1. Common causes of expatriate failure
- Culture shock because of differences in language, food habits,
climate etc.
- Selecting a person who is not flexible to new environments. It
is better to select someone who already has experience of
completing assignments successfully n different countries.
- Lack of planning and selecting a person only on the basis of
the ability to do the job. If the person is allergic or cannot
adapt to certain climatic conditions then both time and money will
be wasted
- Family stress because of difficulties in relocating the entire
family or staying away from the family for a long time.
- Not compensating adequately combined with increased work load
may lead to stress and poor performance.
Major success factors for expatriates
- Selecting the right candidate who can adapt to new cultures
and; work environment.
- Motivating the employee with performance incentives and
bonus
- Giving adequate training to the employees before sending them
to the foreign location
- Establishing an excellent expatriate management team to make
the relocation process smoother.
- Giving adequate support when the employee needs to relocate
his/her family
2. List of the reasons for accepting a foreign
assignment
- Opportunities for career advancement
- Higher salaries.
- New learning opportunities
- Gaining experience of doing international assignments
- Better work culture and environment
- Better climate
List of the reasons for rejecting a foreign
assignment
- Being away from family
- Unsafe country and presence of Islamist radicals
- Lack of learning and career advancement
- The country being very less developed and lacking basic
facilities
- Extreme weather conditions
- Inflexible or unsupportive work culture
- Insufficient incentives and financial support
As stated above, location can be an important reason for
accepting or rejecting a foreign assignment. If the location is
unsafe or underdeveloped or if it has extreme weather conditions,
the foreign assignment will be rejected. On the other hand, if the
location is more developed with a pleasant climate and
comparatively lesser cost of living, the there much higher chance
to accept the foreign assignment.