Bridging the Gaps of International Business Practice in Dissimilar Cultural Settings to Increase Social Capital for the Stakeholders: The Case of a Mombasa Community Engagement project

Abstract

This chapter presents a case study of a community engagement project that was established in 2013, between the International Business School of Hanze University of Applied Sciences (UAS), Groningen, the Netherlands, and various communities within Mombasa County, Kenya. From an educational point of view, this engagement helped enrich the curriculum, in terms of learning how business is conducted in a different cultural setting, and how classroom knowledge can be applied within the field. From a community perspective, this engagement acted as a facilitator to knowledge and resource access. The authors highlight aspects that have explicitly added value to the projects, whilst simultaneously presenting engaging dissonance arising from the implementation of the project as well as discussing factors that could be addressed to improve this type of community engagement. The recommendations would be most applicable to projects within similar cultural settings and/or with a similar geographical distance.

Citation

Coughlan, G. and Wabike, P. (2017), "Bridging the Gaps of International Business Practice in Dissimilar Cultural Settings to Increase Social Capital for the Stakeholders: The Case of a Mombasa Community Engagement project", Engaging Dissonance: Developing Mindful Global Citizenship in Higher Education (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 9), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 87-105. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120170000009005