AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings - Academy of International ...

MONDAY
In response to the challenges of globalization, many universities have adopted the strategy of "internationalizing
the curriculum". This research paper presents a case study about internationalization at a business school of a
Historical Black College and University (HBCU) in the State of Georgia, United States. In order to provide
students with capability for employment in the global economy, the business school introduced a new program -
Global Logistics and International Business (G-LIB). In this study, we discuss the need to have an international
business program at a HBCU, and the challenges and benefits of developing international collaborations with
universities and companies that focus on international business. This paper provides practical implications for
similar HBCU and other universities interested in internationalizing their curriculum. (For more information,
please contact: Jun Wu, Savannah State University, USA: wuj@savannahstate.edu)
Teaching Global Leadership
Mansour Javidan, Thunderbird School of Global Management
Jennie Walker, Thunderbird School of Global Management
This paper provides a useful approach to teaching global leadership by identifying and defining the concepts
and associated curriculum. It also identifies the critical learning outcomes of this curriculum. Perhaps most
importantly, it highlights the dynamic learning methods required to create real and measurable impact in
learning outcomes. (For more information, please contact: Mansour Javidan, Thunderbird School of Global
Management, USA: mansour.javidan@thunderbird.edu)
Session: 2.4.13 - Interactive
Track: 9 - Cross-cultural Management and HRM
Global Talent Management
Presented On: July 2, 2012 - 14:30-15:45
Chair: Allan Bird, Northeastern University
Returnees and MNE Staffing
Huanglin Wang, Utica College
Jean-Louis Schaan, University of Western Ontario
Returnees, those who went overseas for higher education and then returned to their home countries, represent
a unique group of employees for multinational enterprises (MNEs). However, they have been ignored in the
MNE staffing literature which has developed a staffing typology based on nationality, specifically parent country
nationals (PCNs), host country nationals (HCNs), and third country nationals (TCNs). However, the literature
suggests that culture is a key element in overseas assignments. Ten top executives from multinational
subsidiaries in China were interviewed in order to identify and delineate the unique characteristics of returnees.
They suggested that returnees understand multiple cultures, possess cross-cultural communication skills, and a
global perspective; and act as a "bridge" between expatriates and locals, between a subsidiary and the other
units of the MNE (including headquarters and the other subsidiaries), as well as between the MNE and the local
environment. The findings from the interviews strongly suggest that cultural understanding is a more
appropriate criterion than nationality in categorizing staff in MNEs. Based on this criterion, we compare
returnees with the existing categorizations of MNE staff from both headquarters' perspective and subsidiary's
perspective; their contribution to the two staffing purposes including subsidiary control and organizational
learning; as well as their positions in the two conflicting goals of global integration and local responsiveness.
Returnees may be closer to the ‘balanced individuals' that MNEs need compared with either expatriates or
locals. Therefore, they may be a good staffing choice for MNE subsidiaries in China. This study contributes to
the literature by proposing a new criterion for staffing categorization in MNEs, by studying a new type of staff –
returnees. It directs us to a promising direction in MNE staffing research and has the potential to help managers
AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings
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