In the perspective of this article, the intercultural influences are viewed through the lens of educational benefits likely to be acquired by students following international socio-educational exchange programs. A model analysis is proposed based on these benefits on students majoring in economic areas, and it has been based on the perspective of influences through education and interaction with different cultures as compared to those of which the individual belongs to, respectively social influence. The research carried out was based on the observations made throughout a five-year period, between 2013 and 2018, regarding the evolution of students participating in the Erasmus programs. The analysis of the international socio-educational experience of people who studied abroad at a foreign university for a certain period of time was the starting point to design a research methodology so that the proposed topic could be investigated by collecting, structuring and analysing qualitative data, considering the fact that qualitative data will allow the discovery of associations of features, respectively of the benefits of personal experiences, which can only be analysed and perceived through the lens of points of view of those who experienced them. The qualitative research included the analysis of students in economics majors participating in the Erasmus program during the academic year 2018–2019 at a small university. The interview technique was used and the processing and interpretation of the data was carried out using software specific to qualitative research. The analysis carried out focused on the identification of complex connections underlying in the answers received from the respondents, answers that allowed the outlining of conceptual maps related to the research objectives. The purpose of the analysis was to underline the intercultural influences as perceived throughout four processes: individual internalization, socialization, individualization and humanization. These influences are revealed by the outcome of the research, that is the five conceptual maps that have resulted. These conceptual maps represent a starting point for future similar researches.

Agabrian, M., (2000). Communication. A Practical Approach (Romanian). Cluj-Napoca: Napoca Star.

Ayoko, O. B., & J. Härtel, C. E. (2003). The Role of Space as Both a Conflict Trigger and a Conflict Control Mechanism in Culturally Heterogeneous Workgroups. Applied Psychology, 52(3), 383–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00141

Barrera, J. C. (2010). An Examination of Cross Cultural Competence In International Business: The Case Of The Subsidiaries. International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER), 9(1). https://doi.org/10.19030/iber.v9i1.507

Berlinski, S., & Busso, M. (2017). Challenges in educational reform: An experiment on active learning in mathematics. Economics Letters, 156, 172–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2017.05.007

Bertrand, C. J. (2001). An Introduction to Written and Spoken Press (Romanian). Polirom.

Blake, R., & Morris, K. (2023). Introduction to Special Issue on Study Abroad During COVID and Beyond. L2 Journal, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.5070/l215260144

Brunsting, N. C., Chiles, P. L., Harrison, J. K., et al. (2023). Mapping the knowledge base in study abroad from the United States: A scoping review from 2001 to 2021. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 92, 101745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.101745

Bunăiașu, C. M. (2015). Directions for the Development of the Intercultural Curriculum in Romania, from the Perspective of the European Dimension of Education (Romanian). MuzeulLiteraturiiRomâne.

Carrión-Martínez, J. J., Ciaccio, S., Fernández-Martínez, M. del M., et al. (2021). The Socio-Educational Adaptation of Secondary School Migrant Students in Sicily: Migrant Generation, School Linguistic Mediation and Teacher Proactivity Factors. Social Sciences, 10(7), 269. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10070269

Chan, S. (1990). Early intervention with culturally diverse families of infants and toddlers with disabilities. Infants & Young Children, 3(2), 78–87. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001163-199010000-00010

Cozma, T., Butnaru, S., Popa, N. L. (2005). Resources and development of intercultural competence (French). In: Proceedings of the L’influence des études à l’étranger et de la formation interculturellethéorique sur celle-ci. Recherche Interculturelle: Partage de Cultures, Partages de Savoir.

Cuilemburg Van, J. J., Scholten, O., Noomen, G. H. (2004). The Science of Communication (Romanian). Humanitas.

Dolce, V., Davoine, É., Wodociag, S., et al. (2023). The road to an international career: The “Erasmus effect” on resilience, intercultural interactions and cultural intelligence. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 92, 101741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.101741

Durkheim, E. (1956). Education and Sociology, 1st ed. The Free Press.

Dong, S., Bryant, C., & Liu, L. (2024). Fostering intercultural interactions and outcomes for domestic graduate students through internationalization-at-home efforts. Social Psychology of Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-024-09902-6

Eliyahu-Levi, D. (2020). Cross-cultural online encounters with peers from different countries. Distance Education, 41(3), 402–423. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1766948

Figueroa, M., & Hofhuis, J. (2024). Are some individuals more susceptible to intercultural education than others? Multicultural personality predicts the effects of an intercultural training on cultural intelligence. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 98, 101927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101927

Gusti, D. (1965). Paginialese. Editurastiintifica.

Hanushek, E., Machin, S., Woessmann, L. (2016). Handbook of the Economics of Education. North Holland.

Haregu, Z. S., Filatie, A. Y., & Chanie, B. S. (2024). Intercultural competence as a perceived predictor of cooperative EFL learning and classroom life among Ethiopian university students. Cogent Education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.2310440

Harvey, M., Mcintyre, N., Moeller, M., et al. (2012). Managerial Self-Concept in a Global Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 19(1), 115–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051811431826

Hofstede, G. (1995). The business of international business is culture. International Business Review, 3(1), 1-14.

Huda, M., Mustafa, M. C., & Mohamed, A. K. (2021). Understanding of Multicultural Sustainability through Mutual Acceptance: Voices from Intercultural Teachers’ Previous Early Education. Sustainability, 13(10), 5377. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105377

Ilieva, R. T., Cohen, N., Israel, M., et al. (2022). The Socio-Cultural Benefits of Urban Agriculture: A Review of the Literature. Land, 11(5), 622. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11050622

Kluckhohn, C. (1959). Mirror for man. McGraw Hill.

Kokkonen, L., Jager, R., Frame, A., et al. (2022). Overcoming Essentialism? Students’ Reflections on Learning Intercultural Communication Online. Education Sciences, 12(9), 579. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12090579

Machin, S., & McNally, S. (2008). The literacy hour. Journal of Public Economics, 92(5–6), 1441–1462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2007.11.008

Markey, K., Graham, M. M., Tuohy, D., et al. (2023). Navigating learning and teaching in expanding culturally diverse higher education settings. Higher Education Pedagogies, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2023.2165527

McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work and women’s studies. Wellesley College Center for Research on Women.

Melvin, L. (n.d.). Theories of Mass Communication (Romanian). Polirom.

Mikhaylov, N. S. (2014). International Business Students’ Cross-Cultural Competence Development. SAGE Open, 4(4), 215824401456435. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014564352

Muresan, I. C., Harun, R., Arion, F. H., et al. (2021). Exploring Residents’ Perceptions of the Socio-Cultural Benefits of Tourism Development in the Mountain Area. Societies, 11(3), 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc11030083

Nakajima, T., & Nakamura, H. (2009). The price of education and inequality. Economics Letters, 105(2), 183–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2009.07.013

Nelson, W., & Luetz, J. M. (2021). The Impact of Short-Term Cross-Cultural Experience on the Intercultural Competence of Participating Students: A Case Study of Australian High School Students. Social Sciences, 10(8), 313. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10080313

Oacheşu, V. I. (2004). The New Culture of Communication (Romanian). Amalthea.

Okken, G. J., Jansen, E. P. W. A., Hofman, W. H. A., et al. (2022). Interculturally competent teachers: behavioural dimensions and the role of study abroad. Cogent Education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2022.2138048

O’Sullivan, T., Hurtley, J., Saunders, D., Montgomery, M., Fiske, J. (2001). Fundamental Concepts in Communication Sciences and Cultural Sciences (Romanian). Polirom.

Pintilii, R. E. (2014). Formation of Intercultural Competences (Romanian). Academica Brâncuși, ECOSTUDENT-Revistă de cercetare a studențiloreconomiști, 3, 83-90.

Rathakrishnan, B., Bikar Singh, S. S., Kamaluddin, M. R., et al. (2021). Homesickness and Socio-Cultural Adaptation towards Perceived Stress among International Students of a Public University in Sabah: An Exploration Study for Social Sustainability. Sustainability, 13(9), 4924. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094924

Rus, F. C. (2005). Evolution of the Communication Process from Interpersonal to Political and Media (Romanian). Accent.

Sardamov, I. (2007). Burnt into the Brain: Towards a Redefinition of Political Culture. Democratization, 14(3), 407–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510340701303253

Spitzberg, B. H., Cupach, W. R. (1984). Interpersonal Communication Competence. Sage.

Tajeddin, Z., Khanlarzadeh, N., & Ghanbar, H. (2022). Learner variables in the development of intercultural competence: A synthesis of home and study abroad research. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 12(2), 261–301. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2022.12.2.5

Thompson, M., & Wildavsky, A. (1986). A Cultural theory of information bias in organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 23(3), 273–286. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1986.tb00954.x

Trompenaars, F., & Hampden-Turner, C.M. (1998). Building Cross-cultural Competence, 1st ed. Yale University Press.

Universitatea 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia. (n.d.). Available online: https://www.uab.ro/centre/3-centrul-de-relatii-internationale/rapoarte-si-regulamente/ (accessed on 2 January 2024).

Wesely, P. M. (2012). Cross-Cultural Understanding in Immersion Students: A Mixed Methods Study. L2 Journal, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.5070/l2429110

Wilczewski, M., & Alon, I. (2023). Language and communication in international students’ adaptation: a bibliometric and content analysis review. Higher Education, 85(6), 1235–1256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00888-8

Yuting, M., Baohua, Y. (2023). Developing intercultural competence in college business English students: A study of innovative teaching in China, Intercultural Relations, 2023(92), 101747.

Zorn, T. E., & Violanti, M. T. (1996). Communication Abilities and Individual Achievement in Organizations. Management Communication Quarterly, 10(2), 139–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318996010002001