ABSTRACT
International assignments – traditionally seen as the management of expatriates and various aspects of the expatriation process – are an established element of international human resource management (IHRM) in academia and practice. Consequently, related literature flourishes. It ranges from overview and textbook contributions about expatriates and global leaders (Mendenhall et al. 2000; Dowling et al, 2008) to detailed analyses and recommendations about different elements of expatriation such as recruitment and selection (Guthrie et al. 2003), adaptation and acculturation processes (Ward 1996) or repatriation (Linehan and Mayrhofer 2005). In practice, expatriation is a substantial part of IHRM activities, too.A recent survey (GMAC 2005) suggests that in 2005 47% of the organizations surveyed expected growth in the size of their expatriate workforce.
