Preparing internationally minded business graduates: The role of international mobility programs

The first objective of this paper was to examine the institutional and individual determinants of business students’ participation in international mobility programs (IMPs). Retrospective reports were collected from business graduates of the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada. Respondents reported having received very little information about IMPs from the different institutional sources. Logistic regression analysis revealed that when these institutional factors were present, the likelihood of student participation in IMPs increased significantly. The respondents’ interests in intercultural contact and foreign languages were significant predictors of participation, whereas academic, self-development, and career-related motives were not, contrary to previous findings. The second objective was to measure the perceived effects of participation in IMPs. Three types of effects were reported: self-development, cultural awareness and career advancement. Participation in IMPs had a broader impact on the graduates’ lives and careers than previously reported.