Gender differences in expatriate adjustment

Purpose Women are still underrepresented in expatriate assignments. This study investigates whether there are any gender differences in expatriate adjustment that could help account for the low share of female expatriates. Methodology/Approach The study replicates the analysis of Selmer & Leung’s (2003) exploratory research. It confirms their findings and adds further detail to the understanding of gender differences in expatriate adjustment. The study is based on a cross-sectional survey, mainly of employed members in British and American women’s clubs in Frankfurt and Madrid and their partners. Findings Women tend to be better adapted than men overall. They are ahead especially in important areas such as the building and maintaining of relationships. Research limitations/implications The sample size entering into final analysis is on the small side. Single-method variance and cross-sectional sampling may impair results. On the positive side, results are comparable to prior research, but add additional detail on different facets of adjustment. The study provides further evidence that companies err, if they refuse to send women on assignments abroad. Originality/value of paper. The paper adds detail to the difference in adjustment among female and male expatriate employees. It provides an instrument that can be used in the further study of these differences

Cosmopolitan Appeal: What Makes a City Attractive to Expatriates?

Research has increasingly focused on career development in a globalized economy. It has investigated the impact of international assignments on careers and their implications for organizations. Surprisingly, academic research has largely failed to address the importance of a city’s attractiveness to expatriates. This exploratory study makes an initial attempt to fill this gap using data from Vienna, Austria. The study shows that expatriates distinguish between work and non-work location factors when considering an assignment. In the work area they distinguish between more organisation-focused career issues and the professional environment in the target location. Expatriates report a definite increase in knowing-how and knowing-why. Increases in knowing-whom are uncertain. This is one of the first studies that look at the attractiveness of a metropolitan area to expatriates and the perceived career impact of an assignment to Vienna. The study provides data on a city that so far has not featured in the literature on expatriation

The correspondence model of cross-cultural adjustment: exploring exchange relationships

Purpose: There has been tremendous interest in the field of cultural adjustment in the past decades. The work of Black and his colleagues has inspired many researchers. However, critics have pointed out that their original conceptualization has limitations; most of the insights building on their model have probably been harvested. Therefore, it is appropriate to investigate alternative ways at understanding the challenges in international assignments. The purpose of this paper is to outline a model rooted in person-environment fit theory. The authors follow Dawis and Lofquist’s Theory of Work Adjustment, which has had only a small influence on expatriate research to date. Design/methodology/approach: The paper develops a correspondence model of cross-cultural adjustment and explores the diverse factors and their interactions in-depth. The satisfaction of individual needs and corresponding environmental supplies (macro, micro, and organizational factors) as well as the satisfactoriness of individual abilities and corresponding environmental requirements (macro, micro, and organizational) is outlined. Findings: Based on the literature and the model a large number of hypotheses in relation to cross-cultural adjustment are proposed which allow new avenues in adjustment research. Originality/value: The contribution of this paper is to propose a model that addresses the main criticisms to the adjustment conceptualization of Black and his colleagues

Expatriate management across the Middle East and North Africa region

International audienc

The Dimensions of Expatriate Adjustment

A narrow and partial theoretical base has limited current concepts of expatriate adjustment and the research based upon them. This conceptual article explores one of the less theorized aspects of expatriate adjustment: the fact that it has multiple dimensions. We conceive of adjustment as a person-environment relationship that takes place in the three dimensions of cognitions, feelings, and behaviors. Combining these elements takes us one step closer to a comprehensive and more realistic understanding of the nature of expatriate adjustment. We include suggestions for future research that follow from our reconceptualization

Recognizing the important role of self-initiated expatriates in effective global talent management

The effective management of talent on a global scale represents a critical challenge for today's organizations. Beyond considerations about traditional company-assigned expatriates, this paper provides a valuable examination of global talent management issues involving self-initiated expatriates, an important source of global talent increasingly available in host country labor markets that has only relatively recently come to the attention of researchers. The paper discusses how central elements of talent management (i.e., identifying, recruiting, and selecting talent from the external labor market; developing employees; managing talent flows; ensuring retention of talented employees) can apply to the effective utilization of self-initiated expatriates, with direct implications for guiding the future work of practitioners and researchers alike

The End of a Period : Sustainability and the Questioning Attitude

This article reports on sustainability in education related to student attitudes and how they can be empowered to participate in sustainable change. The article discusses how educators can instill the practice of questioning into students so that they can pursue lifelong learning and self-discovery. This paradigm shift is discussed in relation to the role of sustainability in business and management. Information is also provided on educational curricula, business education, scientific inquiry, and human and social capital