Piecing the puzzle A framework for developing intercultural online communication projects in business education

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a framework based on lessons learnt from a recently completed project aimed at developing intercultural online communication competencies in business students. Design/methodology/approach - The project entailed collaboration between students and staff in business communication courses from an Australian and European university. The project was designed as a response to calls within the literature to equip business graduates with intercultural expertise for global online collaboration. Findings - Based on theoretical perspectives, staff experience and data based on student evaluations of the project, a framework has been constructed based on the issues that emerged. The issues include: institutional support, project and course goal alignment, interpersonal and intercultural relationship management and technological capabilities. Research limitations/implications - The paper is limited to the experiences and responses from the Australian university. Future research should aim to collect data from both organizations involved in the collaboration. Practical implications - The framework has been constructed to assist business educators in creating collaborative international projects in the future. Originality/value - Research in international education suggests the need to create collaborative projects that provide students with real life opportunities in intercultural collaboration. However, little guidance exists for academics in terms of creating and coordinating such activities. The current paper provides a framework towards the development of such pedagogic activities.