International Students’ Conceptions of the Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education in Taiwan
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Globalization and Internalization of Higher Education
2.2. Internationalization of Business Education
3. Methodology
3.1. Research Design
3.2. Participants
3.3. Data Analysis
4. Results
4.1. Conception A: The Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education as a “Human-Centered” Recruitment Strategy, Rather than Simply Being “Profit Driven”
Student 7: “Tuition fees and certain fees are waived under the Ministry of Education (MOE) Taiwan Scholarship. An undergraduate like me will receive a monthly stipend of NT$15,000 (US$500), and graduates will receive NT$20,000 per month. I have heard that there are also scholarships for people to study short-term Mandarin Chinese courses in Taiwan.”
Student 13: “The Taiwanese Government Scholarship Program is considered to be the most prestigious scholarship, granted to the most suitable candidates after a final interview in New Delhi. Most international students who wish to study in Taiwan hope to be awarded this scholarship, since it offers the maximum stipend of any scholarships in Taiwan. Students are awarded NT$25,000 (US$828) every month to support their living costs, education and miscellaneous expenses when pursuing a degree course in Taiwan.”
Student 27: “I did a part-time job while studying at university and was able to earn enough to pay my tuition fee, dormitory rent and food. The tuition and academic fees per semester for a Bachelor’s degree are around $1500–1800, while a graduate degree costs around $1600–2000. Meals cost $180–270 per month, while accommodation on campus is $30–200 per month or $200–600 per month off-campus, not including utilities. My professor told me that more than 40% of foreign students receive a scholarship here. How do they get a scholarship? Is it fair? I personally believe it is fair when they choose the recipient.”
Student 28: “I have a tuition waiver and the cost of living is low here. I also have a part-time job so that I can sustain myself.”
4.2. Conception B: The Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education as a Career-Oriented Educational System
Student 14: “I received a BBA Degree in Technology Management from a private university in Taiwan and, after I graduated, I continued my Master’s education at a national university in Hsinchu, where I was awarded an Outstanding Student Scholarship for 2 years. After receiving an MBA, I attended career seminars, where I left my CV with some companies and was subsequently called for an interview. It was through these seminars that I got a job as a Sales Director at the India branch of a Taiwanese communication company, a subsidiary of a business group that designs, manufactures and tests memory chips in Taiwan. I stayed there for 3 years. I was chosen from 500 candidates for my current job with a semiconductor company.”
Student 16: “I feel truly blessed and I am very thankful to my professors and the Taiwanese government for giving me this opportunity and believing in me. I can now see my potential to succeed in the future”
Student 1: “I think studying in China or Hong Kong is better for a post-school job search.”
Student 22: “I know some overseas compatriot students have been recruited by Taiwanese firms, but I believe I can have a better compensation package in Hong Kong.”
4.3. Conception C: The Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education as Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Business Schools
Student 26: “My school is accredited with both EQUIS and AACSB, which makes it easier for me to use my degree when I return to my home country.”
Student 14: “My teachers always use some innovative e-learning technology in class. It is a completely new experience for me. My school is accredited with AACSB. Many professors are trying to close the gap between education and industry, so there are many field trips and internship opportunities.”
Student 32: “I prefer AACSB-accredited institutions. Although foreign employers may not know how well they are ranked, they only have to google them to find out. I advise people not to blindly choose an institution just because of the accreditation. My school has a much lower ranking and accreditation standard. It will be easy for me to get an MBA in Taiwan because the professors evaluate international students differently from local students. They have lower expectations of them because some of them cannot speak English/Chinese fluently.”
Student 26: “Some professors spent time focusing on positive and negative sustainability and ethical leadership examples. They believe that is the core values of business education. We need to read articles, discuss stories, write papers, and complete group projects related to these issues.”
Student 24: “As for why I am considering Taiwan, I believe that it has higher standards than my other options. Maybe they are not good enough compared to Australia, the USA, and Canada, but I believe that they are way better than Malaysian unis, and I’ll have a chance to learn Chinese as well.”
4.4. Conception D: The Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education as an Intercultural and Multicultural Environment
Student 9: “Taiwanese people are friendly, there is plenty of food, the commute is convenient and the cost of living is not too high; most importantly, it is safe, so personally I think Taiwan is a very good place to study and live.”
Student 20: “I felt blessed, honored and very excited about moving to Taiwan. I had done a little research about Taiwan and I found myself falling in love with the beauty and tradition of this Island paradise.”
Student 11: The increase in the regional economy has attracted a great number of people to Taiwan to learn Chinese. This particular advantage of studying in Taiwan seems to appeal to many international students. Most foreign students mingle both inside and outside class, and do activities together. All the courses are taught in English. I wish I could speak good Chinese and have more chances to take classes in Chinese. I want to know more Taiwanese cases.”
Student 25: “The school provides many social opportunities and extra-curricular activities both on and off campus that appeal to people of diverse ethnicities and religions. For instance, I am Muslim and we have our own prayer room.”
Student 31: “My Chinese is still not fluent because I always hang out with other international students and we communicate in English. Some students barely speak Chinese at all.”
Student 12: “Most of my friends are foreign students. Some local students are too shy to speak English so I don’t have much chance to interact with them on campus.”
5. Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations
5.1. Discussion and Conclusions
5.2. Policy Recommendations
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Students ID | Conception A | Conception B | Conception C | Conception D |
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4 | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ | |
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14 | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ |
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16 | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ | |
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18 | ˇ | ˇ | ||
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27 | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ | |
28 | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ | |
29 | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ |
30 | ˇ | ˇ | ||
31 | ˇ | ˇ | ||
32 | ˇ | ˇ | ˇ |
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Conception | N | % |
---|---|---|
A | 21 | 65.6 |
B | 15 | 46.9 |
C | 9 | 28.1 |
D | 30 | 93.8 |
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Chen, L.; Chen, T.-L. International Students’ Conceptions of the Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education in Taiwan. Sustainability 2018, 10, 4292. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10114292
Chen L, Chen T-L. International Students’ Conceptions of the Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education in Taiwan. Sustainability. 2018; 10(11):4292. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10114292
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen, Liwen, and Tung-Liang Chen. 2018. "International Students’ Conceptions of the Sustainable Internationalization of Business Education in Taiwan" Sustainability 10, no. 11: 4292. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10114292