The Competitive Advantage of Foreign Languages and Cultural Knowledge
CHRISTINE UBER GROSSE
Department of Global Business
Thunderbird,The Garvin School of International
Management
Glendale,AZ85306
Email:grossec@https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,
This study presents the results of an electronic survey of2,500randomly selected alumni from the graduating classes of1970through2002of Thunderbird,The Garvin School of Interna-tional Management.Of the2,500alumni,581responded.Thunderbird required a minimum of4semesters of foreign language for graduation.The survey concerned whether or not the alumni had received a competitive advantage in their careers from their foreign language skills and cultural knowledge.The vast majority of the respondents acknowledged that both foreign language skills and cultural knowledge had benefited them in their professional lives.
Slightly more of them reported receiving an edge from their cultural skills(89%)than from their foreign language abilities(82%).The research results provide empirical data on how members of the U.S.and international business communities perceive the value of foreign language and cultural knowledge to their work.
IS ENGLISH ENOUGH FOR DOING INTER-national business today?Do proficiency in for-eign languages and understanding of different cultures give business people an edge in the global economy?The term global economy implies a business environment where competition among companies regularly crosses national bor-ders.In a world where many believe that English is the language of international business,what advantages have executives gained by knowing foreign languages?This research reports the re-sults of an Internet-based survey on the competi-tive advantage of foreign language and cultural competence for graduates of Thunderbird,The Garvin School of International Management,a business school.
The survey asked2,500alumni whether their foreign language skills and cultural knowledge had given them a competitive advantage at work. Of the581respondents,82%gained a competi-tive advantage in business from their foreign lan-guage skills.Even more,89%,received an edge from their knowledge of other cultures.Although competitive advantage is difficult to quantify, many Thunderbird alumni defined in specific terms the edge that foreign languages and cul-tures have given them in their careers.
The alumni who participated in the study all graduated from Thunderbird between1970and 2002with a master’s degree in business adminis-tration(MBA)/international management.In 2002,Thunderbird was ranked first among grad-uate schools in international business in the United States by U.S.News and World Report(April 15,2002)and first worldwide by the Wall Street Journal(September9,2002).For over50years, all graduates have been required to take a mini-mum of4semesters of foreign language or dem-onstrate equivalent proficiency.Recently,in 2002,Thunderbird instituted a controversial nonlanguage track to accommodate students who choose not to study a second language. However,most of the1,100graduate students currently attending Thunderbird are enrolled in the language track.
Thunderbird’s foreign language requirement is rare among graduate business schools,whose administrators generally are reluctant to require subjects that are not directly related to business. Thunderbird has also earned recognition for its
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unusual tripartite curriculum,which requires coursework in international business,foreign languages,and international studies. BACKGROUND FOR THE STUDY
The impetus for this research came in re-sponse to a comment overheard at Thunderbird that,“English is the language of international business today.Foreign languages aren’t neces-sary anymore.”How true is this statement? Would monolingual or marginally bilingual peo-ple know what they were missing by not knowing a foreign language or culture?Clearly,the ques-tion needed to be addressed by people who had second language and cultural skills as well as business experience.
An opportunity to pursue the research came in February,2002,when a small seminar on re-search priorities in business language education was held at The University of California,Los An-geles(UCLA).Russ Campbell,then Professor Emeritus of Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language(TESL)at UCLA, organized the conference with the sponsorship of the Center for International Business Educa-tion Research(CIBER),which is funded by Title VI of the U.S.Department of Education.He in-vited10business language faculty,primarily from universities with CIBERs,to identify and discuss the most pressing research issues in busi-ness languages(Campbell,2002;Grosse,2002). The author offered the following research question to the group:Do foreign language skills and cultural knowledge give business executives a competitive advantage in their careers?The participants expressed interest in the project, made suggestions,and gave encouragement.A month later,the author received a research grant from the Thunderbird Research Center to study the issue.
Other studies have shown the positive atti-tudes of students toward foreign language study (Roberts,1992)and the relationship between foreign language study and interest in interna-tional business careers(Robbins,Abramson,& Hollingshead,1998).Prior research has also shown that companies have a demand for em-ployees with foreign language and cultural skills (Grosse,1998;Hedderich,1997;Kenny& Sheikh,2000;Schorr,2000;Vande Berg,1997). In the American business press,a number of arti-cles have focused on the need for U.S.business people to learn other languages(Frook,2000; Griffith&Ferguson,2000;Josefak,2000;Peter-son,2002;Stokely,2000).The same theme has appeared in the British press concerning the dearth of language skills among U.K.business people(Coleman,2000,2002;“Foreign Lan-guage Skills,”2002;Hancock,1999;“Parlez-vous anglais?”2000;Pickard,1999;Whettingsteel, 1999).
Rationale for the Study
To date,no empirical study has investigated whether foreign language and cultural knowl-edge give business executives an advantage in the workplace.The related benefits could be some-what intangible and difficult to quantify.Previous studies have looked into recruiter demand for foreign language skills(Grosse,1998;Kumayama &Makita-Discekici,1999),the economic utility of foreign languages(Grosse,Critz,&Tuman, 1998),American and European perspectives on Languages for Specific Purposes(LSP;Grosse& Kingscott,1991),and the evolution of LSP (Grosse&Voght,1991).Several books have fo-cused on issues in business languages,particu-larly those edited by Fryer and Guntermann (1997),Loughrin-Sacco and Abrate(1998),and Schorr(2002).
Most MBA programs do not require foreign language study for entry or exit.Of the109MBA programs that Koch(1997)surveyed,only29% had foreign languages available to their students. None of the programs required foreign language proficiency for entry or exit.Out of the20MBA programs that offered foreign languages,19had a master’s degree in international business or an international business concentration.
Robert Grosse,Thunderbird CIBER director, conducted an email survey of the directors of the 29CIBER institutions in July,2003.He asked,“Does your MBA program,or any sub-compo-nent of it,have a foreign language requirement for program entry or exit?If yes,would you please describe the requirement?”Of the29busi-ness schools,17responded to the survey.Only4 had a foreign language exit requirement for subcomponents of the MBA that are related to in-ternational business:the University of Memphis, the University of Hawai‘i(whose Japan-and China-focused MBA programs include language training but do not have a specific competency requirement),the University of Colorado at Den-ver(the Master of Science in International Busi-ness[MSIB]and joint MBA/MSIB programs require intermediate level proficiency),and Thunderbird(Track1program).Florida Inter-national University was planning an exit foreign language requirement.In general,CIBER insti-
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tutions provide instruction in critical foreign lan-guages needed to promote understanding of the cultures and customs of U.S.trading partners. CIBER programs include interdisciplinary pro-grams that incorporate foreign language training into the business curriculum and intensive lan-guage programs designed to enhance the inter-national skills of the business community. Thunderbird has had a foreign language re-quirement for many years.Since it opened in 1946,its graduates have left the school with the requisite4-semester minimum of foreign lan-guage courses or their equivalents.As a result, the alumni in the sample possess a certain level of foreign language proficiency and cultural knowledge.In addition,most of the respondents work in business-related areas.A few of them are employed in the public sector,as well as in edu-cation.Thunderbird alumni make good subjects for the research,given their foreign language and cultural competence,master’s degrees in in-ternational business,and typical employment in business-related fields.Presumably,many of these alumni have direct personal knowledge of whether foreign language and cultural knowl-edge have added value to their careers. Research Questions
In the business world,competitive advantage re-fers to the edge that a company or individual has over competitors.It can mean lower costs of goods and services,higher quality,better service, improved production methods,faster distribu-tion systems,more efficient information ex-change,and so forth.In terms of language and cultural knowledge,competitive advantage re-fers to the perceived and real benefits that set apart people who possess them.What experi-ences,opportunities,rewards,recognition,and personal satisfaction come to people as a result of their foreign language proficiency and cul-tural understanding?To find out,the research addressed the following questions.
1.What languages do Thunderbird graduates speak,and how did the alumni acquire their for-eign language skills and cultural competence?
2.What competitive advantage do foreign lan-guage skills and cultural competence give execu-tives at work?
3.How have companies recognized and re-warded foreign language and cultural compe-tence of alumni?
4.How do alumni use their foreign language skills and knowledge of other cultures at work?
5.What are the future plans of alumni for for-eign language and cultural study? METHODOLOGY
The Survey
The survey instrument was developed in the winter of2002and piloted in January,2003,by the school’s North American and European Alumni Councils.From the two councils,15 members offered comments and suggestions, many of which the author incorporated into the final version of the survey.Dr.Anne String-fellow,assistant professor of global business,rec-ommended https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html, as the Internet-based software program to handle survey development, delivery,and data reports.
The total alumni population from the first graduating class of1947through the class of 2002was33,053.The2,500member target group was randomly selected from Thunderbird graduates of the classes of1970through2002, with an even percentage taken from each class. With the support of Anne-Marie Nelson,Vice President of Alumni Relations,the Office of Alumni Relations provided the email addresses of these2,500alumni.On February7,2003,the author sent an email message to the alumni invit-ing them to participate in the survey.To take the survey,the respondent clicked on a link within the email that led to a Web site on the Internet. The responses were anonymous and could not be traced back to an email address.(For survey and responses,see the Appendix.)
Within5days of sending out the email link to the survey,almost500alumni had completed it. https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html, automatically tabulated the re-sults and produced detailed reports and charts as the responses came in.By the end of the10-day response period,581alumni had completed the survey.Of those respondents,246wrote addi-tional comments.After subtracting the157in-correct email addresses from the2,500sent,the 581completed surveys represented a response rate of24.8%.
Demographics of the Sample
The demographics of the2,500person sample matched those of the general alumni population well.The gender distribution of the581respon-dents mirrored that of the entire sample,with 71%male and29%female.The distribution of the respondents’ages fell into a bell curve,with about half(47%)in the35to44age group,and
Christine Uber Grosse353
about one fourth each (23%to 24%)in the 25to 34and 45to 64age ranges.Fewer than one tenth (6%)of the respondents were 55to 64years old.None was under 25or over 65(see Appendix).Every class from 1970through 2002was repre-sented in the survey,with participation ranging from a low of 0.7%of total participants from the classes of 1971,1978,and 1989,to a high of 7%from the 1991and 1993classes.
Most respondents (70%)were natives of the United States,with others coming from Europe (11%),Latin America (9%),and Asia (7%).Cor-respondingly,70%of the respondents counted English as their native language,whereas 9%claimed Spanish as their mother tongue.
Where are the alumni based?About 66%of them work in the United States,whereas 17%are based in Europe.Fewer than one tenth each work in Asia (8%)and Latin America (7%).The Thunderbird alumni office did not have ad-dresses for 18%of the alumni.(See Figure 1.)This job distribution of the respondents parallels that of the total alumni group:North America (62%);Europe,Middle East,Africa (7%);Asia/Pacific (6%);and Latin America (4%).
With respect to income,slightly over one fifth of the respondents had annual incomes in both the $75,000to $99,999(n ?125)and $100,000to $149,999(n ?135)ranges.About 15%of the respondents (n ?84)earned $50,000to $74,999per year.Just over 10%of them (n ?60)had an-nual earnings of $200,000and over.Slightly fewer than 10%of the respondents (n ?54)re-ported income in the under $50,000range or the $150,000to $199,999range (n ?53).
The respondents worked in firms of all sizes.About one third worked in large companies with over $1billion in annual sales,whereas another third was engaged in small businesses with an-nual sales of under $10million.One fifth of the respondents were employed in businesses with $10to $100million in sales.Slightly under one fifth of the respondents worked for medium-sized companies with sales between $100million and $1billion.A few worked in education and the government/nonprofit sector.
In terms of job title,the alumni held positions as manager (23%),director (15%),entrepre-neur/business owner (12%),vice president (11%),president/CEO (7%),supervisor (3%),
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FIGURE 1
Comparison of Native Region and Job Location of Respondents
and assistant manager(3%).About one fourth had other positions that were not listed in the survey.
The respondents worked in many different in-dustries,with the largest representation in bank-ing/financial services(19%),technology(11%), consulting(11%),industrial products/manufac-turing(8%),consumer products(7%),health care/pharmaceutical industry(7%),govern-ment/nonprofit(6%),and telecommunications (4%).
With respect to job function,the distribution of respondents was spread out among20functional areas.The largest groups of alumni worked in general management(13%),marketing/brand management(12%),sales/sales management (11%),business development(8%),finan-cial/investment management(7%),corporate finance(6%),consulting(6%),project manage-ment(6%),and account/relationship manage-ment(4%).The lists of industries and job func-tions used in the survey were obtained from Thunderbird’s Career Management Center. The majority(89%)of the respondents stud-ied a language while they earned their master’s degrees at Thunderbird.The rest were able to waive the language requirement due to prior knowledge or study.Four semesters or the equiv-alent in foreign language were required at Thun-derbird from1948through2002.The cur-riculum at Thunderbird focused on teaching business language from beginning to advanced levels.The courses were designed to help stu-dents develop oral and written communication skills,business vocabulary,and cultural knowl-edge.For teaching materials,the faculty used business language texts,case studies,videos, business news articles,the Internet,and corpo-rate Web sites.
RESULTS OF THE SURVEY
Research Question1
What languages do Thunderbird graduates speak, and how did the alumni acquire their foreign language skills and cultural competence?
Many graduates of Thunderbird are multilin-gual.On the survey,they were asked to indicate all foreign languages that they spoke.Survey choices were limited to the languages that were taught for years at Thunderbird:Arabic,Chi-nese,English,French,German,Japanese,Portu-guese,Russian,and Spanish.An“Other”cate-gory allowed respondents to write in languages that were not on the list.Results show that the greatest percentage of the respondents speak Spanish(50%),followed by French(37%), German(25%),Portuguese(14%),Japanese (11%),Chinese(9%),Russian(2%),and Arabic (1%).Most respondents speak several lan-guages:one foreign language(38%),two(31%), three(18%),four(9%),or five or more(3%).A higher percentage,54%,of nonnative speakers of English(NNSE)speak three or more foreign languages compared with21.3%of native speak-ers of English(NSE;see Appendix).
The respondents identified the three most im-portant sources for acquiring the one foreign language that was most helpful to them at work. Most alumni,over70%,identified living abroad as the most valuable source for learning a for-eign language.Next in importance were other school or classroom setting,Thunderbird,travel,and family or friends.A comparison the responses of NSEs and NNSEs reveals that about the same percentage(over70%)indicated that living abroad helped them learn their foreign lan-guages.A higher percentage of NSEs than NNSEs named Thunderbird as a place where they learned foreign languages(see Figure2). In their comments,several respondents em-phasized the importance of study abroad compo-nents in a university’s language program.
I believe that any Japanese language program must include a1-or2-month stay in the country after the first3months of training.
I think you have to live in the country to really learn the language.
Languages are learned in the country,in the cul-ture...if this type of environment can be created in the educational system then learning of the lan-guage is strengthened.
Research Question2
What competitive advantage do foreign language skills and cultural competence give executives at work? The majority of those surveyed responded that foreign language skills(82%)and cultural knowl-edge(89%)gave them a competitive advantage in the workplace.Over half of them(53%)claimed a significant advantage from their language skills. Another28%believed they gained some competi-tive edge,whereas18%said they received none. These figures give strong evidence of the value of foreign languages and cultural competence in the workplace.In their comments,the alumni gave examples of how foreign languages and cul-tural knowledge had benefited them and their ca-reers.Two respondents said:
Christine Uber Grosse355
Language skills and the ability to adjust to multiple cultures raise the level of effectiveness significantly.It becomes much easier to “get things done,”and lowers the stress level associated with being an expat to manageable proportions.
Language and cultural skills are mandatory for local acceptance and setting one apart in a foreign set-ting.Those that do not make an attempt to learn the language are looked down upon not only by the locals,but also by the expatriate community that has taken the time to learn the language and with it,the culture.
Data analysis suggested that the better an alum-nus knew a foreign language,the more likely it was to be helpful at work.A large percentage (64%)of the respondents self-reported a high level of proficiency in these languages.One fourth of them self-described their language com-petence as like a native ,while 40%rated them-selves as fluent in most business and social situations .Over one fourth communicate fairly well in the sec-
ond language.Only 8%reported a basic survival level,and 2%could say only a few words or phrases.A comparison of the the foreign language profi-ciency of NSEs and NNSEs reveals that both groups have about the same percentage of people who reported being fluent in most business and so-cial situations .However,48%of the NNSEs re-ported like a native in proficiency compared to just 14%of the NSEs.In addition,higher percent-ages of NSEs than NNSEs had self-reported profi-ciency at the lower three levels (see Table 1).An analysis of the survey results finds a strong relationship between reported language profi-ciency and competitive advantage (v 2?158.587,df ?8,p ?.01).Many people who reported pro-ficiency at the two higher levels,like a native and fluent in most business and social situations,re-ported that their foreign language skills have given them a significant competitive advantage at work.A number of people with language skills at the lower three levels,can communicate fairly
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FIGURE 2
How Native Speakers of English and Nonnative Speakers of English Learned Foreign Languages
well,basic survival level,and a few words or phrases, reported no competitive advantage from foreign languages.The data suggest that the better one believes he or she knows a foreign language,the more likely the language is to be helpful on the job.In addition,they suggest that the lower the reported proficiency level,the less likely a per-son is to derive a competitive advantage from the foreign language skills.See Table2for a compar-ison of foreign language proficiency and com-petitive advantage.
Several executives mentioned this relationship in their comments:
I have found that language skills are not as impor-tant in business unless one is truly fluent in the lan-guage.My language skills have never been good enough to negotiate in,but they gave me an under-standing of the people I was negotiating with,and
even a few words of the language gave the people I was doing business with some comfort that I was in-terested in them and their way of business.
I don’t speak Spanish well enough for there to have been any value or different opportunities for me. According to other comments received,the languages studied at Thunderbird did not always prove relevant to the business career.Realizing that it was impossible to predict where their ca-reers would take them,some alumni wrote about the disconnect between the language they stud-ied at Thunderbird and the language they needed in the workplace.For example,one re-spondent stated:“The reason my Thunderbird language skills were not of use during my career is because the language studied,Spanish,had no relevance to my assignments in the Middle East, Asia,and the UK.”
Christine Uber Grosse357 TABLE1
Foreign Language Proficiency of Native and Nonnative Speakers of English
Native Speaker Nonnative Speaker
Proficiency Level of English of English Total Like a Native5580135
(13.7%)(47.9%)(23.7%) Fluent in Most Business and15968227 Social Situations(39.6%)(40.7%)(39.9%) Can Communicate Fairly Well13514149
(33.6%)(8.4%)(26.2%) Basic Survival44448
(10.9%)(2.4%)(8.4%)
A Few Words/Phrases9110
(2.2%)(0.6%)(1.8%) Total402167569
(100.0%)(100.0%)(100.0%) TABLE2
Comparison of Foreign Language Proficiency and Competitive Advantage
Competitive Advantage of Foreign Languages
Proficiency Level Significant Some None Total Like a Native1051812135
(34.0%)(11.0%)(13.0%)(24.0%) Fluent in Most Business and1505717224 Social Situations(49.0%)(35.0%)(18.0%)(40.0%) Can Communicate Fairly Well456636147
(15.0%)(41.0%)(38.0%)(26.0%) Basic Survival2212346
(.01%)(13.0%)(24.0%)(8.0%) A Few Words/Phrases30710
(.01%)(0%)(.07%)(2.0%) Total Number of Respondents30516295562
(100.0%)(100.0%)(100.0%)(100.0%)
Concerning which foreign language was most helpful to alumni at work,Spanish (31%)and English (30%)got the most votes,followed by Other (10%),German (9%),French (8%),Japa-nese (5%),Chinese (3%),Portuguese (3%),Russian (1%),and Arabic (?1%).For 80%of the NNSEs,English was the most helpful foreign language at work,followed by Spanish (10%),French (2%),and German (2%;see Figure 3).Although the language they studied at Thun-derbird was not always the most useful one later on in their careers,most respondents reported that their Thunderbird language studies had been of great (17%),significant (22%),or some (29%)value.Other respondents found their studies of little value (13%),no value (9%)or they did not study a foreign language at Thunderbird (11%).The comments included criticism of and praise for their graduate school language experi-ence.Criticism generally related to a specific pro-fessor or language class taken at Thunderbird.One typical comment reflecting praise of the program was “The language classes were proba-bly the most beneficial out of all the courses I took at Thunderbird.”
It is generally believed that language study provides culture knowledge as well as language
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FIGURE 3
Comparison of Most Helpful Foreign Languages and Cultures at Work
TABLE 3
Cultures Other than Their Own with Which Respondents Are Familiar
Native Nonnative Speakers Speakers Culture
of English of English Spanish/Latin American 23762(57.4%)(36.9%)American/English 57155(13.8%)(92.3%)Other 11834(28.6%)(20.2%)German 13938(33.7%)(22.6%)French 13254(32.0%)(32.1%)Japanese 9729(23.5%)(17.3%)Chinese
8129(19.6%)(17.3%)Portuguese/Brazilian 6725(16.2%)(14.9%)Russian 2110(5.1%)(6.0%)Arabic
2712(6.5%)(7.1%)Total Respondents
413168(100.0%)
(100.0%)
proficiency.In the survey,the alumni respon-dents indicated cultures other than their own with which they were familiar (see Table 3).The largest percentage of them (52%)reported having an understanding of Spanish or Latin American cultures.Other respondents were fa-miliar with the following cultures:American or English (37%),French (32%),German (31%),Japanese (22%),Chinese (19%),Portuguese (16%),Arabic (7%),and Russian (5%).See Fig-ure 4for a comparison of languages and cultures that are familiar to the respondents..Approxi-mately equal percentages of NSEs and NNSEs (about 32%)are familiar with two cultures other than their own.
The respondents identified which cultural knowledge helped them the most at work.About a third of the NNSEs cited American or English culture,whereas over one fourth considered a knowledge of Spanish or Latin American culture to be the most valuable.The rest benefited most from their understanding of cultures related to German (9%),Japanese (8%),Chinese (8%),other cultures (8%),French (6%),Japanese (5%),Chinese (3%),Portuguese/Brazilian (1%),Arabic (1%),and Russian (1%).The majority of the respon-dents checked more than one culture.
Most of the alumni (84%)reported a high degree of familiarity with the one culture that helped them the most at work.They considered their level of familiarity with these cultures to be:like a native (28%),very familiar (56%),and some-what familiar (14%).Only 1%responded a little familiar and 0.18%were barely familiar with the culture.
The majority of the respondents (89%)re-ceived a significant or some competitive advantage at work from their cultural competence.Almost half (48%)of them gained a significant competi-tive edge,whereas 41%of them acknowledged receiving some competitive advantage.Only 11%of the participants derived no competitive advan-tage from cultural understanding.(See Figure 5.)One respondent made the following com-ment on the importance of cultural understand-ing to business:“Cultural understanding,and the enhanced cultural understanding that lan-guage studies provide,is vital to success in the in-ternational business community.”
An interesting relationship exists between in-come and competitive advantage realized from cultural knowledge (v 2?32.107,df ?12,p ?.01).Many of the respondents whose annual in-come places them in the highest categories of
Christine Uber Grosse
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FIGURE 4
Comparison of Foreign Languages Spoken and Cultural Familiarity
over $200,000(10%)and $150,000to $200,000(9%)reported a significant competitive advan-tage from their cultural knowledge.In contrast,many of those who earn $50,000to $75,000per year (15%)reported no competitive advantage from their cultural knowledge.
Another relationship worthy of note occurs be-tween job title and competitive advantage from cultural knowledge (v 2?51.880,df ?14,p ?.01).Many respondents who hold positions as president/CEO (7%),vice president (11%),and busi-ness owner/entrepreneur (12%)report a significant competitive advantage rather than some or none ,due to their cultural knowledge.
When in a Career Is Language Most Helpful?The alumni indicated when in their professional lives foreign languages have been most important,checking all responses that applied.The results show little difference in the time period when languages are most helpful.The responses were as follows:when I was hired (40%),early years (44%),mid career (33%),and currently in my career (46%).Several people commented on how their language skills helped them to get their first job:
Without my language and cultural skills,I would not have been hired for the job I have now!
Without a foreign language it would have been almost impossible for me to start a career on con-tinental Europe.My first job was with Price-waterhouseCoopers in Prague,which hired me pri-marily because of my language skills.The ability to
speak three languages is very uncommon for an American,but not so in other countries.
In their comments,several alumni reported receiving value from languages early in their ca-reers,even though they no longer use them:
My language skills truly helped me early in my ca-reer when I was working in International Banking.I have been out of the international workplace for the past 5years and have been involved exclusively in a domestic real estate development https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,nguage skills were of great value in the early part of my career.For the past 12years,I have not used foreign languages in my career.
Time Spent in International Business.Given the high percentage of alumni who acknowledged that language and cultural skills have given them a competitive advantage at work,one would ex-pect most alumni to spend a majority of their time on international business (IB).The respon-dents did not indicate this distribution of their time:About half of them spend 50%or more of their time on IB,and half spend less than 50%.Specifically,one third of them devote most their time (75%to 100%)on IB,while another third spend little time (0%to 25%)on it.
A significant relationship exists between the time spent in I
B and competitive advantage from language skills (v 2?119.022,df ?6,p ?.01)and time spent in IB and competitive advantage from cultural knowledge (v 2?100.673,df ?6,p ?.01).Many of those respondents who dedi-
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FIGURE 5
Competitive Advantage of Foreign Language Proficiency and Cultural Knowledge
cate most of their time(75%to100%)to IB re-ported a significant competitive advantage from their language and cultural skills.Conversely, many who spend only0%to25%of their time working in IB reported that they receive no com-petitive advantage from language and cultural skills(see Table4).
Another relationship exists between job loca-tion and time spent in IB(v2?46.010,df?3, p?.01).A number of respondents whose jobs are based in the United States spend0%to25% of their time on IB.Quite a few people whose jobs are located outside the United States dedi-cate75%to100%,or50%to74%of their time on IB.Higher percentages of alumni with non-U.S.-based jobs spend50%to100%of their time in IB than alumni whose jobs are based in the United States(see Table5).
One respondent commented:“Speaking Span-ish and studying and living in Latin America have made my chances of business success increase by 50%.In Latin America,it is a relationship-based business environment.”Another wrote,“Speak-ing Spanish is a MUST while living in Miami.I use it at work to speak with my co-workers in the of-fice and with co-workers and customers interna-tionally.”
Research Question3
How have companies recognized and rewarded for-eign language and cultural competence of alumni? How do companies value and reward employ-ees’foreign language skills and cultural knowl-edge?Thunderbird alumni reported that com-panies reward their foreign language skills in a variety of ways.Over half of the respondents (302)checked more than one way that their companies valued their skills,108checked two ways,and70respondents marked three ways. Fewer than one third(31%)of the respondents reported that their companies make no acknowl-edgment of value of their foreign language ex-pertise.The alumni indicated that they received the following corporate rewards and recognition for their foreign language skills:travel opportuni-ties(41%),overseas assignments(33%),written or oral recognition(30%),promotion(18%),and raise (14%).
The following comment shows how one indi-vidual’s company took advantage of his language skills.
I studied Arabic at Thunderbird.I waived the lan-guage requirement because of fluency in French and already spoke Italian.I know my language skills helped me in job interviews with banks and getting me a higher salary.I went to work for Chase Manhattan Bank in New York and was quickly as-signed to French West Africa and the Italian corre-spondent banking area because of my language skills in addition to my credit skills.
Another respondent took a dim view of how https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,panies ignore the value of languages and cultures:“I believe American firms continue to
Christine Uber Grosse361 TABLE4
Time Spent in International Business versus Competitive Advantage of Foreign Language Proficiency and Cultural Knowledge
Competitive Advantage
Time Spent in
International Business FL C FL C FL C FL C 75%–100%1481292956114188189 50%–74%535624291138888 25%–49%40332734667373 0%–25%6356801157547281218 Total Respondents30427416023410360567568
Significant Some None Total
TABLE5
Time Spent in International Business versus
Job Location
Job Location
Time Spent in Outside
International United United
Business States States Total
75%–100%10089189
(26.5%)(45.9%)(33.0%)
50%–74%484088
(12.7%)(20.6%)(15.4%)
25%–49%482674
(12.7%)(13.4%)(12.9%)
0%–25%18239221
(48.1%)(20.1%)(38.6%)
Total378194572
Respondents(100.0%)(100.0%)(100.0%)
disregard the value of foreign language study and cultural studies,and I believe American firms will continue to do so at their peril and loss.”According to the alumni responses,corporate rewards for cultural competence followed pat-terns similar to those for foreign language skills. The most common form of corporate reward for an executive’s cultural knowledge was travel oppor-tunities(39%).Other corporate forms of recogni-tion included:overseas assignments(32%),written or oral recognition(32%),promotion(18%),and raise(12%).Similar to the responses obtained in the foreign language question,over half of the re-spondents(314)checked just one way in which the company rewarded cultural skills,and109 checked two.About32%of the alumni’s compa-nies give no acknowledgment of value for cultural competence,a percentage that is close to the per-centage of companies that place no value on for-eign language competence(see Figure6).One individual had this comment concerning how companies value cultural knowledge:
Generally find that cultural awareness is critical—but is not valued by most organizations directly.It impacts by enabling one to be more effective,but
this is more of an intangible benefit that is hard to quantify and directly associate with promotions/ progression.
Many alumni described the benefits that they have derived from their knowledge of foreign language and cultures.Their additional com-ments expressed how they feel about the impor-tance of language and culture.
The benefits,though primarily intangible,of speak-ing a foreign language and understanding other cultures are not rated highly enough.I once gained the trust of a Swedish executive by speaking Spanish with him.He had spent his youth in Argentina and was more comfortable speaking Spanish than En-glish.I had a similar experience with a Japanese exec. The decision to study Japanese at Thunderbird pro-foundly changed my life,creating invaluable oppor-tunities both commercially and socially.
Many alumni reiterated the importance of know-ing another language in their comments.Some examples appear below.
Speaking more than one language is a must in to-day’s world,regardless of country of origin or field of endeavor.
362The Modern Language Journal88
(2004)
FIGURE6
Comparison of How Company Rewards Foreign Language Proficiency versus Cultural Knowledge
Learning a foreign language is extremely helpful to learning further languages as it changes or trains one’s mind set to be more open and flexible. Foreign language skills are more than understand-ing another language—they train the mind to deal with imprecise and often vague communication and information.
A strong correlation existed between an indi-
vidual’s self-reported degree of proficiency in
the foreign language or knowledge of a culture
and a company’s recognition value of these skills
(v2?70.639,df?4,p?.01).For example, many employers reward and recognize the skill
of respondents who reported that they speak a
foreign language like a native or are fluent in most
business and social situations.A number of employ-
ers of people who rated themselves at the three
lower levels of proficiency(can communicate fairly
well,basic survival level,a few words or phrases)did
not acknowledge the value of these skills.
A very strong relationship existed between
companies that reward their employees’foreign
language skills and employees who reported a
competitive advantage from these skills(v2?249.253,df?2,p?.01).Statistical results showed a similar relationship between the re-spondents whose companies value cultural knowledge and the respondents who realize a competitive advantage from their cultural knowl-edge(v2?155.381,df?2,p?.01). Although the study focused on professional competitive advantage,for many alumni,the personal advantages mattered as much,if not more.In their comments on the survey,several individuals expressed the personal enrichment that they have derived from foreign languages and cultural understanding.This satisfaction is reflected in the following comments.
Foreign languages are a labor of love and what they can return to someone is truly priceless.
While I value this knowledge in my business life,I feel that the study of language has added an incredi-ble richness to all facets of my life.There is so much of the world’s beauty that I would miss without even knowing,had I not studied language from an early age.It literally opened up entire new worlds for me. Language and cultural studies have significantly en-riched my career as well as personally and spiritu-ally.
Knowing another language is equal to gaining an-other soul in the richness and depth it adds to my life.
Their language learning and cultural under-
standing made an important difference in their
lives,not just in their professional careers.Al-though this study focused on the competitive advantage of foreign language and cultural knowledge in business,many alumni perceived benefits in other aspects of their lives as well. Research Question4
How do alumni use their foreign language skills and knowledge of other cultures at work?
The survey respondents use their language at work for different purposes including:conversa-tion(81%),meetings(62%),email(59%),presenta-tions(52%),negotiations(47%)and reports(37%). Many respondents(171)checked all six items, whereas137of them checked only one item. Only14%of the respondents don’t use foreign language at work.
Most alumni also indicated ways in which their cultural knowledge has helped them at work, checking the multiple ways that applied:(a) feel comfortable with people and culture(86%), (b)understand the business environment (77%),(c)gain respect and credibility(65%), (d)function better in country(66%),(e)reduce chance for misunderstanding(68%),(f)work on multinational teams(56%),and(g)enhance negotiation success(53%).About30%of the re-spondents(177)checked all seven ways.Only 5.5%responded that their cultural knowledge has not helped them at work.
There is considerable variation in how often the respondents use their foreign language skills at work.Slightly over half use their skills daily (38%)or frequently(13%),whereas slightly fewer than half work with foreign language occasionally (15%),seldom(21%),or never(13%).In their comments,several alumni explained that their responses to the survey did not reflect accurately how much they valued their languages.For ex-ample,although they replied to survey questions that they did not use a foreign language or cul-tural knowledge often at work,if at all,they stated that they still valued these skills,as seen in the following comments.
Though I don’t often use my language skills cur-rently,at work they know I can,and that sets me apart.Actually,it makes me part of the club,be-cause many of us here have knowledge of other lan-guages and cultures.
Although I have not directly used my Chinese in my career,it does not diminish the value I place on it or the value of understanding culture and language along with business.
I believe that language skills are very valuable and will become only more so.It has not affected my ca-
Christine Uber Grosse363
reer because I am an entrepreneur/President.I wish my language skills were better and that I had the opportunity to use a foreign language more of-ten.
My language skills are extremely valuable to me per-sonally.Unfortunately,I have not had an opportu-nity to utilize them in my career.That does not mean,however,that I don’t believe language skills are important.I would study more if I could.Although I don’t frequently use my Spanish lan-guage skills,the knowledge of another language greatly enhances my credibility with all foreign counterparts and clients.
Foreign language skills do not play a large role in my CURRENT daily job responsibilities.However,language and cultural skills have and will increase my chances for rapid advancement as my company looks for senior management candidates.
In contrast to the application of language skills,how often do the Thunderbird alumni use their cultural knowledge?Most alumni reported regu-lar use:either daily (44%)or frequently (26%).An-other 17%said they apply it only occasionally .The minority apply their cultural knowledge seldom (8%)or never (4%)on the job.According to these
results,the respondents tend to use cultural knowledge more often than foreign language skills at work.
Unless you work abroad,https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,panies do not value foreign language skills.Even then they expect everyone else to speak English.Having said that,I still value that I speak and understand other cul-tures.
I would say that language skills are most useful in a career https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,nguage skills are not appreciated as much in the U.S.In my career,when I was work-ing in the U.S.my ability to speak Japanese was treated as an interesting skill,but it was a very rare situation where it actually made a difference in my job.Within https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,panies,I have never seen ability to speak a foreign language result in better pay.
See Figure 7for a comparison of frequency of use of foreign languages and cultural knowledge at work.
Research Question 5
What are the future plans of alumni for foreign lan-guage and cultural study?
Almost half the respondents (47%)had no
364
The Modern Language Journal 88
(2004)
FIGURE 7
Frequency of Use of Foreign Languages and Cultural Knowledge
plans to study another foreign language or to improve their existing skills over the next12 months.In contrast,29%of them planned on studying another language,while24%were con-sidering doing so.Job location had no signifi-cant relationship to their plans to study another foreign language(v2?4.056,df?2,p?.01). Some alumni commented on the reasons behind their plans.
It will be next to impossible in the next decade to use the opportunities arising in markets such as China,without thorough preparation and immer-sion in the language and culture.
I personally feel language is the most important of the skill set enhanced at Thunderbird.I am cur-rently studying Italian intensely for my current job. Which language would these alumni study next for business purposes if they had time?Chinese re-ceived the most votes(25%),followed by Spanish (20%).Other participants would prefer to study French(9%),German(8%),Portuguese(8%),Japa-nese(8%),Russian(4.5%),and Arabic(4.5%). Only9%of the respondents selected none.The re-sponses of the NSE and NNSE groups followed much the same patterns.Similar percentages of NSEs and NNSEs preferred to study Chinese, Spanish,French,Japanese,Russian,and Arabic (see Table6).
When asked which culture they would study for business if they had the time,the alumni made similar choices.Again,the most popular selec-tions were Chinese(30%),and Spanish/Latin Amer-ican(17%).Others preferred to study Japanese (10%),Portuguese/Brazilian(7%),Arabic(6%), French(6%),Russian(5%),and German(3%). About12%of the alumni responded none,indi-cating that they would not study another culture. Similar percentages of NSEs and NNSEs indi-cated that they would study Chinese,French,Por-tuguese/Brazilian,and Russian if they had time (see Table7).
FUTURE RESEARCH
The present survey could be replicated with the alumni of other institutions to compare re-sults.Additional questions for future research might include:What types of preparation did alumni find most useful in their lives after gradu-
Christine Uber Grosse365
TABLE6
Foreign Languages that Respondents Would
Like to Learn
Native Region
of Respondent
Outside
Foreign United United Language States States Total Chinese9844142
(24.4%)(25.3%)(24.7%) Spanish8034114
(20.0%)(19.5%)(19.8%) French361450
(9.0%)(8.0%)(8.7%) German252247
(6.2%)(12.6%)(8.2%) Japanese311445
(7.7%)(8.0%)(7.8%) Portuguese35944
(8.7%)(5.2%)(7.7%) Russian19726
(4.7%)(4.0%)(4.5%) Arabic17926
(4.2%)(5.2%)(4.5%) None371350
(9.2%)(7.5%)(8.7%) Other23831
(5.7%)(4.6%)(5.4%) Total401174575 Respondents(100.0%)(100.0%)(100.0%)TABLE7
Cultures that Respondents Would Like to
Learn About
Native Region
of Respondent
Outside
United United
Culture States States Total Chinese11853171
(29.9%)(31.4%)(30.3%) Spanish/Latin623597 American(15.7%)(20.7%)(17.2%) Japanese322254
(8.1%)(13.0%)(9.6%) Portuguese/291039 Brazilian(7.3%)(5.9%)(6.9%) French231235
(5.8%)(7.1%)(6.2%) Arabic28727
(7.1%)(4.1%)(4.8%) Russian20727
(5.1%)(4.1%)(4.8%) German8816
(2.0%)(4.7%)(2.8%) None551267
(13.9%)(7.1%)(11.9%) Other20323
(5.1%)(1.8%)(4.1%) Total395169564 Respondents(100.0%)(100.0%)(100.0%)
ation?Which aspects of foreign language study were more effective than others?How well does a particular language program develop its stu-dents’sensitivity to the behaviors required to dis-play cultural acumen in business interactions? One could also conduct a survey among man-agers working in different cultures in a variety of areas such as sales,finance,marketing,logistics, and brand management in order to gain spe-cific examples of language use at different levels. How do people in business use their foreign lan-guages?What tasks do they perform with native speakers or others who speak the language?How does speaking a foreign language in a business culture affect one’s ability to network socially in the target language?
WAKE–UP CALL FOR U.S.BUSINESS
A number of alumni comments pointed out the blind spots of https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,panies toward the competitive advantages of foreign language and cultural knowledge.Their remarks issue a wake-up call for business.
Despite https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,panies saying they are global or in-dicating they want to move to be global,most man-agement does not fully appreciate and/or value the importance of“understanding other cultures to be truly successful.”Many managers give lip service to wanting to understand other cultures,because that is the thing to say,but that is not a true interest. Companies thus sub-optimize without really know-ing it.
The greater part of my professional career was in Europe,where language skills are not an advantage, but a requirement for anyone attempting to pursue a business career.My experience in the U.S.Corpo-rate world is that language skills are a benefit at the time of hire,but play very little part in decisions re-garding promotions and surprisingly little in obtain-ing foreign assignments.Of the50or so U.S.expats working in a European headquarters where I was employed,NONE spoke any European language (except English)at a functional level.
I have found that,unfortunately,https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,panies would prefer to send a non foreign language-speak-ing,non cross-culturally trained employee who was perceived as either knowing the business or who was politically connected WITHIN the company,than send someone trained for an international position.
I watched this take place again and again with my clients.Then they would wonder why they did not get the results they expected.In my opinion,this lack of regard for cultural and linguistic under-standing really underscores the arrogance of most U.S.businesses that“hey,they want to do business with us,then...they better learn to speak English!”
Given the tightness of the job market and the state of the global economy,the competitive ad-vantage of foreign languages and cultural knowl-edge could help MBA students and others in their careers.More graduate and undergraduate business programs should consider adding for-eign language and cultural studies to the curric-ulum,in addition to sending students abroad for study or internships.
And contrary to the belief that“all you need is English to do international business,”the find-ings here indicate that business people derive professional benefits from knowing another lan-guage and culture.The majority of the581Thun-derbird alumni attested to the competitive ad-vantage that they received from their language and cross-cultural skills.Many of them also men-tioned personal advantages that they gained from their knowledge.The results applied to men and women working in the United States and overseas,at all stages of their careers. CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion,the Thunderbird alumni spoke out on the value of language and cultural knowl-edge in business.
Having specialized in consumer marketing,it is ab-surd to believe that one can competently lead and/ or consult without an in-depth understanding of the language and culture in which communications are being crafted!
At senior international business levels,English is spoken by everyone,but the knowledge of a second language—especially by an American—adds credi-bility when working at an international level. While I do not use a foreign language to communi-cate while at work,the learning of another language and culture has helped me to communicate with people of various cultures,nationalities,and even disparate scientific disciplines at work,which I do on a daily basis.
Over80%of the respondents to this survey indicated that their foreign language skills and cultural knowledge have benefited them in their careers.Half of them acknowledged that their knowledge of foreign languages and cultures has given them a significant competitive advantage in business.Only18%derived no competitive ad-vantage from their foreign language skills.Even fewer(11%)of them gained no advantage from their cultural competence.
In this survey,proficiency levels in foreign lan-guage and degree of familiarity with culture are related to perceived competitive advantage.The
366The Modern Language Journal88(2004)
more proficient,the more likely the respondent is to have received a competitive advantage.The same relationship exists between proficiency level and how much the company values the foreign language and cultural knowledge.The better the employee knows the language and cul-ture,the more likely the company is to recognize and reward those skills. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author thanks Anne-Marie Nelson,Vice Presi-dent of the Office of Alumni Affairs at Thunderbird, for her support and encouragement throughout this project.The author also appreciates the assistance of the North American and European Alumni Council members who pilot tested the survey and gave valuable feedback.Special thanks go to the581alumni who took the survey and to the246people who wrote in ad-ditional comments.Allan Lin,Thunderbird research assistant,generously provided invaluable assistance throughout this project.The author gratefully ac-knowledges the advice of Anne Stringfellow,Robert Grosse,and Adrian Tschoegl on survey design and https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,.Special thanks to Georgia Lessard, Graphics Design Specialist,for assistance with docu-ment design.Finally,the author appreciates the help of graduate assistants Svetla Novoselska and Lade Dada.The author also thanks the Thunderbird Re-search Center for financial support of the project. REFERENCES
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Christine Uber Grosse367
368The Modern Language Journal88(2004) APPENDIX
Survey Instrument
Dear Thunderbird Alumnus:
You have been selected to participate in a Thunderbird-sponsored research project on the competitive advantage of foreign language and cultural knowledge in international business.This study is sponsored by the Thunderbird Research Center and the Office of Alumni Relations.The survey asks how your knowledge of foreign language and other cultures has affected your business career.
We are surveying a random sample of Thunderbird alumni from the classes of1970–2002.No previous study has looked at the effect of language and cultural knowledge on business careers.Your responses are very important.
Survey results will be presented at the CIBER(Center for International Business Education Research)Conference in Miami in April2003,and submitted for publication in a leading academic journal.
Please click on the link https://www.doczj.com/doc/043858910.html,/akira/TakeSurvey?id?5713to fill out the survey.Your re-sponses are strictly anonymous,and cannot be linked to you or your email address.It should take just5–10minutes to com-plete.Please respond by February17,2003.
Thank you for your participation in this study.The survey results will be posted on MTB.
Survey
1.What is your native language?
Arabic6 1.02% Chinese9 1.53% English41370.36% French16 2.73% German16 2.73% Japanese8 1.36% Portuguese9 1.53% Russian40.68% Spanish539.03% Other539.03% 2.I am a native of
United States40670.36% Africa20.35% Asia38 6.59% Australia/New Zealand10.17% Canada50.87% Europe6411.09% Latin America529.01% Middle East9 1.56% 3.What foreign language(s)do you speak?Check all that apply.
Arabic13 1.07% Chinese50 4.12% English18815.49% French21517.71% German14612.03% Japanese62 5.11% Portuguese80 6.59% Russian29 2.39% Spanish28823.72% Other14311.78% 4.Which foreign language has helped you the most at work?
Arabic30.54% Chinese18 3.23% English16629.80% French427.54% German508.98% Japanese30 5.39%
Christine Uber Grosse369 Portuguese16 2.87% Russian6 1.08% Spanish17130.70% Other559.87% 5.How well do you speak this foreign language?
Like a native13523.73% Fluent in most business&social situations22739.89% Can communicate fairly well14926.19% Basic survival level488.44%
A few words or phrases10 1.76%
6.At what point(s)in your career was this foreign language most helpful to you?
Check all that apply.
When I was hired23224.55% Early years25827.30% Mid career19020.11% Currently in my career26528.04% 7.How did you learn the foreign language?Check the3most important sources.
Family88 6.14% Friends83 5.79% Thunderbird27018.83% Other school or classroom setting34123.78% Travel16611.58% Living abroad41228.73% Other74 5.16% 8.What culture(s)other than your own are you very familiar with?Check all
that apply.
American/English21214.87% Arabic39 2.73% Chinese1107.71% French18613.04% German17712.41% Japanese1268.84% Portuguese/Brazilian92 6.45% Russian31 2.17% Spanish/Latin American29920.97% Other15410.80% 9.Of all the cultures that you are familiar with,which one has been the most
valuable in your career?
American/English17932.02% Arabic6 1.07% Chinese437.69% French31 5.55% German519.12% Japanese458.05% Portuguese/Brazilian7 1.25% Russian50.89% Spanish/Latin American14826.48% Other447.87% 10.How familiar are you with this culture?
Like a native15828.42% Very familiar31155.94% Somewhat familiar8014.39%
A little familiar6 1.08%
Barely familiar10.18% 11.My job is based in
United States38166.61% Africa40.70% Asia478.22% Australia/New Zealand30.52% Canada30.52% Europe9516.61%
370The Modern Language Journal88(2004) Latin America37 6.47% Middle East20.35% 12.How often do you use your foreign language skills at work?
Daily21938.42% Frequently7613.33% Occasionally8414.74% Seldom11720.53% Never7412.98% 13.How often do you use your understanding of other culture(s)at work?
Daily25544.35% Frequently15026.09% Occasionally10017.39% Seldom488.35% Never22 3.83% 14.How much of a competitive advantage have your foreign language skills given you
on the job?
Significant30653.40% Some16328.45% None10418.15% 15.How have you used your foreign language skills at work?Check all that apply.
Conversation46822.45% Presentations30214.48% Email34416.50% Meetings35917.22% Reports21710.41% Negotiations27413.14% Don’t use80 3.84% Other41 1.97% 16.How has the company valued your foreign language skills?Check all that apply.
Written or oral recognition17517.11% Raise828.02% Promotion10610.36% Travel opportunities23923.36% Overseas assignment19018.57% No acknowledgment of value17817.40% Other53 5.18% 17.How has your knowledge of other culture(s)helped you at work?Check all that apply.
Feel comfortable with people and culture50118.00% Understand business environment44616.02% Work on multinational teams32611.71% Gain respect and credibility37813.58% Function better in country38413.79% Reduce chance for misunderstanding39414.15% Enhance negotiation success31011.14% Has not helped32 1.15% Other130.47% 18.How has the company valued your cultural knowledge?Check all that apply.
Written or oral recognition18518.48% Raise717.09% Promotion10610.59% Travel opportunities22722.68% Overseas assignment18418.38% No acknowledgment of value18718.68% Other41 4.10% 19.How much competitive advantage has your cultural knowledge given you in your career?
Significant27848.26% Some23741.15% None6110.59% 20.If I had time to learn another language for business,it would be
Arabic26 4.50% Chinese14324.74%
mba企业社会实践报告 导语：MBA是工商管理硕士的一种专业硕士学位，与一般硕士研究生有所不同。首先是培养目标不同，MBA是培养能够胜任工商企业和经济管理部门高层管理工作需要的务实型、复合型和应用型高层次管理人才，而其他硕士研究生是培养具有扎实理论基础和较强的科研和教学能力的高层次科研型和教学型人才。 大学生社会实践活动是全面推进素质教育的重要环节，是适应新世纪社会发展要求，培养全面发展型人才的需要，是加强集体主义，爱国主义，社会主义教育，升华思想的有效途径。积极投身社会实践，深入群众，了解社会，增长才干，是青年学生成长成才的正确道路，是青年学生运用所学知识技能，发挥聪明才智，积极为社会作贡献的重要途径。 我在酷热中迎来了作为大学生的第一个暑假，也满怀激情地参加了暑期社会实践活动。作为一个大学生有别于中学生就在于他更重视培养学生的实践能力，在注重素质教育的今天，社会实践活动一直被视为高校培养德、智、体、美、劳全面发展的新世纪优秀人才的重要途径。 暑期社会实践活动是学校教育向课堂外的一种延伸，也是推进素质教育进程的重要手段。它有助于当代大学生接触社会，了解社会。同时实践也是大学生学习知识，锻炼才干的有效途径，回报社会的一种良好形式。
从7月13号开始，我在瑞安市康王液化模制厂进行了工商管理实践工作。在实践中，我在企业指导老师的热心指导下，积极参与企业日常管理相关工作，注意把书本上学到的工商管理理论知识对照实际工作，用理论知识加深对实际工作的认识，用实践验证所学的工商管理理论，探求日常管理工作的本质与规律。简短的实践生活，既紧张，又新奇，收获也很多。通过这次的社会实践，()使我对日常管理工作有了深层次的感性和理性的认识。 我实践的企业是瑞安市康王液化模制厂，是以摩配、各种零件等为主要经营项目的私人企业，企业现有正式职工100余名，先进的工程技术装备20余台;拥有1000多平方米的工厂。虽说麻雀虽小但也五脏俱全，这里分销售部，管理部，业务部，财务部，后勤组等，分工也很明确。我实习是在管理部，这里日常人工的管理和调配都有我们部管理。实践中，我采用了看、问等方式，对康王液化模制厂的日常管理工作的开展有了进一步的了解，分析了企业业务开展的特点、方式、运作规律。 在实习中，我在企业指导老师的热心指导下，积极参与企业日常管理相关工作，注意把书本上学到的工商管理理论知识对照实际工作，用理论知识加深对实际工作的认识，用实践验证所学的工商管理理论，探求日常管理工作的本质与规律。简短的实习生活，既紧张，又新奇，收获也很多。通
企业财务管理调查报告 我于2016年8月1日到8月10日对三家企业进行了“企业财务管理”问卷调查，本次调查的目的是了解企业的岗位设计，营运资金、投资、融资管理，财务分析以及企业会计电算化等的现状，找出存在的问题并提出可行的建议。现将调查情况总结如下： 调查单位的情况 此次调查由于地域限制，只能选取中小企业作为调查对象，但是三家调查单位分别属于餐饮业、邮政业、零售业，行业代表性比较明显。 调查内容 我们将企业的岗位设计，营运资金、投资、融资管理，财务分析状况等作为调查内容，具体包括： （1）岗位设计情况包括：是否设立独立的财务机构，会计、出纳岗位是否分设。 （2）营运资金管理情况包括：现金结算是否日清月结，资金需求量的预测方法，赊销政策与收账政策等。
（3）融资管理情况包括：企业的资金来源渠道，筹资方式。 （4）投资管理情况包括：项目决策时，是否进行充分地调研、分析，有无健全的审批机制。 （5）财务分析情况包括：企业进行财务分析的频率，进行财务分析时注重的方面以及选取的财务指标。 （6）财务预算情况包括：财务预算编制的内容及编制方法。 （7）纳税筹划情况包括：是否进行纳税筹划，效果如何，有来自哪方面的阻力。 （8）会计电算化情况包括：是否进行会计电算化。 调查结果 被调查者从事财务工作的占66.67%，从事销售与采购工作的占33.33%，职称在中级以上的占66.67%。这些情况表明，被调查者工作经验比较丰富、阅历较深、思想较成熟，对财务管理重要性及本企业财务管理措施的认识与体会比较到位，能比较可靠地
保证本次问卷调查的效度。 在三家中小企业中： （1）设立独立的财务机构的2家，占调查户数的66.67%；会计、出纳岗位分设的1家，占调查用户的33.33%。 （2）现金结算做到日清月结的2家，占调查用户的66.67%；资金需求量的预测方法均采用定性预测法；收账政策均采用积极催收；有明确内部牵制制度的1家，占调查用户的33.33%；帐物分管，有明确分管制度的1家，占调查用户的33.33%。 （3）企业的资金来源渠道均以银行资金和企业资金为主，筹资方式则以银行借款和自有资金为主。 （4）项目决策时，进行充分地调研、分析，有健全的审批机制的1家，占调查用户的33.33%。 （5）企业均定期进行财务分析，2家一季度一次，占66.67%，1家半年一次，占33.33%；进行财务分析时，3家企业均关注收入、利润分析和成本控制，1家关注风险分析和现金流量，占调查用户的33.33%；常用的财务指标中，3家均选择利润总额和税后利
麦可思研究院调查编著的《2014中国大 学生就业报告》 麦可思2014年中国大学生就业报告 2014年中国大学生就业报告（共155页） 学校不正干，市场说了算！四川那个师傅看的是学校，我看市场。 一、中国高等教育社会需求数量年度指标 2013届就业率较高的主要本科专业（前50位） 2013届就业率较低的主要本科专业（前10位） 2013届就业率较高的主要高职高专专业（前50位）2013届就业率较低的主要高职高专专业（前10位） 二、专业就业质量年度指标 2013届平均月收入最高的50个主要本科专业 2010届毕业三年后薪资较高的主要本科专业（前10位）2013届薪资较低的主要本科专业（前10位）
2010届毕业三年后薪资较低的主要本科专业（前10位）2013届平均月收入最高的50个主要高职高专专业 2010届毕业三年后薪资较高的主要高职高专专业（前10位）201 3届薪资较低的主要高职高专专业（前10位） 2010届毕业三年后薪资较低的主要高职高专专业（前10位）2013届较2012届薪资增长较快的主要本科专业类（前5位）2013届较2012届薪资增长较快的主要高职高专专业类（前5位）2010届三年内薪资增长较快的主要本科专业类（前10位）2010届三年内薪资增长较快的主要高职高专专业类（前10位）2013届半年后就业满意度较高的主要本科专业（前50位）2013届半年后就业满意度较低的主要本科专业（前10位）2010届三年后就业满意度较高的主要本科专业（前10位）2010届三年后就业满意度较低的主要本科专业（前10位）2013届半年后就业满意度较高的主要高职高专专业（前50位）2013届半年后就业满意度较低的主要高职高专专业（前10位）2010届三年后就业满意度
市场调研行业比较 一、中国市场调研行业现状 20世纪八十年代中后期以来，市场调研行业在中国内地诞生发展。据估计，目前中国有市场调研机构1500家，形成一定规模的有400至500家，规模较大、实际运转良好的有50家，且都集中在北京、上海、广州三个城市。2003年行业总营业额达到30亿元人民币，比2002年增加20％，占世界调研市场总营业额的1.6％。从世界调研市场占有率来看，我国市场调研业的总营业额很小。但与GDP的增长比例相比较，市场调研行业表现出强劲的增长态势。 中国调研业发展的亮点之一，是2004年我国首次推出调查分析师资格认证。它是中国十大职业资格认证之一。从目前的状况看，不少市场调研机构提供的市场信息的层次和深度，以及信息的可靠性和有效性往往达不到要求，究其原因，主要还是缺少调查分析的专业人才。调查分析师资格认证，有助于提高整个行业队伍的业务素质和学历层次，提高调查与分析的质量与效率，促进行业专业化进程。 市场调研是一个新兴行业，还存在许多不足，亟待完善和发展。因此，有必要对市场调研行业在国际上和我国的发展作一比较和分析，使中国市场调研行业更加科学化、专业化、国际化，这也是我国今后市场调研行业的发展趋势。 二、中国市场调研行业比较分析 在发达市场经济国家，市场调研行业已经有近100年的发展历史，到如今已相当成熟。中国与国外先进的市场调研行业差距很大，跨国市场调研机构与内地市场调研机构相比，也出现明显的整体优势。从行业内部来看，目前在中国内地的市场调研机构，按组成方式不同，可分为四类：民营机构、国有企业和政府机关主办机构、跨国机构、学术研究和新闻单位创办机构。跨国机构占领了国内调研市场的大部分市场份额。形成这种力量对比悬殊的局面，主要有三方面的原因： 1、市场调研机构的客户需求。外资调研公司拥有较雄厚的资金及外资背景，业务覆盖面较广，而且能直接得到跨国公司的客源，客源相对比较充足。相比之下，我国市场调研公司的业务范围主要集中在国内的几个大城市，其销售额主要来源于外资、合资企业，顾客市场规模还是比较少。 2、市场调研机构的形式。按市场调研工作的性质分，在中国的跨国市场调研机构大体上可分两类。一类是市场上独立的调研企业，包括了各种调研组织如广告代理商、定制或专项调研企业、辛迪加服务企业等；另一类是企业自己的营销调研部门。目前，国内市场调研机构主要集中在“定制或专项调研服务”和“现场服务”两个层面上。定制调研是目前我国本土调研业业务最集中的领域。我国虽有1500多家调研机构从事此项业务，但调研规模和范围要小得多，业务范围主要集中在国内的几个大城市，极少有国内公司的业务范围扩展至境外。而更多的小公司多是属于“现场服务公司”，主要接受国外企业或国内同行的委托，经营转包业务。 3、市场调研机构的专业技术水平。外资调研公司有强大的国际技术背景，有母公司带来比较成熟的经营管理模式，在操作上比较规范和科学。他们在人力资源上的投入也比较大，较好的薪酬福利待遇与发展平台，有良好的培训机制，往往能吸引高素质的人才。公司内的专业化分工也比较明确。国内很多调研公司经验不足，从业人员专业素质不高。一方面，对某个市场或某个领域的基本知识或基本的市场敏感度都不具备的情况下，进行市场研究很困难。另一方面，很多目前在国内研究领域流行的模型都是从国外直接照搬来的，缺乏在国内应用的经验，更不用说是否进行过基于国内市场环境的二次加工。 从行业的外部环境来看： （1）行业规范和行业自律。发达国家的市场调研行业在经过产生、发展、成熟、再发展的成长过程中，不断提升，不断规范，已经形成了较成熟的行业规范。中国市场调研行业目前缺乏一个完整的管理制度。中国市场研究需求增长很快，但是研究规范、行业自律的发展速度都没有充分满足市场的需求。（2）企业和消费者的市场调研观念。在国外，“决策前先调查”的观念深入各个企业。而我国一些企业尤其是传统的国有企业还没有完整的现代企业营销观念，对流动、复杂、多变的信息缺乏敏感。中国的企业很多还是靠感觉营销，也就不像国外的企业先把市场上非常具体的数据统计出来，利用数据说话，进行科学决策。此外，中国消费者对市场调研缺乏一种健康的认识。消费者在接受满意度调查时，
关于mba社会实践报告范文 中国石油大学（华东） MBA管理实践报告内容写作规范 从事企业和社会实践活动，撰写管理实践报告，是培养MBA学员管理实践能力的有效途径。根据《中国石油大学（华东）工商管理硕士（MBA）培养方案》，为了加强学生管理实践能力的训练，在校学习期间，MBA学员每年应完成一个解决实际问题的分析报告。为了帮助和指导学员从事社会实践，合格地完成管理实践报告撰写，就报告的内容构成和写作方法问题，制定本规范。 一份完整的管理实践报告，应由报告概要、企业及个人职责简介、问题的提出、文献总结、研究方法、数据分析、结论和备选方案、方案的实施、回顾和反思、参考文献、附录共十一个部分构成。各部分的主要内容、问题、相关的方法和写作注意事项分述如下。 一、报告概要 本部分为整个报告的高度概括，目的是以最精炼的语言让读者了解报告的核心内容及结论。本部分内容应对如下问题做出回答：本报告中希望解决的管理问题是什么？（1-2句话概括，限于篇幅，应只考虑一个管理问题，比如：研究解决本企业战略执行不利的问题；或：营销团队薄弱的问题??等等）。本报告最终的结论是什么？（2-3句话概括，比如：通过实施新的绩效工资系统，比较有效地解决了生产效率较低，员工激励不足的问题；或：通过引入新的管理信息系统，
在企业内建立了高效的业务流程管理体系??等等） 二、企业及个人职责简介 本部分是为整个报告提供背景材料，应概括性地介绍。对于和本报告意图解决的管理问题有关的部分，可做重点介绍。本部分不宜过长，不应通过罗列大量企业介绍内容来充斥篇幅。本部分应对以下问题做出回答： 企业简介 企业在什么行业，做什么业务 简要历史 企业特点和优势、问题 如果有的话，可以简要介绍一下愿景、使命、战略目标和价值观等 相关机构、流程介绍，比如：如果本文讨论的是解决制定战略方面的问题，就应该对企业战略制定的流程、责任单位和现状作一个简要介绍；又比如：如果讨论的是人员激励问题，就应该对企业现有的业绩评估方式、现有的激励机制、表现出来的相关问题等，作一个简要介绍。 ??? 本人职责简介：担任什么职位、工作责任包括哪些、下属的部门或岗位人员包括哪些？ 三、问题的提出 本文希望解决的管理问题是什么（应该和概要部分提出的问题
关于财务管理调查 报告
河北广播电视大学 社会实践报告评审表题目： xxxx财务管理调查报告 姓名 xx 教育层次开放教育专科 学号 xx分校 xx 专业会计教学点 xx 指导教师 xx 日期 .9
目录 一、概况 (1) 二、实践调查的目的 (1) 三、实践调查的内容与过程 (1) 四、实践调查的结果 (2) 五、实践调查的总结与体会 (3) （一）改进建议 (4) （二）调查体会 (5) 参考文献: (6)
关于xxx财务管理的调查报告 一、概况 xx建于4月，有员工三十余人，质检员2人，高级技工4人，中级技工7人，初级工4人，从管理人员到维修技工均来自各4S店。恒强汽车修理厂属于二类维修企业，设备齐全，拥有业务接待室，客户休息室，维修厂房，停车场。企业管理制度完善，实行车辆进出厂制度，客户回访制度，车辆接待结算电脑管理，能优质进行各类车型的维修作业，如发动机、底盘、空调、钣金、油漆、24小时服务等业务。恒强汽车修理厂遵循守法经营、诚信经营、尊重客户。以规范化的服务，现代化的设备，高技术的员优惠的价格来给客户用心服务。企业坚持以车辆维修服务为主营业务，以市场为向导，坚持“顾客至上，质量第一，用心服务”的经营宗旨，在创立一流设施和服务质量的同时，注重提高企业服务的整体素质，执行工艺规范操作，严格维修质量检验，符合管理标准的要求。坚持以顾客为中心，狠抓质量求生存，不断提高顾客满意度。 二、实践调查的目的 提高我们的实际应用水平.在实践过程中，使我们能够系统地练习企业会计核算的基本程序和具体方法，加强对所学专业理论知识的理解、实际操作的动手能力,提高运用会计基本技能的水平，也是对所学专业知
中国青年就业调查报告公布 《中国首次青年就业状况调查报告》日前公布。本次调查由全国青联及劳动和社会保障部劳动科学研究所联合进行。调查共选取7000个青年样本和220个企业样本。调查对象为15岁至29岁的青年以及他们的雇主。昨天，记者在采访本次调查的主要负责人、劳动科学研究所副研究员张丽宾时获悉，青年失业率为9％，高于社会平均水平；政府部门和国企为青年就业首选，失业青年大部分为长期失业。失业率青年高于社会平均水平 本次调查显示，15岁至29岁的中国青年总体失业率9％，高于中国目前6．1％左右的社会平均失业率。张丽宾说：“就全世界而言，青年失业率一般都高于社会的平均失业率。因此，青年就业问题也成为社会的重要问题。” 为什么青年失业率如此高？报告指出，中国劳动力人口数量庞大对就业造成了巨大压力。中国每年新增劳动人口在XX万上下。由于教育容量有限，每年需要就业的新增劳动人口则在1000万至1600万之间。由于青年缺乏工作经验，在劳动力市场上竞争力不强。在劳动力市场供大于求的情况下，青年就业问题愈发突出，表现为高于平均水平的失业率。22
岁前就业，15％先失业 调查显示，80％的青年在17岁至23岁之间初次进入劳动力市场，另有13％的青年在16岁以前进入劳动力市场。只有2％的青年在26岁以后才进入劳动力市场。 值得关注的是，在22岁以前进入劳动力市场的青年中，有一部分人首先要经历失业的过程，这一比例约为15％；而此后进入劳动力市场的青年则几乎没有人一开始就经历失业。 张丽宾表示，这一原因主要是因为22岁以前的青年就业经验、就业渠道少造成的。72％失业青年长期失业 失业一年以上的长期失业者占72％。失业者在求职时，超过60％的失业青年认为最大的困难是文化水平低。但只有13％左右的人员在失业期间进行了学习培训，多数人只是呆在家里、找工作或者做些家务杂活。 失业青年中，职业中等教育水平的青年（37％）和初中文化水平的青年（30％）比重最高，高中、大专生的比例均为13％，大学生的比例为5％。相对于此次被调查青年的文
mba社会实践报告 篇一:MBA社会实践报告 北京现代自成立以来，始终高度重视企业文化建设，逐步确定了“为中国人民的幸福生活创造一片美好的蓝天”的企业最高价值，“追求卓越品质，共创幸福生活”的企业宗旨以及“三个最好，达到三个满意”的企业理念。特别是在北京现代艰苦创业中，凝练和积淀了具有传承和创新相结合的“奋力拼搏、团结协作、知难而进、志在必得”的企精神，被誉为北京汽车精神，彰显了北京现代在精神层面对北京汽车工业的贡献。随后在接待人员的带领下同学们来到了现代汽车公司四大车间中最大的一个车间--总装车间。一进入车间大门，展现在我们眼前的是一幅热火朝天的情景:长长的汽车流水线上，一辆辆半成品的汽车缓慢的移动，每个岗位的工人都在忙碌地给汽车或是加上方向盘、轮胎、或是上几个螺丝、或是敲敲打打。据介绍，这条生产线是北京目前最长的一条生产线。其全自动化操作，精确的计算以及准确的管理，让身为MBA学习中的我们赞叹不断。同学们认真的参加，并根据平时所学向讲解人员提出了很多问题，讲解人员也都一一耐心作答。在生产线的尽头，当我们看到一辆辆崭新的现代汽车驶出生产线，每52秒就有一辆现代汽车下线生产效率世界一流。通过此次社会实践，让我们看到了作为一家成熟的跨国集团的管理严谨，优秀的企业文化氛围，部门分工明确，大家合作有序，这些都让我们感受到在一家优秀企业中工作与成长对未来的发展是必不可少的，当然，通过在MBA学习与实践的过程中，我们也都坚信，理论与实践的必然结合，才是我们未来的发展方向。mba社会实践报告(二)大学生社会实践活动是全面推进素质教育的重要环节，是适应新世纪社会发展要求，培养全面发展型人才的需要，是加强集体主义，爱国主义，社会主义教育，升华思想的有效途径。积极投身社会实践，深入群众，了解社会，增长才干，是青年学生成长成才的正确道路，是青年学生运
成都信息工程学院 社会实践调查报告 调查题目：中国青年就业调查报告单位名称：继续教育学院 专业班级：13工商管理 姓名：张帆 指导教师：杨伶俐 二〇一四年十二月十五日
实践报告评阅意见 注：本表附在学生的实践报告之后，同实践报告共同存档
中国青年就业状况调查报告 目录 第一部分：中国青年总体状况 (1) 一、中国青年总体情况 (1) 二中国教育、培训及就业的制度和政策 (1) 三、调查执行情况 (2) 第二部分：中国青年从学校向工作过渡的总体状况评价及成因分析 (2) 一、总体评价 (2) 第三部分：中国青年就业的结论 (3) 一、从历史和发展的高度重视青年问题 (3) 二、问题首先应该从教育抓起 (3)
摘要 青年时期是人生的起步阶段，是开始进入劳动力市场的阶段。进入劳动力市场的第一步经历将会对一个人一生的劳动力市场经历产生重要影响。而这重要的第一步受方方面面因素的影响：教育经历、培训经历、个人能力、家庭背景、劳动力市场形势、经济和社会环境、雇主偏好、创业环境等。因此，把从学校向稳定正规工作过渡这一阶段作为切入点，既可以掌握青年就业的环境、存在的问题和困难，又可以掌握影响青年就业的背后因素，如教育培训能力、家庭环境等等，从而做到准确把脉，进而对症下药，以制定准确的、有针对性的政策思路和对策措施。
引言 关注青年就业问题越来越重要。首先，从长远考虑，在持续20多年的计划生育政策下，中国劳动力供给增速逐步减缓，人口老龄化加速，未来青年劳动力供给的数量和质量将对经济和社会发展起到至关重要的作用。第二，从近期着想，劳动力市场长期供求紧张，各类青年的就业问题都很突出，表现为青年失业率高、失业周期长、临时就业和不充分就业比重高、非经济活动人口增加等。在体制转型和国有企业改革中的下岗失业再就业问题逐步退出历史舞台后，青年就业问题将越来越成为中国应着力解决的就业重点和难点问题。第三，教育和培训体系与劳动力市场需求联系不紧，青年劳动力素质结构不能满足劳动力市场需要，如何破解教育培训与劳动力市场结合的问题，也是中国社会面对的难题之一。第四，中国正处于一个重大的社会变迁时代，如果青年既不能受到良好的教育和培训，又不能顺利地过渡进入职业生涯发展，不但导致整个社会人力资源的浪费，还可能会引发严重的社会问题。
中国农业大学2012级MBA 硕士研究生实习报告 姓名杜建芳学号SY1205276 导师赵冬梅 实习 单位 艾旺计算机信息网络系统(北京)有限公司 实习 时间 2013年1月~2013年7月 实习内容及完成情况 艾旺公司是一家美国的高科技软件公司，成立于1999年，投资总额2000万美元，总部位于美国弗吉尼亚洲，在中国大陆、台湾、新加坡都设有分公司，中国总部设在上海。从1997年开始，i1创业者敏锐地观察到在全球化经济中跨区域经营的企业对ERP管理软件，特别是对分销、零售、物流、财务、生产、服务和POS 等整合协同管理软件的特殊需求，并致力于解决亚洲企业在运营上的这些特殊问题，帮助亚洲企业在全球竞争的环境中运用多组织、多地点、多语言、多币种、多采购、多库存，多财务体制的整合协同管理ERP/ASP系统提高企业的效率和市场竞争力，也是亚洲企业运用多组织、多地点、多语言、多币种、多采购、多库存，多财务体制的整合协同管理ERP/ASP系统的最佳商业实践解决方案提供者。 本人于2013年1月至今在艾旺计算信息网络系统（北京）有限公司实习。在实习期间，本人担任食品事业项目总监，工作期间得到了公司上下同仁的帮助与支持。实习期间，成功地实施了二商集团下属多家企业的ERP系统，经历了从为集团企业进行信息系统的蓝图规划，项目启动、需求调研、二次开发、功能测试及项目培训、项目上线几个阶段的工作，并领导多个项目按时按质地成功上线。通过上述几个项目的实施工作，在两方面有深刻体会，一方面是信息化对于食品企业的重要性，信息化是企业经营战略的有效支撑，为企业在行业中提高其核心竞争力做出了有力保障；另一方面,从项目管理角度来说，影响IT项目成败关键因素有很多，有来自使用EPR产品的甲方，也有提供产品的乙方。在项目管理过程中，项目计划与项目执行力是项目成功的有效保障前提，同时也深深地体会到一个合格的项目总监要有良好的沟通与协调能力。 实习过程中负责的项目介绍：
对财务管理专业的就业方向 调查报告 专业名称：财务管理 系别：管理系 学号：11050745 姓名：李秀梅 2013-03-11
调查时间：2012-1-20 一、前言 大一的时候，对于我选择的财务管理专业其实没有真正有深刻地认识。当初报考财务管理也是考虑到会计专业现在处于竞争激烈的阶段，而财务管理则是做了俩手准备，自认为就业领域是更为宽广的。就我而言，一直不明白会计和财务管理专业的区别，因为我们财务管理专业和会计专业的课程是一样的。到了大二才有一点的区别，直到接下来的学期才有了大大的区别。 近年来，会计专业一直火热。会计侧重于账务处理，财务管理更侧重于成本、资金等方面的管理。大多数人都是把财务管理和会计混为一谈的，你说财务管理人家未必知道，但他会立马想到会计，我们也无从解释，反正是有很大联系的，精通财务的必定要学会计。我国企业财务系统正在逐步完善中，因此很大一部分中小企业对财务管理的看法仅仅停留在“数豆子的人”的阶段。所以对于财务管理的就业方向我们就了解的少之又少，甚至把财务管理与会计的就业方向论为一体。 根据近年现象显示，会计的基础人才很多，普通人才太多，优秀人才却是稀罕之物，这也显示了财务人才也是如此，所以我们的就业前景是不容小视的。主要在于除了选择会计职业这条最保守的道路外，我们还可以选择的财务道路。 二、调查对象及方法 调查对象是10级11级财务管理专业大学生
调查方法：信息采集法、资料分析法 三、调查的内容 （1）2011届年财务管理大学生毕业就业分布 国有企业17.77%;录取研究生 6.78%; 三资企业8.48% ; 部队 0.10%;机关 7.59%;高等学校 0.86%;医疗卫生单位 0.19%; 其他事业单位 2.12%;科研设计单位 0.48% ；其它 13.36% (2)财务管理就业渠道； 四、调查结果的分析 方向一外企或大型企业高级财务人员。财务本身是一项专 业性很强又非常稳定的职业，如果选择把财务作为职业方向，首 选的职业目标是做外企或大型企业的高级财务人员。财务高管人 才大都处于企业的核心层，他们不仅要求了解企业的经营运作， 还要在企业的经营投资方面提供建设性的意见。按照目前的经济 环境，这类公司所需要的高级财务人员一般有财务副总裁、财务 总监、财务经理、高级财务分析经理、财务主管等。当然，这些 职位对人的要求也会比较高。一般要求资质至少是在会计师以上，不少于5年的大中型企业财务管理经验等。例如，一家外企 招聘高级财务经理时的职位要求是：良好的教育背景，英语流利， 很好的沟通能力，Word、Excel熟练，娴熟的财务业务能力和管 理能力，良好的协调能力，熟悉西方会计，熟悉有关中国法律。 对于许多初级财务人员和准备走这条路的人来说，从毕业参 加工作的那一天起，就该朝这个方向去努力。不要想当然认为有
我们的人力资源，尤其是大学毕业生不是太多而是太少。下面是小编为大家搜集整理出来的有关于青年就业创业调研报告范文，欢迎阅读! 我们采用问卷的调查方式对我校学生进行了大范围的调查!我们主要采取网络和走访教室、图书馆、宿舍和路边拦截的方式，发送调查问卷。团队合作为了顺利完成老师交给的任务，同时也想帮助更广大的在校大学生了解当前和未来的就业形势!在采访对象中有刚迈入大学不久的大一新生10名，处在风华的大二学生23名，更有已经到了择业和继续深造的大三学生27名。能够全面地了解在校大学生对当前的就业形势的看法和了解 中国改革开放的30年也是中国经济飞速发展的30年，在这期间大学生的数量更是突飞猛进。大学生也有过去的“天之骄子”成为今日的“无人问津”!到底是什么原因导致这种情况，怎样才能让大学生更好的就业，充分发挥自己的优势呢?带着这一问题和思考，同时完成老师布置的任务我们进行了这一次调查并进行了准确统计和深入分析： 被调查的学生为我校大学生。我们采用自制的“大学生就业调查问卷”，通过qq在线、深入宿舍、自习室、图书馆和路边拦截的方式进行!共发放调查问卷70份，收回有效调查问卷60份。有效问卷调查者主要来自机电专业、工业设计专业、外语专业、信息专业、经管专业和金融专业!采取随机抽样的调查方法。男女比例24：36、 从调查的数据看出，大学生未来就业形势严峻主要是由社会、学生、学校和用人单位四方面造成的。主要问题体现在大学生的心理状况、本身的工作能力和学校的就业指导工作不足和社会和用人单位对大学生的要求严重不一致造成的。我们主要对这四方面进行了分析： 一、激烈的市场竞争情况 我们的人力资源，尤其是大学毕业生不是太多而是太少。我国7亿多庞大的从业人员中，高层次人才稀缺，受过高等教育的仅为5%左右，那为什么还出现大学生就业难呢?除了思想认识上的问题外，主要是难在就业市场机制不完善。在我们的调查中，无一人对当前形势乐观，60人之中只有2人认为当前形势还是较好，有9人占调查的15%认为还算正常的就业形势，而其他50人占总体的83%普遍认为当前就业形势严峻，感到压力重重。现在大学生都普遍认识到职业规划的重要性，在受访者中有仅有2人不了解、一人认为其不重要，而认为重要的占到调查的75%。在当前学的专业和工作不对口的情况下，大多数人还是觉得自己的专业是有前途的，其中认为很有前途的有12位，而认为自己专业较有前途的则达到36位，占所有调查者的80%，仅有6人认为本专业很没前途。可以看出大学教育还是相当重要的。由于竞争的加剧，大多数的学生对自己有个清醒的认识，在问及毕业初的薪酬时，有31个人认为起初工资为1500元，14人认为应该为2500元，两部分加起来占总人数的75%，在物价日益增加的基础上，大学生要求这样的工资是不高的，可以看见竞争的大学生的影响。 第一，随着企业改革的深化，还会不断有一些工人下岗或者失业，这批人的就业难度是非常大的。第二，城镇新增劳动力就业人数比较大。比如说大学生，今年应届大学毕业生将达到495万人，这也是近几年来最高的。今年要求职的大学毕业生在600万人左右。第三，中国农村有大量的富余劳动力要转移到城市里就业。基于这三条原因，做好就业工作，今年要付出更大的努力。当前社会普遍压迫大学生，尤其是刚毕业涉世未深的大学生，他们的能力还只浮于理论上，社会经验不足，处事和办事能力不够，况且每年有那么多大学生，供大
mba企业社会实践报告范例2篇 转眼间，三年的大学生活过去了，这三年来我在学校系统地学了不少管理方面的知识，但实践经验几乎没有，对于这个重理论更重实践的专业来说是个致命的缺陷。而作为一名即将踏上工作岗位的大学生来说，单会纸上谈兵是不行的，如何于社会各方面的人交往，如何应付各种事情是迫切需要学习的，因此，假期的实习对我们来说尤为重要。为了把自己锻炼成一个能适应社会的有用的人才，我在暑期到**市第二纺织机械厂实习了十天，应该说这十天的收获还是丰厚的。 **市第二纺织机械厂是我国纺织测试仪器的主要科研基地，具有二十多年开发，设计，制造各类纺织测试仪器的历史，是国内纺织仪器的主要生产厂家，是我国生产纺织测试仪器的国家二级企业，是国内纺织测试仪器高水平的代表。企业加工设备精良，技术力量雄厚。不求最好，只求更好，是企业不断追求的永恒目标。 作为一名工商管理专业的学生，进了企业，虽然时间不长，了解地不深，可能也不太全面，但总体结构上还是有一些认识地。该企业刚刚完成了股份化改造，由原先的国有企业改制为民营企业，企业通过选举产生了一名董事长和五名董事以及二十名股东，董事，股东按比例出资构建了企业的资本结构。企业的管理体制比较合理，能各司其职，权责明确。因为该企业有着几十年的制造各类纺织测试仪器的经验，
所以企业的产品还是有市场的，但在决策上也不短视，没有死抓住一棵树，而是利用自己的长项生产了一些延伸性产品，还与国外几家企业联合生产，加工一些仪器，应该说企业的生产能力和营销能力还是可以的。此外，企业正在准备通过iso9002的认证，在产品质量也在逐步提升，财务方面也越来越规范。 但企业和一些实力强的企业相比，还是有一些不足之处的。我想，人的因素是居首位的，企业职工的文化素质不高是不争的事实。企业绝大部分员工的文化水平在大专以下，本科生很少，没有硕士以上学历的，在仪器智能化，产品国际化趋势越来越明显的情况下，企业严重缺乏计算机人才和外贸英语人才，也正是这两点，限制了企业的竞争力和企业的规模。没有高水平的专业人才使得企业的研发能力大受限制，近年来除了吃老本产品外，只能按外商的图纸，用外商的技术来生产一些出口产品，而这些出口产品只能以略高于成本价的价格给外商，外商赚取了其中的巨大差额，而企业生产任务重，获利少，工人因此也有较多的抱怨，由此形成了一个恶性循环。在这一点上，我加深了对“科学技术是第一生产力”的认识。 20XX年X月开始，我在**物业经营有限公司综合管理办公室进行实习工作。在实习过程中，我在单位领导的热心指导和同事的大力帮助下，积极参加与日常业务相关的各项工
财务管理就业调查报告 我国企业财务系统正在逐步完善的过程中，因此，很大一部分中小企业对财务管理的看法还仅仅停留在“数豆子的人”的阶段——认为会计人员无趣，不能生产财富等等。但随着市场竞争机制的慢慢铺开，这种局面必将改变。身受大学教育，并在工作中积累到金融、财务分析等经验的财务管理人才也会有很好的发展空间。接下来小编为你带来财务管理就业调查报告，希望对你有帮助。 一【财务管理就业调查报告】财务管理专业就业趋势分析报告财务管理专业培养具备财务管理及相关金融、会计、法律等方面的知识和能力，具备会计手工核算能力、会计信息系统软件应用能力、资金筹集能力、财务可行性评价能力、财务报表分析能力、税务筹划能力，具备突出的财富管理的金融专业技能，能为公司和个人财务决策提供方向性指导及具体方法，能在工商、金融企业、事业单位及政府部门从事财务、理财管理的应用型专门人才。 相对于会计而言财务管理则更侧重成本、资金等方面的管理，包括财务分析等工作。 其实对每一家企业来说，人、财、市场都是最为关键的因素。越来越多的企业会走向以财务控制为核心的企业管理，而且财务和投资、资本运作、金融等等都有千丝万缕
的联系，其职业发展可谓是前途无限。 但是我个人觉得本专业在工作中学历并不是最重要的，最重要的应该是工作经历，它是一个“越老越吃香，越老越值钱”的职业。刚毕业的我们可不会得到很好的待遇和很高的职位，但我们应该计划好我们的职业规划，为以后成为 CFO（财务总监）打下坚实的基础。 财务是非常有前途的一个职业，也是一个很容易规划自己发展路径的职业。据统计，财务管理专业毕业生的就业率：%，其就业方向主要有四个方向：方向一、外企或大型企业高级财务人员；方向二、专业财务公司；方向三、银行、证券公司等金融机构；方向四、进大学任教。 方向一：外企或大型企业高级财务人员。 财务本身是一项专业性很强又非常稳定的职业，如果选择把财务作为职业方向，首选的职业目标是做外企或大型企业的高级财务人员。 财务高管人才大都处于企业的核心层，他们不仅要求了解企业的经营运作，还要在企业的经营投资方面提供建设性的意见。 按照目前的经济环境，这类公司所需要的高级财务人员一般有财务副总裁、财务总监、财务经理、高级财务分析经理、财务主管等。当然这些职位人的要求也会比较高；一般要求资质至少是在会计师以上，而且还不得少于 5
2018中国青年就业调查报告公布 《中国首次青年就业状况调查报告》日前公布。本次调查由全国青联及劳动和社会保障部劳动科学研究所联合进行。调查共选取7000个青年样本和220个企业样本。调查对象为15岁至29岁的青年以及他们的雇主。昨天，记者在采访本次调查的主要负责人、劳动科学研究所副研究员张丽宾时获悉，青年失业率为9%，高于社会平均水平;政府部门和国企为青年就业首选，失业青年大部分为长期失业。失业率青年高于社会平均水平 本次调查显示，15岁至29岁的中国青年总体失业率9%，高于中国目前 6.1%左右的社会平均失业率。张丽宾说：“就全世界而言，青年失业率一般都高于社会的平均失业率。因此，青年就业问题也成为社会的重要问题。” 为什么青年失业率如此高?报告指出，中国劳动力人口数量庞大对就业造成了巨大压力。中国每年新增劳动人口在XX万上下。由于教育容量有限，每年需要就业的新增劳动人口则在1000万至1600万之间。由于青年缺乏工作经验，在劳动力市场上竞争力不强。在劳动力市场供大于求的情况下，青年就业问题愈发突出，表现为高于平均水平的失业率。22岁前就业，15%先失业
调查显示，80%的青年在17岁至23岁之间初次进入劳动力市场，另有13%的青年在16岁以前进入劳动力市场。只有2%的青年在26岁以后才进入劳动力市场。 值得关注的是，在22岁以前进入劳动力市场的青年中，有一部分人首先要经历失业的过程，这一比例约为15%;而此后进入劳动力市场的青年则几乎没有人一开始就经历失业。 张丽宾表示，这一原因主要是因为22岁以前的青年就业经验、就业渠道少造成的。72%失业青年长期失业 失业一年以上的长期失业者占72%。失业者在求职时，超过60%的失业青年认为最大的困难是文化水平低。但只有13%左右的人员在失业期间进行了学习培训，多数人只是呆在家里、找工作或者做些家务杂活。 失业青年中，职业中等教育水平的青年(37%)和初中文化水平的青年(30%)比重最高，高中、大专生的比例均为13%，大学生的比例为5%。相对于此次被调查青年的文化程度构成，实际上职业中等教育水平、初中和高中文化水平青年的失业率要高于各类文化程度青年的平均失业水平。工作意愿机关和国企成就业首选 在政府部门、国有企业或者自己创办的企业工作是大多数中国青
mba社会实践报告记录 北京现代自成立以来，始终高度重视企业文化建设，逐步确定了“为中国人民的幸福生活创造一片美好的蓝天”的企业最高价值，“追求卓越品质，共创幸福生活”的企业宗旨以及“三个最好，达到三个满意”的企业理念。特别是在北京现代艰苦创业中，凝练和积淀了具有传承和创新相结合的“奋力拼搏、团结协作、知难而进、志在必得”的企精神，被誉为北京汽车精神，彰显了北京现代在精神层面对北京汽车工业的贡献。 随后在接待人员的带领下同学们来到了现代汽车公司四大车间中最大的一个车间--总装车间。一进入车间大门，展现在我们眼前的是一幅热火朝天的情景：长长的汽车流水线上，一辆辆半成品的汽车缓慢的移动，每个岗位的工人都在忙碌地给汽车或是加上方向盘、轮胎、或是上几个螺丝、或是敲敲打打。据介绍，这条生产线是北京目前最长的一条生产线。其全自动化操作，精确的计算以及准确的管理，让身为mba学习中的我们赞叹不断。同学们认真的参加，并根据平时所学向讲解人员提出了很多问题，讲解人员也都一一耐心作答。在生产线的尽头，当我们看到一辆辆崭新的现代汽车驶出生产线，每52秒就有一辆现代汽车下线生产效率世界一流。 通过此次社会实践，让我们看到了作为一家成熟的跨国
集团的管理严谨，优秀的企业文化氛围，部门分工明确，大家合作有序，这些都让我们感受到在一家优秀企业中工作与成长对未来的发展是必不可少的，当然，通过在mba学习与实践的过程中，我们也都坚信，理论与实践的必然结合，才是我们未来的发展方向。 大学生社会实践活动是全面推进素质教育的重要环节，是适应新世纪社会发展要求，培养全面发展型人才的需要，是加强集体主义，爱国主义，社会主义教育，升华思想的有效途径。积极投身社会实践，深入群众，了解社会，增长才干，是青年学生成长成才的正确道路，是青年学生运用所学知识技能，发挥聪明才智，积极为社会作贡献的重要途径。 我在酷热中迎来了作为大学生的第一个暑假，也满怀激情地参加了暑期社会实践活动。作为一个大学生有别于中学生就在于他更重视培养学生的实践能力，在注重素质教育的今天，社会实践活动一直被视为高校培养德、智、体、美、劳全面发展的新世纪优秀人才的重要途径。 暑期社会实践活动是学校教育向课堂外的一种延伸，也是推进素质教育进程的重要手段。它有助于当代大学生接触社会，了解社会。同时实践也是大学生学习知识，锻炼才干的有效途径，回报社会的一种良好形式。 从7月13号开始，我在XX市康王液化模制厂进行了工商管理实践工作。在实践中，我在企业指导老师的热心指导
关于公司财务管理过程中问题的调查报告 集团文件发布号：（9816-UATWW-MWUB-WUNN-INNUL-DQQTY-
内容摘要 改革开放以来，民营企业随着中国市场经济的确立和发展，像般蓬勃成长，并逐步趋于成熟。民营企业在解决社会就业、增加国家、发展高新技术、支援国家经济建设等方面发挥着越来越重要的作用，已经成为我国经济增长中的一个亮点。但是民营企业毕竟存在着许多先天的不足和缺陷，特别是民营企业的财务管理工作存在诸多问题，使得民营企业不能适应市场经济的快速发展。 笔者选取民营xx企业作为社会实践点，对民营xx企业的财务管理工作存在的问题进行调查分析，以找出民营企业的财务管理工作存在的共性问题，为完善民营企业的财务管理工作提供借鉴和启示。 关键词: 民营企业；财务管理；问题；对策 关于xx公司财务管理过程中问题的调查报告 一、被调查企业情况简介 Xx公司，位于涿州市经济技术开发区，交通便捷，现在职工xx个，虽然公司内部人员不多，但单位财务会计机构内部工作岗位设置是依据内部控制制度关于不兼容职务分离的原则。内部岗位分工是按照“经办、审核、复核、审批”四分离原则确立的，在岗位设置与业务分工中坚持相互制约、相互监督的原则。该公司财务科设有财务负责人1名，会计1名，出纳1名，保管1名，其主要是核算公司所发生的经济活动，报告该公司的财务状况和经营成果，并及时、准确、完整地记录、计算、报告财务收支和业务开展情况，为下一步工作提供真实、完整的会计信息。 二、调查方式
我们将单位的财务人员设置、账册设置、预算管理等作为主要调查内容，具体包括为： 1、岗位设置状况，主要针对是否设有会计、出纳、保管。 2、人员素质情况，主要针对是否有专业证书、是否专职、是否遵守财务人员的职业道德等。 3、账册设置情况，主要针对总账、明细账、银行存款日记账、现金日记账等账册设置是否齐全，记载是否及时，账账、账证、账实是否相符。 4、主要针对内部财务制度是否健全。 三、调查内容 通过这次调查，发现该公司岗位设置，账册设置基本齐全，记载及时，基本上做到了账账、账证、账实相符。账务做到了日清月结。财务人员均取得了专业证书，都能够遵守会计职业道德，没有发现提供虚假财务会计报告、做假账、隐匿或者销毁会计凭证、会计账簿、财务会计报告、贪污、挪用公款、职务侵占等与会计职务有关的违法行为发生。而且公司财务管理制度完善、健全，并制定了各项规章制度。同时我还发现该公司有几点好的做法： （一）岗位设置与分工虽然该公司成立时间不长，但是他们合理的设置了会计工作岗位，坚持不兼容岗位相互分离，确保了岗位之间权责分明，相互制约、相互监督，使内部控制制度不折不扣地贯彻执行，基本做到了数据维护管理与电算审核相分离；资料录入与审核记账相分离；记账人员与经济业务事项和会计事项的审批人员、经办人员的职责权限明确分工，并相互分离、相互制约。
20__中国青年就业调查报 告公布 After reading or practice, get the feeling, and after reflection and summary，to guid the work or life. 姓名： 班级(单位)： 日期：
20__中国青年就业调查报告公布 温馨提示：本文是通过读书或实践后，对某个事件、某个现象、某个问题调查研究所获得的成果性文章。文档下载完成后可以直接编辑，请根据自己的需求进行修改后套用。 《中国首次青年就业状况调查报告》日前公布。本次调查由全国青联及劳动和社会保障部劳动科学研究所联合进行。调查共选取7000个青年样本和220个企业样本。调查对象为15岁至29岁的青年以及他们的雇主。昨天, 记者在采访本次调查的主要负责人、劳动科学研究所副研究员张丽宾时获悉, 青年失业率为9%, 高于社会平均水平;政府部门和国企为青年就业首选, 失业青年大部分为长期失业。失业率青年高于社会平均水平 本次调查显示, 15岁至29岁的中国青年总体失业率9%, 高于中国目前6.1%左右的社会平均失业率。张丽宾说：“就全世界而言, 青年失业率一般都高于社会的平均失业率。因此, 青年就业问题也成为社会的重要问题。” 为什么青年失业率如此高?报告指出, 中国劳动力人口数量庞大对就业造成了巨大压力。中国每年新增劳动人口在XX万上下。由于教育容量有限, 每年需要就业的新增劳动人口则在1000万至1600万之间。由于青年缺乏工作经验, 在劳动力市场上竞争力不强。在劳动力市场供大于求的情况下, 青年就业问题愈发突出, 表现为高于平均水平的失业率。22岁前就业, 15%先失业调查显示, 80%的青年在17岁至23岁之间初次进入劳动力市场, 另有13%的青年在16岁以前进入劳动力市场。只有2%的青年在26岁以后才进入劳动力市场。