This paper strives for investigating the phenomena of expatriates focusing on German expatriates in China. There are several reasons for this. Regarding the main destination of expatriates, which are mainly from Western countries, one third of all assignees have Asia as destination. In Asia, there are huge emerging markets to be explored by MNCs such as China where Western countries have spent FDI for decades already. China is at a “stage of dramatic transition towards a more market-oriented economy.” Moreover, the human resource management stands high on the agenda not only for foreign but also for Chinese companies expanding abroad.
Regarding the conceptual framework it can be seen that much research is done exploratory with surveys and questionnaires, and there are also some case studies. This survey study will also have an exploratory character preparing the ground for following empirical research. However, this thesis concentrates on the evaluation of CVs that have been voluntarily uploaded in the internet. This method of analyzing résumés is seen beneficial particularly until now in the social sciences. This study therefore deals with two important, not yet sufficiently answered research questions:
A) What is the typical demographical profile of a German expatriate in China?
B) What is the typical career profile of a German expatriate in China, respectively what position and function he or she obtains in China?
Chapter 2 deals with the conceptual part of data collection and how the data was processed. In the two chapters thereafter, the results of the study are presented by providing answers to the research questions. Chapter 3 clarifies the typical demographical profile of a German expatriate in China, whereas Chapter 4 highlights the working experience, respectively the typical job profile. Chapter 5 will then summarize the findings and provide outlook as well as recommendations for companies. The next subchapter, however, will start to provide a general outlook on the topic of managing expatriates touching the most important topics.
Table of Contents
1 Expatriates in IHRM – an Introduction
1.1 Research on Expatriates
1.2 Demographic studies about managers
2 Data Collection and codification
2.1 Data collection and input
2.2 Codification
2.2.1 Codification of Demographic Variables
2.2.2 Position, Function, Industry and Mobility
2.2.3 Clustering of Countries
3 Results – The Typical Demographic Profile
3.1 Age and Gender
3.2 Marital Status and Children
3.3 Educational Background
3.4 Study Sojourns and Internships abroad
3.5 Foreign Language Abilities
4 Results – the Typical Career Profile
4.1 Position, Function and Industry during the Career Life
4.2 The Expatriate Assignment
4.3 Mobility and other Findings
5 Conclusion
5.1 Summary and Recommendations
5.2 Outlook and Implications for further Research
Objectives & Core Topics
This master's thesis investigates the demographic and career profiles of German expatriate managers in China through an empirical analysis of résumés, aiming to define typical patterns in their professional backgrounds and assignment characteristics.
- Demographic profiling of German expatriates in China.
- Analysis of career trajectories, including position, function, and industry.
- Investigation of mobility patterns and international experience.
- Evaluation of the relationship between educational background and assignment success.
- Development of HRM recommendations for multinational corporations.
Excerpt from the Book
1 Expatriates in IHRM – an Introduction
“International business is in a rapid transition where more firms increasingly enter the global workplace. One of the greatest challenges in that development is to find out how to manage human resources on a global scale. That constitutes an extraordinary incentive for further development of the field of expatriate management.” Jan Selmer
This quote of one of the most important authors in the field of expatriate management hints at the fact that in our world of globalization the number of companies operating not only in different countries, but also across different cultures and around the world is increasing. Associated with this trend, international HRM “is becoming increasingly important” because attracting and promoting the right people for the right positions has become a cross-border activity. A “common feature of organizations operating in international arenas is the need for increased mobility of staff.” Therefore, the use of expatriates, referring to a “person working in a foreign land” “indicating an employment outside one’s own native country”, has been an important issue in international management research and is even supposed to grow in importance in the future.
Summary of Chapters
1 Expatriates in IHRM – an Introduction: Sets the theoretical stage by defining expatriate management and the growing importance of international human resource management in a globalizing economy.
2 Data Collection and codification: Details the empirical methodology, explaining how résumés were gathered and codified into numeric variables for analysis.
3 Results – The Typical Demographic Profile: Presents the findings regarding age, gender, marital status, education, and language skills of the analyzed German expatriates.
4 Results – the Typical Career Profile: Analyzes the professional journey of the subjects, focusing on career steps, industry affiliation, and assignment specifics.
5 Conclusion: Synthesizes the empirical results into practical recommendations for MNCs and identifies areas for future research in expatriate management.
Keywords
Expatriates, International Human Resource Management, China, Career Profile, Demographic Profile, Résumé Analysis, Globalization, Multinational Corporations, Mobility, Skill Development, Assignment Success, Cultural Clusters, Expatriate Failure, Career Path, Staffing Policies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this thesis?
The study aims to establish a demographic and career profile of German expatriate managers in China by analyzing résumés to identify patterns that can help multinational corporations optimize their human resource strategies.
Which demographic data points were analyzed?
The research focuses on variables such as age, gender, marital status, children, educational background, and foreign language abilities.
What research methodology was employed?
The author conducted an exploratory empirical study using the content analysis of 40 résumés of German expatriates in China, which were coded into numerical data for statistical examination.
What is the focus of the career profile analysis?
The analysis covers the professional history of expatriates, specifically identifying prevalent positions, functions, and industries throughout their careers and specifically during their assignments in China.
Why was China selected as the research destination?
China is a critical emerging market with high FDI from Western countries, and human resource management remains one of the greatest challenges for German companies operating there.
What are the key findings regarding the "typical" German expatriate in China?
The "typical" expatriate is male, married, in his 30s, holds a university degree, and frequently possesses experience in production functions within engineering or electronic industries.
How does this study contribute to the existing IHRM literature?
It provides empirical insights into career patterns and industry-specific data that are often absent or underrepresented in survey-based expatriate literature, offering a unique "résumé-based" perspective.
What advice does the author provide to corporations based on these findings?
The author recommends that MNCs integrate international assignments more effectively into long-term career development programs and prioritize repatriation support to retain valuable talent.
- Quote paper
- M.sc. Julia Scheffler (Author), 2009, Profiling German Expatriate Managers in China, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/144335
