Effects of International Study Tours on Attitude toward Doing Business Globally: Assurance of Learning in Executive MBA Programs

The past two decades have experienced and realized the wave of globalization as pervasive and impactful imperative in the world of academia, and not just in the corporate world. This realization is reflected in the 2011-13 Report by AACSB Task Force on Globalization of Management Education (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business - International, June 2011-13). The AACSB report highlights broad globalization trends in management education that have drawn the attention of institutions, corporations and business schools alike, that are striving to prepare their key stakeholders (managers and students) to face today’s complex global challenges. Today’s increasingly integrated and complex global business environment has led many Executive MBA programs to address and incorporate global awareness, perspectives, and practices into curriculum instructions. This challenge led to many U.S.- and non-U.S. based Executive MBA (EMBA) programs to follow the mandate proclaimed by AACSB: “…AACSB recognizes institutions that uphold its mission and core values, work to advance the interests of global management education, and participate in AACSB’s community of leading business schools. In this context, AACSB focuses on continuous quality improvement in management education through innovation, engagement, and impact” (http://www.aacsb.edu/). Specifically, many EMBA programs have infused a global tour as an important component of the curriculum, albeit some of these programs have made such global tours as an optional part, whereas many EMBA programs have made it a required component. Of the curriculum; about 65 percent of EMBA programs require a global trip (http://www.emba.org/research_prog_results.htm)