Expatriate management practices of New Zealand business

Abstract

In this paper data are presented from one of the first studies of expatriate management practices in New Zealand. The results reveal a number of consistencies with research reported from other countries as well as a number of apparent anomalies. In particular, New Zealand companies, like those in a number of other countries, appear to place a low value on those expatriate management practices which are linked with success (e.g., technical skills, period of incumbency and track record). Moreover, there was a low incidence of pre-departure training. However, negligible expatriate failure rates are recorded and most are attributed to ‘relational difficulties'.