Skill utilization of overseas interns: antecedents and consequences

Daniel C. Feldman and Mark C. Bolino

Journal of International Management, 2000, vol. 6, issue 1, 29-47

Abstract: Overseas internship programs are intended to provide substantive learning and skill development opportunities for interns. At the same time, internships are intended to provide employers with bright students who can help meet staffing needs and opportunities to recruit superior candidates for future job openings. However, overseas internships can be successful for interns and organizations alike only if interns are effectively utilized by their host organizations and have the opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge. This research examines the factors that enhance the skill utilization and development of overseas interns as well as the consequences of poor skill utilization or skill misutilization. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 125 interns working in overseas internships in 23 countries. The results suggest that ineffective assignment procedures, poorly articulated duties, inadequate mentoring, and lack of corporate experience with internship programs all contribute to the underutilization or misutilization of interns' skills. In addition, poor skill utilization was strongly associated with negative attitudes about the internship and decreased work effort even after controlling for such variables as age, gender, previous overseas work experience, and cultural distance. The article concludes with directions for improving the design of overseas internships.

Keywords: Overseas; internships; Skill; utilization; Career; development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2000
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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