Unveiling business school interns' satisfaction toward online summer internship program amid COVID-19

Abstract

PurposeThe objective of this research is to explore factors that influence interns' satisfaction (is) toward the e-internship program, an alternate adopted by management institutes in lieu of the regular summer internship amidst the global pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional research design with a self-reported questionnaire was conducted on business school (B-school) interns to rate the factors that contribute to their e-internship satisfaction. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the responses obtained from 203 B-school interns with a diverse demographic background belonging to a government university of North India. Convenience sampling was employed to get valid responses from interested respondents.FindingsResults revealed that although all the four factors under consideration, faculty mentors' preparedness (FMP), industry mentors' preparedness (IMP), interns' readiness toward online internship and interns' Internet efficacy (IIE) are significantly related to IS, industry mentors' role was found to have a major impact on the IS. The study unravels that industry mentors' interaction has a potential role in the successful implementation of e-internships.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has implications for the university as well as the companies to ponder on factors that satisfy interns during the virtual internship and designing an effective internship program by having a collaborative approach.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of empirical studies on internships in general and e-internship in particular, so this study fills the gap and contributes to the existing literature and provides ways to satisfy B-school interns toward e-internship by addressing the key factors.

An interview study to explore the perceived usefulness of in-house training programs in tourism and hospitality education

“…In particular, the participants of the program enjoyed and appreciated learning about real-life experiences from someone that is doing the job. These findings are on par with Maini et al. (2021) who state that interaction with the industry has a potential role in the successful implementation of alternative internship program.…”

Business school interns’ intention to join: studying culture, work engagement and leader-member exchange in virtual internship

“…Their input during the internship tasks and final evaluation impacts the prospects of a preplacement offer (PPO) and preplacement interview (PPI). The industry mentor’s role significantly impacts the intern’s satisfaction and the interaction between mentor and intern impacts the successful completion of e-internship (Maini et al ., 2021).…”

“…A proper LMX directly impacts job satisfaction (Epitropaki and Martin, 2005). The kind of interaction an intern has with their mentor impacts his/her perception of the organization and their desire to work with it (Maini et al ., 2021). The current research will attempt to shed light on whether LMX impacts the intention of interns to join their respective organizations.…”

Is the future of internships online? An examination of stakeholder attitudes towards online internships

“…Findings indicated mentoring increased the interns' skill development while also providing students the opportunity to discuss and address workplace challenges more strategically. Maini et al (2021) assessed factors influencing intern satisfaction within an e-internship in India. The results suggested that the preparedness of faculty and industry mentors was vital for satisfaction, as was the intern's Internet efficiency.…”

“…Findings indicated mentoring increased the interns' skill development while also providing students the opportunity to discuss and address workplace challenges more strategically. Maini et al . (2021) assessed factors influencing intern satisfaction within an e-internship in India.…”