The Perception of International Business Management Students Towards Intercultural Communication Apprehension

Abstract

Intercultural communication apprehension (ICA) can affect the ability to contact people from different backgrounds and to do international business. The main purpose of this study was to understand the perception of international business management (IBM) students towards ICA. Mixed methods were used to conduct this study. A quantitative approach was used to collect data regarding the perception of IBM students towards ICA.A qualitative approach was used to gather information on intercultural communication. Pre-test and post-test surveys were usedto gather the data andcheck if the students’ knowledge changed after receiving the training. The results presented that the classroom-integrated sessions regarding intercultural communication hadhelped the IBM students to have a lower level of hesitation and anxiety when communicating with people from different cultures or backgrounds. The results in the open-ended question section also indicated that the participants had gained more understanding in intercultural communication and expanded their perspective in intercultural communication.