Challenges of being IB students

SPECIFIC PURPOSE
While this work examines some of those challenges, the primary goal of this research is to provide a methodology for individuals to maintain their personal values, while at the same time respecting local customs, society and the business environment in which they are operating.

CENTRAL IDEA
The expanding global environment continues to raise new ethical challenges in international business. Businesses are confronted with dilemmas overseas that challenge their employees own values. While these challenges may seem unethical to the visiting employee, in fact they may be considered ethical within the values of the host environment. This paper examines a variety of these situations and provides a tutorial on how employees maintain their personal values while working in a challenging global environment. Instructor teaching notes are provided as a supplement to the case exercises.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

International Business is the study and practice of doing business in other countries around the world. Understanding other cultures, learning how to work with other cultures, and learning about different ways of doing things are emphasized. Students learn how to identify opportunities and solve problems in foreign markets, communicate effectively, and manage across national borders. Students learn about how companies from different parts of the world are manufacturing, developing strategies, financing international projects, accounting, and developing unique marketing approaches adjusted to changes in the increasingly dynamic, competitive global marketplace. Students also learn about politics and how governments affect business strategy and business environments.
Personal challenges to one’s own ethical values are similar regardless of the country. For examples; Bribery in Russia raises the same challenge to one’s ethical values as bribery in South Africa. Working conditions in China raise similar challenges to one’s ethical values as working conditions in Guatemala. Corruption in government raises similar ethical challenges to one’s personal values regardless of the country. How can a business person then operate in a global environment and not violate their own personal values?
First, we need to examine how personal values are developed.

2.0 CHALLENGES OF BEING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDENTS.

2.1 PRESENT CHALLENGES.

1. Lack of Technical Facilities.
In modern era, each class should be equipped with the latest utilities for easy and faster learning.
Facilities such as computer systems provided by UiTM Melaka are not sufficient for International Business students to adapt with what they learnt on their syllabus. For example, they are not being exposed to the usage of computer (internet) during the Geography subject. Students supposedly exposed to the real world map or globe in order to them familiarized with the places around the world.
Beside, transportation is also one of the factors that contribute in the challenges that must be faced by the International Business students in UiTM Melaka.

2. Lack of lecturers who are major in International Business.
Lecturers play an important role for their students. They will disclose all the consequences of being International Business students. With them, students will share everything regarding the international environment.

2.2 FUTURE CHALLENGES.

1. Development of Personal Values.
In the global environment a business person must recognize that different positions may be morally justified by two individuals based on the cultures which have shaped their values. In order to understand and ethically work within conflicting cultures both parties need to understand the influences which have shaped those differing values. When a business person fully understands those influences they are able to make decisions which do not violate their own values. Finally, all business people must recognize that there are certain actions which are morally wrong regardless of the society or culture. These actions would violate the personal values of any individual and should never be engaged in anywhere.

Influences on Personal Values:
a) Family/Parents/Siblings.
b) Individual/Education/Spirituality/Responsibilities.
c) Society/Ethics/Religion.
d) Government/Laws/Business Regulations.
e) Economics.

Business Conflicts to Personal Values:
a) Corruption in government.
b) Bribery/facilitating payments.
c) Trust/local relationships.
d) Working Conditions/Role of Unions/Working Hours/Workers Safety/Workers Rights/Child Labor/Discrimination.
e) Treatment of Women/Sexual Harassment.
f) Socializing/Expectations to Build Personal Relationships/Social Drinking/Gifts.
g) Cheating.
h) Consumer Protection/Consumer Rights.

2. A Look at the Trends
Business schools face more competition and more criticism of the quality of their work than they have ever done before. In time, that may lead to fundamental changes in the structure of the business-school market, and perhaps in what schools teach and how they teach it.

They are concerned that the current lack of environmental, social and governance concepts into the curriculum of business schools is a major contributor to the lack of integration of these concepts and tools within companies. To a certain degree, the two mirror one another. Failure to teach our business leaders more about the necessity and advantages that sustainable business approaches hold puts business itself at risk. In a world where tough operating environments are the rule and expectations of the private sector are ever more demanding, current and future managers must be well equipped to understand and excel. In our experience, companies are struggling to find job candidates who fit this description.
In today’s global economy, business leaders are responsible for many of the most influential decisions made throughout the world. Such decisions impact the livelihoods, economic wellbeing, political decisions and environmental health of millions. Increasingly, the MBA is becoming the rite of passage for business leaders to taken on the roles where such decisions are made.

3. Job Opportunity.
Many international students want to work abroad after they graduate. After their practical training, international students must be sponsored by an employer in order to continue working abroad especially in United States. International students have difficulty securing postgraduate employment. Reasons include:

a) Hiring Complexities
After international students complete practical training, employers must sponsor them to obtain an H1-B visa, which allows them to work in the U.S. for one to six additional years.
Hiring an international student is not as common, is more complicated, and less familiar than hiring an American. The process involves:
· petitioning the government for an H1-B,
· obtaining approval from the Labor Department,
· hiring a lawyer, and
· absorbing some fees.
For these reasons, some employers will not even interview, let alone hire, international graduates.

b) Perceived Lack of Commitment to the Job
Some employers are reluctant to hire international students because they fear international students will eventually want to return to their home countries. Employers do not want to invest time and money in training international students only to have them leave in a year's time.

c) Communication
Strong communication skills are critical for prospective employees. Employers are often concerned with international students' ability to communicate effectively with their clients and/or internal personnel.

d) Animosity
Some Americans, and probably some employers, feel that by living and working in the U.S., international students are taking jobs away from Americans.

3.0 CONCLUSION

Conducting international business requires individuals to manage business policy/ actions which challenge their personal values. Managing these business policies/actions requires an understanding of the values and culture within the host county. The ability to correctly evaluate these influences within the host country will allow the individual to undertake international business policy/actions which do not violate their own personal values.

Company managers would like to see the graduates have the experience in managing the tradeoffs among different business disciplines and among their differing social and environmental impacts, skills in communicating difficult messages and decisions, internally and externally, practice in crafting integrated strategies for corporate planning, exposure to the ways in which public policy and engagement with governments can benefit companies, confidence in making decisions when the available data is sparse, and also have basic training in the concepts of ethics.

In addition, International Business students are advised to:
· Market Yourself Positively.
It is very important for international students to turn employers' objections into positives. International students should be prepared to tell employers how hiring them offers more advantages than disadvantages.

· Choose a Major/Specialization in Demand.
The demand for employees in technical fields, such as information technology and accounting, far outweighs the supply; therefore, international students who study these subjects may have more opportunities than those select majors in low-demand areas.

· Be Flexible.
International students may need to expand their job search by considering jobs outside their desired career.
For example, an Information Technology major who would like to do web development may want to search for jobs in web development AND other areas of information technology.

· Patience and Persistence.

Although finding employment as an international student can be challenging, it is not impossible. Each year the U.S. grants almost 200,000 H1-B visas.

*** in partial fulfillment of BEL492 - individual presentation ***