english

In terms of intercultural and global experiences, much of the research on global competency focuses on what secondary schools and universities can provide their students. However, there's also a need to learn more about how companies regard global competency and what can be done to reconcile employer expectations with how global competency is valued and implemented in academia. This investigation looked at how important global competencies are to six different employers with a range of companies and organizations studied. I also looked at contributing factors like the size of the company, the quality and locations of offices outside of Ohio and how these factors contributed to their perception of global competence within their sector and when making hiring selections.

Ultimately, this study found that overall global competence was important to most employers interviewed; however, certain facets of global competency, like “bi/multilingualism” were valued less than facets like “establishing a global mindset.” The results of this study can be best applied back in the academic arena to implement changes and encourage programs that further the education of these competencies. Ultimately, schools must encourage relations with global companies in order to better understand and make up the difference between multinational industry needs and the capabilities that colleges are producing among their student populations.