Discourse of international internship from a holistic perspective – Case: CEMS MIM network

Abstract

Discourse of international internship from holistic perspective – Case: CEMS MIM network

Introduction International internship is currently a mandatory part of Community of European Management Schools (CEMS) curriculum which is a joint Master’s degree in international management that can be studied in Helsinki School of Economics. Therefore, the topic was found important and was chosen as a focus of this thesis.

Objectives The objective is to research the concept from a holistic perspective which includes the perspectives of each stakeholder in the international internship process; the MNC, the university and the student. The goal is to find the motivation(s) behind international internship programs as well as how these programs are managed and organized. In addition, the roles and expectations of each stakeholder in the international internship process are researched and discussed.

Methodology This research utilizes a multi method research approach consisting of an on-line survey, semi structured interviews, the researcher’s own observations and experiences as well as secondary data. The empirical data was collected exclusively within the CEMS MIM community.

Findings MNCs have several practices in organizing internship programs. It was found that the main motivation for MNCs to organize international internship programs is talent management and employer branding as well as gaining fresh knowledge. University’s role before and during the internship program was found significant only to a moderate extent. However, this was found positive since the MNCs were not supportive towards a university’s extensive involvement during the international internship. Also, student’s expectations towards the internship providers revealed that students seek to work in meaningful projects where they are given responsibility. This should be considered when planning the internship projects in MNCs in order to guarantee successful employer branding and talent management.S

Key Words: Internship, International Internship, International Recruitment, Talent Management, Employer Branding