Understanding Business Student Differences Internationally and Inter-culturally: Analysis of Chinese,Indian, and Korean Student Expectations

Abstract

This paper presents the combined results of four
surveys conducted in three countries. The surveys
elicited information concerning the sociodemographic backgrounds, opinions and
expectations of students studying business. The
first three surveys were conducted in Englishlanguage classrooms in China, India, and South
Korea. The fourth survey was conducted in a
Korean-language classroom in South Korea. We find
evidence that expectations about family, career,
national success, world stability, and future
business climates differ substantially by nationality
across Asian students of the same age, and studying
the same general material. Further we find that even
within one nationality there are substantial
differences between students who study in different
languages. These differences are shown to be
statistically significant even after controlling for
socio-demographic factors which are not strictly
associated with nationality and language. This
paper recommends college instructors develop a
greater level of understanding of these differences.
A simple survey technique is recommended.