1. Introduction
Under the increasing globalization, organizations have to deal with new challenges in order to maintain sustainable competitive and become accustomed to the changing global market. The developing globalization has promoted companies establish their organizations across different countries and expanded new business in multicultural environment. Culture seems to be a key factor of the relationship, interaction and communication between people from different countries when companies become multinational. Expatriation is regarded as an important part of international human resource management (IHRM) in multinational companies (MNCs). A range of research has showed that expatriation is an essential area of international business (IB). Well-adjusted expatriates have both low leave possibilities and high effectiveness (Bhaskar-Shrinivas et al., 2005; Black, Mendenhall & Oddou, 1985; Hechanova et al., 2003).
Although expatriation seems to be the most expensive personnel strategy for MNCs, it is still a feasible way for increasing the organizations’ development of international companies. Moreover, expatriation is a method for the enterprises to improve global competencies which are integrated with the organizations’ overall strategic human resource management plan. Expatriates could obtain knowledge and skills which are valuable for their home country company during their aboard period (Lee, 2005). Furthermore, expatriates usually transfer knowledge, skills and organizational culture across countries (Graf, 2004). Malinowski, Paik and Segaud (2002) argued that the most efficient and effective way to transfer the critical capabilities of the company is through expatriation, which is one of the determinants of MNCs success...
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...nd adequate support for expatriates and their families. The cultural training in China could include relationship forming, the attention on hierarchy and power, face and trust, negotiating and bargaining. Expatriates should also highlight infrastructural issues such as the different knowledge, skill level and education background of employees, limited transport and inflexibility of the Communist bureaucracy.
In turn, with rapid growth in the Chinese labor market, organizations need to realize the challenges of managing the diversity and globalization of workforce. Because of the fiercely competitive situation of the investment management industry, compensation approaches for expatriates and locals are not mature enough. Thus, the role of human resources is becoming increasingly significant as the global management issues in the labor market should not be neglected.
While there are many various global issues that affect the International Human Resource Management to run efficiently, there are two key concepts that play a major role in understanding how to approach them with cohesive and a well coherent strategy; they are the International Human Recourse Management Strategy and Understanding the Cultural Environment. In the International Resource Management strategy, many companies will do their research in finding companies that offer the following:
At first, the idea of my family and me moving to the United States was fun and exciting. I couldn’t wait for the time for my family and me to leave, get to ride an airplane, eat stateside food such as spam, corned beef, apples, and oranges, and experience the different seasons, especially winter. Because of the excitement of coming to America, I didn’t have the time to think and realize the effects of moving away from home such as missing everything, adopting a different culture, and being independent.
Migration is an arduous process and can be a stress-inducing experience (Aroian & Norris, 2003) that can lead to numerous social and mental health issues varying from social isolation, depression and anxiety (Blair, 2000). Alongside migration comes the complex and lifelong endeavor of acculturation, defined as the process by which individuals or groups transition from one or more cultures into another (Cainkar, 2000). Although Arab immigrants have been migrating to the United States since 1854 (Miller, 1976) and may currently number more than two million today (Nydell, 2012), discussion of the Arab American populations was, until recently, conspicuously absent from the literature. This article will first explore the reasons for immigration as it impacts the way this population assimilates to their host country. It will then provide a description of the challenges and difficulties this population faces, with a focus on the source of the post immigration stressors they undergo and the impact it has on their acculturation process. Finally, it will explore the use of an existential approach in treatment with an Arab-American client resisting assimilation to the new host country due to an inability to cope with post-immigration stressors.
The experience of the Immigration Journeys: Old and New gave me great insight of the struggles immigrants face when coming to a new country, whether in the past or present. This event was held at a public library close to Pittsburgh, and was meant to share the stories of ten residents that had immigrated to Pittsburgh from all over the world. While the videos were short, they told a vivid story of these individuals’ lives. I learned much more than I thought I would about what it is really like to move to America.
Moving to a different country at a young age can be a challenge, especially when most of my friends and family are not coming with me. I moved to the United States when I was eight years old. When I landed in Michigan in 2006, everything was new to me, the culture, the language, and the people. Coming to America was cultural shock to my system.
This growing presence of foreign investments in China, along with a few changes in government policies, such as the one child policy, has created some unique problems with regards to their human resource management. It has had a negative impact on the small and medium scale industries, foreign companies, as well as the State owned enterprises. (Dessler, 2004)
Globalization of human capital is where, human resources are sook after by companies from all over the world. Due to the increased demand for skills at a lower cost, companies will tend to look for employees to work in their premises from all over the world (Webforum, 2015). In this regard, since companies are extending their operations the entire world over, human capital globalization is inevitable since they will need to work with people from these countries for them to successfully exploit global markets.
International businesses are also finding new ways of increasing diversity abroad. Instead of using expatriate employees as management, they are starting to hire locals. Companies that operate abroad are realizing that using expatriate employees is not a permanent solution. They are often expensive, and are not capable of translating their skills into the new environment. In a company that operates globally, it is important that the company knows how to relate to the local markets, and a great way to do this is by hiring local talent. Hiring locally is cheaper, there is not a language barrier, and they are accustomed to the business environment in the area(5). They can also help the business by providing a new perspective into international markets, and offer ways that the company can improve their diversity abroa...
I come from a country where freedom of speech and safety are not priorities, which ultimately pushed my family to move to the United States seeking a better future for my brother and me.
It felt no different to any other day. It was the day my family and I were moving to the United States of America. After countless weeks of packing, this day felt rather calm. This was going to be our second time moving to a different country. Our first time moving was from Ethiopia to Uganda, my father had found a job there, so we followed him. I remember how excited I was to be moving since I was dissatisfied with the school I was attending in Ethiopia. Once we moved to Uganda, life became brighter. I made friends within the first week of school and the environment we were living in was simply mesmerizing. Since our first time moving was so successful, I had very high hopes for our second one. How naïve I had been.
Ellen Sirleaf once said, “The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them.” As an immigrant that came to America five years ago, I find great wisdom and possibilities in these words. I was born and raised in Malaysia for the past 14 years, and moved to the Philippines for a year while waiting for my petition visa to America. My dad is a Malaysian-Chinese, while mom is a Filipina. Growing up in Malaysia, I was given the access to education without any barriers. I went to a Chinese elementary school for six years, Malay high school for two years and sat in a year at De La Salle Canlubang in the Philippines to learn the culture of my country.
Zhu, Y. & Warner, M. (2000). “An Emerging model of employment relations in China: a divergent path from the Japanese?” International Business Review, 2000, Vol.9 (3), pp.345-361. [03 April 2014]
In dynamic, global competitive markets, successful organizations are likely to be staffed with managers capable of adapting to constantly evolving roles, and with the capacity to achieve and sustain optimal levels of performance. The global market place has currently impacted the practice of human resources management in the United States and will continue in the next ten years.
High turnover rate of expatriate: expatriate managers are frustrated with the performance and practices of local employees. And they do not have enough international experience and cross-cultural communication and sensitivity training.
In the present day organisations are expanding their operations to different countries of the world. They therefore need people to work there “expatriates”. Once the international assignment is completed, the expatriates have got to go back home, the process of repatriation begins. Even though most expatriates and managers presuppose that the repatriation process will be easy seeing as the employee is just returning home, research has substantiated that this is a tricky process. There is indication that it could be more difficult to adjust to the home environment as opposed to adjusting to life in a foreign nation. Therefore, repatriation process ought to be considered keenly (Baruch et al 2002).