College Of Business Majors Perceptions Toward Globalization: An Empirical Study

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to determine the extent to which business majors’ attitudes towards globalization are influenced by the area of selected study.  Research has documented that more favorable attitudes towards globalization are found among college students, and specifically, these more favorable attitudes are found in business majors.  While individuals may see globalization resulting in positive effects for the economy, business and the consumer, attitudes concerning globalization’s impact on the environment and domestic job creation and security may be quite different.  We surveyed junior and senior students at a mid-western public university on a variety of questions related to globalization.  Unlike the comparison of business with liberal arts majors, a further examination of the responses of four different business majors failed to note any consistent differences in the student responses.  Our findings support the Heckscher-Ohlin theory which argues that one’s skill endowments influence perceptions on globalization, and, when applied to the academic environment, the more favorable global attitudes among business majors are influenced by the skills attained in their academic training.