A program to expose students to senior executives in the world of accounting: An innovative learning method

This paper deals with one well-tested means of providing inspiration through a carefully planned International Study Tour (IST) that has, at its core, site visits to world class global organisations. During these visits, students are addressed by senior personnel of those organisations. The esprit de corps inculcated by the intense and exciting nature of the IST and the high quality of the host organisations combines to produce a highly productive educational outcome. In this analysis of an important learning method, we analyse the feedback of IST participants to evaluate the learning benefits of participating in an IST, and provide a comprehensive template of how to operate such a programme. Our findings suggest that the IST provides students with a global and life experience that has no equal in the classroom. Through this paper, we aim to inspire other academics to implement a similar programme at their universities.