unique needs to teachers that are recruited internationally. This has made managers and business employees to be agents of responsibility for global and cultural responsibility within the business. In business management, international field experience is a vital aspect to the educational professionals who prepare for natural resource and business management industries. It gives out experience which reinforces the instruction of the business management. It also gives out a chance to business students to engage and observe the application of the knowledge that has been acquired. This means that international field experience helps employees to achieve valuable insights towards the operation and organization of agencies and businesses in different industrial sectors. In this regard, field experience that is properly supervised and pursued with enthusiasm could be of significant meaning towards business management. However, there is hardly any research that has been done concerning the relevance of international field experience on business management. For this reason, this paper proposes a study to investigate the impacts of international field experience on business management. In this study, we will hypothesise that international field experience has increased positive impacts on business management. Purpose of international field experience. Field experience is a factor which is of great importance in business management. Its main purpose has always been to give managers a business of combining the theoretical studies with an application of practical knowledge in the actual environment of work. In the business students’ academic program, field experience plays a crucial role as it gives students a room for application of the knowledge gained while in the classroom. Field work also gives students a chance to continue learning under a professional supervisor during the field work. Additionally, student interns should always undertake their study abroad responsibilities with professional and quality dedication. Student interns are also expected to be assets to the agency of placement and that they need to establish an enormous contribution due to their experience in the work. The objective of the research. This is a research work that is set out to among other things achieve one key objective. Thus, the overarching objective was to find out the impacts of international field experience on business management. The topic to be examined would be the impacts of field experience on business management. Research Questions There are three essential questions considered in this study. These questions can support the research in its objective of achieving the possible answer to the thesis. What does International field experience entail? What are the effects of such international field experiences on the business? How does the international field experience impact on the managerial skills of the managers? Limitations of the study. This study will focus mainly on international field experience and its influence in business management. This, thus, implies that study would be limited on international rather than local. This excludes a similar local experience which has not been explored. Moreover, the scope of the study does not take into consideration other field of education despite limited studies contacted in such fields. Basic assumptions. This study had to come up with various assumptions in helping achieve certain objects. Key among them is that international studies refer to studies done by individuals belonging to a certain country but taking studies away from the home country. This, thus, limits its scope to those students studying in countries that are away from their home country. One other assumption is that agricultural studies are studies that are in tandem with agricultural activities. Significance of the problem. The study problem would give out a significant insight in the business management. It would help practicing business students to find out the relevance of international education thus establish interest in business management. Besides this, this problem would help the managers to address the demands of preparing a business that can meet the challenging interconnected world. It would also help different institutions to organize for international field experience that could help the managers and directors in establishing proficiency in their business and global perspectives. Literature Review Field trips is a management approach to customer relations and involves the short-term and long-term effects on a firm’s profitability. Instead of contacting all customers and potential customers with all offers for products, a business uses data field trips in identifying customers who seem most likely to respond with positive action. Therefore, business field trips would help the firm to make investments where and when they are likely to realize an in increased revenue (Harrison & Elisabeth, 2009). Various criteria are used to predict the potential of a venture, after which the customer is contacted with the offer directly by email, regular mail, text message or phone call, and indirectly via television or other media. Direct mailing is only done where a customer has shown interest in the firm previously; indirect advertisement is aimed at the public and is done seasonally when people have more likelihood of being interested in the firm’s products. Another application filed trips is to identify trends in customer preferences and produce products that fit customer demands (Harrison & Elisabeth , 2009). Moreover, it is used to identify the features that interest customers in a product, and enable the firm to enhance these features for it to retain customers and draw new ones. Use of field trips in customer relations is not limited to marketing; it involves other structural and functional aspects that improve service delivery too, including human resource management. The human resource management of a firm can use field trips to utilize its employees in their line of duty, mainly by observing personal characteristics, their relationship with the quality of employee output and effect on employee turnover. For instance, the firm could identify the properties of its most effective employees; this enables the firm to recruit employees who are most suited for the firm. Some of these properties have a direct impact on customer relations, including motivation and innovativeness (Heckman, James, 1992). Field trips has its limitations as well including the fact that identifying emerging trends may result in too many categories that may render the process expensive and ineffective Hall, 1991). This has been countered by replacing human resource with automated information systems, which not only classify data, but also send emails to customers with little or no input from human workers (Hsieh & Pete, 2009). Data collection. Data collection methodology involved the use of one major approaches, which is secondary data collection. This is discussed below. The researcher shall use secondary data collection by collecting data from previous and existing research works. On the whole, secondary data refers to data that are not from the researcher’s personal sources (Ogus, 2002). This means that the researcher cannot boast of being the original collector or owner of secondary data. Secondary data are not first-hand data but once the approach towards their collection is well conducted, the researcher can be assured of authentic data. To ensure such authenticity, the researcher first developed a data log. The data log involved the statement of all themes or topics that the researcher wanted to collect data on. The researcher then made a list of sources including books, internet sources, academic journals, and articles. There were about ten sources for each theme or topic at the first stage. The researcher shall then conduct detailed checks into the professional background of the various authors of the sources. Through this, there shall be two ‘best’ sources to be selected for each topic or theme. The researcher shall then collect the sources and sample from them specific materials that are useful towards the answering of the research questions posed. There were then qualitative reviews on the materials selected from the sources. This means that the researcher shall not only gather information from the sources but also discuss the quotations by comparing ideas from different sources and drawing personal conclusions. Data Analysis The researcher’s data analysis plan shall entail two major features and these are presentation and interpretation of data. Under the presentation of data, the researcher shall make known data collected under specific themes to be built. The interpretation of data shall on the other hand involve a discussion on the data collected and the implications of the data collected. Both features of data collection shall involve the use of qualitative data analysis and quantitative data analysis. As far as qualitative data analysis is concerned, the researcher shall be at his discretion to present and interpret data. This form of data analysis shall, however, be based on empirical facts and literature presented at the literature review section. Generally, qualitative data analysis shall be suitable for use on secondary data collected through the review of related literature. Quantitative data, on the other hand shall, involve the use of mathematical and graphical presentation and interpretation of data. Some of the mathematical and graphical means to use shall include percentage table, pie charts, bar charts, frequency distribution table among others. Whenever quantitative data analysis is used, there is a generalized meaning given to the data analysis. For instance once 60% of respondents say something is good and 40% say it is bad, it becomes generally accepted that that thing is good. This will not need any special interpretation from the researcher. This is indeed one major advantage on the use of quantitative data analysis. The type of data to be analyzed quantitatively is those to be collected from the three research instruments to be used. Generally, data to be collected from the research instruments shall deal with numbers and quantum figures such as ‘how many respondents….’ This means that the researcher shall be in a position to quantify the data and, therefore, use the quantitative data analysis in this regard perfectly. Another advantage that comes with the use of quantitative analysis of data is that data analysis can easily be checked for accuracy. This is because mathematical calculations are the same everywhere around the world. Reliability and Validity Measurement of the reliability and validity of the research cannot be underestimated in any way. As a survey, it is the level of reliability and validity that will give the research the needed credibility for its findings to be generalized (Crew, 2001). Due to this, there are several factors to be put in place to ensure that the results are highly reliable and valid. Some of the factors include the selection approach used in selecting secondary sources of data for the research. In the absence of such selection mechanism, the data presented under the secondary data collection cannot be trusted as reliable and valid because they will not have any empirical backing. Another factor has to do with the use of random sampling technique to select members in the sample size. With that technique, the implication is that the researcher shall have no control whatsoever over the results. Even more is the extensive reliance on quantitative data analysis method. With quantitative data analysis, figures and values shall be displayed for all people concerned to have their own calculations to check the accuracy of results. Finally, the researcher is based on compromise to ethical standards such as the confidentiality of respondents. This means that there shall not be any legal issues to litigate the research findings. In some cases, legal litigations lead to the withdrawal of certain components of data, rendering the whole research conclusion compromised and academically paralyzed. Discussion. Field experience is a vital and beneficial phase in education and a student’s preparation for a career that is professionally oriented (Crew, 2001). From the results, it is expected that international field experience would have increased positive effects on business management. This is so because improved field experience could contribute towards a continuous flow of competent and qualified personnel into resource and agricultural management industries. Prior studies conducted in this field have reported that field experience leads to increased international experience and incorporation of global dimension into learning (Alfaro, 2010). Other studies conducted to investigate the relevance of international student’s placements established that overseas participants increased their extent of learning, and global community perspectives. Research ethics to be applied. Researchers are made to go through an array of ethical requirements. There is the need to meet professional, institutional, as well as standards for conducting any research related to human participants (Alfaro, 2010). In helping steer clear any ethical quandaries, this research would consider a number of research ethics. First, he would frankly discuss with students the intellectual property. More often than not, academic competitive leads to trouble depending on who should be credited for authorship. The best way the researcher would consider in order to avoiding disagreements about who to be credited, and using which order, the researcher would talk about the issues at the start of the working relationship with the students and ensure they are put in writing (Bruce, 2001). This will act as a tool to help discus and evaluate the contributions during the research process. Secondly, the researchers would be conscious of multiple roles of the participants. This could be achieved by avoiding relationships that might tend to impair the researchers’ professional performances or could cause harm to others (Bruce, 2001). However, they will have to take note that many multiple relationships are not ethical especially if they are not to have adverse effects. When recruiting the students as participants in this study, the researchers would have to think carefully before joining the multiple relationships with students. In this case, the researcher would act as lab supervisor, as well as a mentor and make sure he or she does not abuse the power to differentiate him or herself with students (Bass, 2004). The researcher would make sure he/she outlines clearly the nature and structure of mentoring before mentoring begins. The third code of ethics to be upheld during the study would be to make sure the informed-consent rules are strictly followed (Alfaro, 2010). Doing this properly, the consent process would ensure that the participants voluntarily participate in the research when fully informed of the relevant benefits and risks. Lastly, the researcher would have to consider respecting the confidentiality and privacy of the participants (Bruce, 2001). Respecting individual rights to confidentiality, as well as privacy is a key tenet for every researcher. The researcher will, therefore, have to discus confidentiality limits giving the participants information concerning how their data will be put into use and also know the law of the state, as well as taking practical security measures. References Alfaro, C., 2010. International teacher’s profession development. Teaching Education, 21(1), 47-59. Armstrong, F., 2008. Teacher’s business management globally: Facilitation of global literacy. J of Teacher Education, 21(4), 490-506. Bass, B., 2004. Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Bodycott, P., 2000. The value of short-term education in overseas. J of Teaching Education, 24(9), 27-33. Bruce, M. G., 2001. Developing a global educational perspective. J of Teacher Education, 42(1), 21-27. Crew, V., 2001. Reflections on short term study and residences abroad Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Institute of Education. Hall, R. (1991), “Recessions as Reorganizations”, Stanford mimeo. Harrison, G & Elisabeth R. (2009). “Risk attitudes, randomization to treatment, and self-selection into experiments”, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 70(3): 498-507 Heckman, J. (1992), “Randomization in Social Programs”, in C. Manski and I. Garfinkle, eds. Evaluating Welfare and Training Programs, Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press. Hsieh, C and Pete K (2009), “Misallocation and Manufacturing TFP in China and India,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 124(4), 1403-1448. Kouzes, B., 2009. "Field experience and business." San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers Ogus, E.D. (2002). Stress Coping Mechanisms.Journal of Social Behaviour. Volume 7(1):111- 124. Read More