Expatriation Practices in the Global Business Environment

Abstract

Globalisation, characterised by advanced communication and distribution technologies, e-commerce, new strategic alliances, organisational restructuring and the 'internationalisation' of operations, demands new approaches to international human resource management. The transformation from international to global business necessitates a parallel paradigm shift in international human resource management theory, especially as it applies to the management of expatriates in the information era.Earlier assumptions and perspectives will need to be replaced by broader definitions and conceptualisations. This paper examines the foundations of earlier views of expatriate management, and suggests ways in which a new paradigm, more reflective of globalisation, might be developed.