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Year Abroad (Work Placement)

Module description

This module is for undergraduate Business School students to work abroad in their 3rd of 4 years on the ‘With Year Abroad’ programme. To progress to this module, you would have completed BSD2005 and would have found a suitable placement abroad for a minimum of 24 weeks and a maximum of 33 weeks.

An important element of international business is for you to understand the political, economic, and cultural differences between countries. By undergoing a work placement abroad as part of your degree programme, you will learn to think globally and come to understand how the world is interconnected through business. Adding an international component to your business degree, which may or may not include learning a foreign language, will make you more competitive in today’s multicultural, global business environment.

The module assessment is designed to give you the opportunity to present and evaluate the knowledge and skills that you have developed and gained while on your year abroad work placement.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module introduces you to the experience of work outside the UK, and, for some of you, a different language. It aims to help you develop your cultural intelligence by exposing you to the skills required to work effectively in culturally diverse situations. With the increasing globalisation of organisations, it has become even more important to be able to distinguish, integrate, reason and act on cultural cues appropriately in situations characterised by cultural diversity. Indeed, many international companies recognise the importance of employing graduates able to understand and communicate across cultures.

You will be expected to develop resilience and flexibility as you adapt to different working styles, different administrative procedures, and to living in a new country. Regardless of the language employed during your work placement, you are expected to develop your communication skills. Having the opportunity to work abroad will not only help you widen your global perspective but give you the experience you need to enhance your global employability prospects following graduation. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Analyse the political, legal, ethical, social, economic, cultural, sustainability, technological and/or operational considerations which influence the workplace/industry
• 2. Critically reflect on the international experiences gained to analyse the impact these may have on career development/progression
• 3. Link real-life situations/problems to subject specific knowledge obtained through previous modules, relevant theory and academic literature

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Evaluate the application of theoretical principles
• 5. Analyse the business environment and evaluate appropriate business practices
• 6. Build beneficial relationships/networks within the employer organization

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in a different cultural frame of reference
• 8. Develop effective time management, planning skills and initiative during the work abroad period
• 9. Identify, develop and extend practical work-based skills, competencies and experience

Syllabus plan

Students undertaking a work placement abroad need to have secured a suitable placement, which will be approved by the Business School in conjunction with the Global Opportunities Team, and complete relevant paperwork by specific dates. The international work placements need to be confirmed by the end of Term 3 of the preceding academic year (Level 2).

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

In the event that you fail the year abroad due to your individual module results from the partner institution, the BEP3100C module mark will remain as a fail, and you will transfer from the four-year ‘With Year Abroad’ programme to stage 3 of the equivalent three-year programme. The failed BEP3100C Year Abroad module will remain on your record, but will not contribute towards your degree award.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Please refer to the relevant ELE site for general reading and guidance.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Key words search

Study abroad, work abroad, employability, international