New Directions in Expatriate Research

Why Send Your Employees Abroad?

Companies depend more and more on expatriates, yet being an expatriate is tough. Human resource managers need to pay more attention to finding and developing people who can carry out international strategies. Companies often prefer to send their employees abroad rather than hire local people because expatriates have certain advantages:

• They know the corporate culture.
• They're somewhat more willing to accept direction from headquarters.
• They understand and are committed to the company's goals.
• They can duplicate abroad the standard operating procedures of their headquarters.
• They can build good communication between home and the field.

The number of female expatriates is far lower than the number of male expatriates. Because international experience is often a criterion for promotion and advancement, companies that do not take steps to increase the number of women on international assignments may find it difficult to diversify their management ranks.

Expatriate ROI

Expatriates are expensive and adjustment to a new culture can be time-consuming. Companies must provide high...