Revisiting repatriation concerns: organizational support versus career and contextual influences

Abstract

This paper reviews and integrates two perspectives on repatriate retention: a traditional one, which suggests that the main determinant of repatriate retention is the availability of repatriation support programs; and an emerging one, which focuses on individual career activism in a changing employment context. Results of a study of 133 expatriates from 14 MNCs indicate that both views contribute to our understanding of repatriate retention. Building on the results of our study, we put forward a framework to guide future research. Journal of International Business Studies (2007) 38, 404–429. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400273