Expatriate Managers from Emerging Economy Firms

Abstract

In this study we focus on the specifics that expatriate managers from emerging economy firms face during their foreign assignment. Drawing on previous research, we corroborate the expatriate management literature by theorizing about the particular mechanisms that foster or threaten expatriates’ task performance of emerging economy multinational companies. Specifically, we elaborate on the asymmetries between emerging economy and developed country expatriate managers and investigate the resulting advantages and challenges for expatriate managers from emerging economies when they perform foreign assignments. In doing so, we articulate comparative disadvantage mechanisms (liabilities of emergingness, liabilities of country of origin and lacking HRM practices) as well as comparative advantage mechanisms (diaspora networks, adaptability to hostile environments, and being proactive in knowledge acquisition).