U.S. Business Needs for International Expertise by Functional Business Discipline
Shirley J. Daniel
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, USA
Fujiao Xie
Brooklyn College, City University of New York, USA
Ben L. Kedia
The University of Memphis, USA
Volume 14: 2019, pp. 181-200; ABSTRACT
The workplace is changing rapidly, and there is a need for a better understanding of employer needs for international business skills, particularly knowledge required at the entry level as well as at the managerial level for various functional disciplines. Often business school disciplines with high levels of technical content, such as information management, operations management, accounting and finance, argue that they do not have room in their curriculum to focus on international or cross-cultural skills. Furthermore, many business schools no longer require a foreign language for majors other than international business. This study provides information about the importance of international knowledge and skills in the workplace as measured by a survey of over 600 U.S. managers from a variety of industries and disciplines. Our results indicate that international skills, in-country experiences and foreign language skills are important to employers for virtually all business school majors/functional areas. This indicates that U.S. business schools may be well-served to enhance the international content of their curriculum to better prepare all students for their future careers.
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