Wednesday, August 31, 2016

PBL Session 1: What is the professional identity for International business students?

Problem: What is the professional identity for International business students?

Topic 1 Learning Objective: COMPANY DEMANDS
What the business community demands or expects from future international business employees?

 Businesses of the future will demand many skills of their future candidates. From computational skills needed for processing an increasing amount of available data, to understanding and learning in an age-diverse workforce to thoughtfully engaging with an ever growing automated world. Companies are also restructuring the way they do business, looking outside of their traditional core competencies (superstruced organizations) that will drive new ways delivering their wares while creating new sources of revenue, requiring a new breed of employee. The expanding international scale of the way business is done coupled with growth in new media is going to require more flexibility and knowledge from future applicants both in terms of their cultural IQ, technological IQ and general skill set. A new level of diversification will be needed in the abilities of the future workforce. Although UAS graduates have an edge on work oriented skills when compared with their general study counterparts, attention needs to be paid toward growing a more well rounded graduate who can operate outside of their studied trade. By both teaching focused business skills, diversifying studies beyond the specific program, fostering and developing communication skills, and developing measurable metrics on which the institution can judge its own performance, UAS's can build the professional identity to tomorrow's business executives.

"The 10 Skills Employers Most Want In 2015 Graduates"

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/11/12/the-10-skills-employers-most-want-in-2015-graduates/#29aae51c19f6  

Susan Adams, Forbes Staff Writer

Published 12.11.2016, Viewed 31.08.2016


Excerpts from article :

"The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) a Bethlehem, PA non-profit group that links college career placement offices with employers, ran a survey from mid-August through early October where it asked hiring managers what skills they plan to prioritize when they recruit from the class of 2015 at colleges and graduate schools. Though the survey sample is small—NACE collected responses from just 260 employers—the wisdom is sound. New and recent grads should pay attention. (Most of the respondents were large companies like Chevron, IBM and Seagate Technology.)"

"Here are the 10 skills employers say they seek, in order of importance. NACE gave each a rating on a 5-point scale, where 5 was extremely important, 4 was very important, 3 was somewhat important, etc.:

1. Ability to work in a team structure
2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems (tie)
3. Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization
4. Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work
5. Ability to obtain and process information
6. Ability to analyze quantitative data
7. Technical knowledge related to the job
8. Proficiency with computer software programs
9. Ability to create and/or edit written reports
10. Ability to sell and influence others"

My thoughts: Although this list is referencing general graduates, these points seem to be the emphasis of the skill set that Haaga-Helia is trying to instill in us. It almost reads as a bullet-pointed list of our curriculum in general terms. 


"As a BBA student, what qualities and skills should I strive to acquire?"

Blog post, Patrick Mathieson, BBA graduate from the University of Michigan
Published 05.04.2015, Viewed 08.31.2016


Some good pointers from someone has graduated from a (mostly) similar program and is now in the trenches of the work force. Many of these characteristics are not present in very highly educated people ("Get comfortable talking on the phone."). Some run diametrically opposed to the personality traits of many that seek out this kind of degree ("Don't take yourself too seriously."). Good (if not definitive) stuff.


"What Jobs Can I Get with a BBA in Marketing?"

http://learn.org/articles/What_Jobs_Can_I_Get_with_a_BBA_in_Marketing.html 

No author listed, Viewed 31.08.2016 

Bit of an info dump on potential careers for people with a BBA in Marketing. In the section regarding Advertising/Marketing directors, the key skills listed are "Organizational, analytical, and decision-making skills" and for PR Managers "Leadership, communication, and speaking skills" respectively. With their source being listed as the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although this page doesn't speak from the business communities point of view directly, it certainly could provide some useful data in defining and building a "professional identity". 

Topic 2: Learning objective: BUSINESS CHARACTERISTICS

What personal characteristics and attributes that build a prospective business employee?

"Top Five Personality Traits Employers Hire Most"


Meghan Casserly , Forbes Staff Writer, Published 04.10.2016, Viewed 31.08.2016


This article states that a 88% of employers are looking for a "cultural fit" over learned or acquired skills. After surveying a pool of 400,000 students and working professionals on employment related topics, Universum had come up with a short list of top personality traits that make a prospective employee attractive to employers. These characteristics are as follows:
"Professionalism (86%) [...] high-energy (78%) [...] confidence (61%) [...] self-monitoring (58%) [...] Intellectual curiosity (57%)"

I think that the "cultural fit" cannot be emphasized enough. In my work experience, employers are usually looking for the right candidate to integrate into a preexisting team rather than a robot with even the most exceptional resume. Many skills can be taught and learned, personality and attitude can't

"5 Employee Qualities on Every Employer's Wish List"

Arnie Fertig, Contributor, Published 10.09.2013, viewed 31.08.2016

This article attacks the question from an interview preparation perspective, but the advice is still sound. The qualities include:

 "Empathy [...] Mentoring inclination and ability [...] Interpersonal skills [...] Self-direction and initiative [...] Flexibility and adaptability"

The article provides a series of sample questions interviewers may ask and examples of experiences a prospective candidate can reflect on (Tell me about a time when you were able to transform someone you managed from an underperformer (sic) into a valued team member. What did you do to get great results?.")
       


Topic 3: Learning objective: EMPLOYABILITY
How education can provide the tools to meet the international business community’s commands? 

Through careful selection of applicants and fostering those traits that employers find attractive, education providers can bring about a new level of employer attach-rate to their graduating classes. As far as our own curriculum is concerned, it appears as if Haaga-Helia has the development of necessary skills covered. Possible a more considered PR-centric approach could hope to change the direction of public opinion and sway the discourse in the private sector.






Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)