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A plea for quality in internship programmes – evidence from the business and administration students’ experience

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  • Goia Simona

    (The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania)

  • Marinaș Cristian Virgil

    (The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania)

  • Igret Ramona Ștefania

    (The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania)

Abstract

The career of business students is nowadays definitely influenced by their involvement in different internships and volunteering activities. The internship programmes help them understand the context of business organisations and decide what field of activity is most suitable for their professional life. However, sometimes internship programmes are not very well organised and influence in a negative manner students′ final perception of a certain domain. Our research identified and analysed the main factors that might influence the quality of an internship programme from students′ perspective. The quantitative analysis relies on a questionnaire based survey among over 450 students from one of the most prestigious universities in Romania in the field of economics and business administration. By running factor analysis, we identified five factors which mainly determine the quality of internships: Job arrangements, Mentorship and employability benefits, Learning content, Academic supervision, Bureaucracy and accessibility. Subsequently we measured through multiple regression the way the identified factors influence the quality of the internships. We consider that the results of the study are relevant not only for academics but also for students and business organisations that have the power and instruments to improve internship programmes and the entire experience for all stakeholders involved.

Suggested Citation

  • Goia Simona & Marinaș Cristian Virgil & Igret Ramona Ștefania, 2017. "A plea for quality in internship programmes – evidence from the business and administration students’ experience," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 12(1), pages 49-60, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:manmar:v:12:y:2017:i:1:p:49-60:n:4
    DOI: 10.1515/mmcks-2017-0004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John Edward Beck & Hendrik Halim, 2008. "Undergraduate Internships in Accounting: What and How do Singapore Interns Learn from Experience?," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 151-172.
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    3. Alpert, Frank & Heaney, Joo-Gim & Kuhn, Kerri-Ann L., 2009. "Internships in marketing: Goals, structures and assessment – Student, company and academic perspectives," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 36-45.
    4. David Starr-Glass, 2006. "Enhancing the Transformative Potential of Business Internships," Managing Global Transitions, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, vol. 4(4), pages 285-297.
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