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In the context of international assignments, repatriates are confronted with social, organisational and cultural challenges. However, the impact of community and social support on the reintegration process has gone unnoticed. The purpose of this paper is to identify the influencing factors on the reintegration process of expatriates who were sent to Asia, especially considering social support and the role of the community. In the context of the community, this paper discusses which factors influence the reintegration process after repatriates return to Germany.

In order to research reintegration problems as well as social support and the role of the community, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with repatriates from Germany.

The central results of the study show that there are variables in different areas that influence the reintegration process of repatriates sent to Asia, which have both reintegration-promoting and reintegration-inhibiting effects. Furthermore, it was found that a lack of support from social networks in the home country has negative effect on the reintegration process causing repatriates to stay in known repatriate communities.

The results of the study demonstrate that social networks and communities in the home country represent crucial challenges in the reintegration process. Furthermore, it demonstrates the need for future exploratory research into this area to gain further insights into this topic.

Companies expend significant resources on global assignees’ success during deployment. However, the broader repatriation experience of organizational expatriates and their families, beyond securing employment, is still largely unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this paper, an exploratory study, is to describe the repatriation experience of five US Christian repatriates who returned to the USA after long-term expatriate assignments in China.

A qualitative approach was employed, and data were collected through five open-ended interviews with US Christian repatriates, focusing on their social networks and family repatriation experiences.

Upon repatriation, most global assignees received assistance with relocation and securing stateside employment but no assistance with readjustment issues for themselves or their accompanying family members. Most found repatriation the most difficult part of the assignment, and home churches were of little assistance. The findings support the deterioration of home social networks during longer assignments and extend the literature’s findings to the expatriate spouse and families.

This exploratory study addresses the experiences of Christian US repatriates and their social support through work and non-work home social networks. The findings highlight the importance of intentional efforts by repatriates and their families to strengthen their home social connections in order to minimize repatriation difficulties.

The study explores African partners' experiences regarding Chinese expatriates' knowledge control practices in 29 Sino-African joint ventures in 12 countries. It provides insights into power dynamics and knowledge transfer (KT) from African partners' perspective.

The qualitative paper mobilized semi-structured interviews with Africans who worked with Chinese expatriates across Africa. The study focused on understanding the experiences of African partners when collaborating with their Chinese expatriate colleagues on assignments in joint ventures (JVs) in Africa.

Chinese expatriates employed five tactics, as described by African partners, to control knowledge based on power, behaviors and knowledge type. Particularly, through the lens of unofficial power, this study explains knowledge hiding tactics between knowledge-holding Chinese expatriates and host country knowledge-seeking locals. A new dimension of authority-based knowledge hiding is discovered.

The paper brings new insights into the analysis of power (official and unofficial) boundaries regarding knowledge control mechanisms in joint venture collaborations between employees from China and Africa. Unofficial power appeared as a major leverage for expatriates in monopolizing their strategic knowledge. The study recommends mobilizing African diaspora and repatriates from China to improve KT for Africa.

Drawing on recent literature and empirical data, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between perceived organizational support (POS), perceived overqualification (POQ) and turnover intentions (TI) in repatriates working in multinational corporations (MNCs).

Survey data were collected from 145 repatriates who had been contacted beforehand from MNCs in China. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression are used to examine the data.

It is shown that POQ and POS both affect repatriates TI, with POQ having the stronger effect, while POS plays a mediatory role between POQ and TI. Specifically, under the same POQ, repatriates TI will decrease as the POS increases.

The study design is cross-sectional and based on self-reporting, which makes causal explanations of the results difficult.

POQ and POS are both shown to influence TI, with POQ having the greater effect. This means managers can offset the effect of repatriates POQ on TI by providing better support and assistance, which can help MNCs reduce repatriates TI and retain employees.

This paper examines the antecedents of TI, and adds valuable new insights to the literature on repatriation through its research data, offering further evidence that managers in transnational corporations should pay more attention to organizational support policy on repatriates in order to reduce their turnover.

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the subjective perspectives on the development process of perceived employability (PE) among Western self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) working for a local organisation in China.

This empirical qualitative study is based on 23 in-depth interviews of Western SIEs, both repatriated and those who seek to continue their careers in local Chinese organisations in China.

This study adds to the current understanding of PE development by highlighting how the long-term PE development of Western SIEs is not only impacted by the perceptions of lost and acquired resources, but also by the host-country cultural context, which contribute to the levels and development of PE as a personal resource.

The findings of the study are highly relevant because today’s labour markets and the employability of skilled professionals are increasingly shaped by international career contexts. These are also emerging number of individuals who independently seek career opportunities in cross-cultural career and labour market settings. The findings also help explain why SIEs in cross-cultural career settings often express negative feelings when asked to review their assignments.

This study is one of the first to explore the career trajectories of Western SIEs, and to address the dynamic aspect of PE from the perspectives of the conservation of resources theory and non-local employees in cross-cultural career settings.

South Korean multinational enterprises (MNEs) have developed rapidly since the late 1950s. This chapter investigates South Korean MNEs’ talent management, more specifically international recruitment and selection policies and practices in their Chinese operations.

Using the snowball method through Chinese and Korean networks we recruited ten Korean MNEs to participate in this research. We conducted semi-structured interviews with key individuals within the organisations.

It reveals that South Korean MNEs tend to adopt the polycentric approach or a mixed approach of being polycentric and ethnocentric to international staffing, with the number of expatriates reducing gradually over time. South Korean MNEs adopt ‘one-way selection’ in recruiting and selecting expatriates and localise recruitment procedures and selection criteria for host-country nationals.

South Korean MNEs have paid inadequate attention to: firstly, expatriates’ career development; and secondly, personal and family issues emerging from expatriation and repatriation. This study highlights these issues.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the need of sustainability in its three major pillars for the future: profit, planet and people. Actions for companies and governments are listed, and a more in‐depth discussion is performed towards one of the most viable clean and renewable fuels used by society until nowadays, ethanol. The basics of this industry, the experience of Brazil in 40 years of usage of this fuel to the car fleet and recent developments are raised.

Traditional case study methodology is used to focus the analysis on the sugarcane industry in Brazil. This case study of this industry, together with previous projects done in 15 years of experience in this industry, is used to reach the objective of showing how this integrated chain works and addressing the importance of ethanol as an energy alternative for China.

China can start adopting an E10 policy (10 percent of anhydrous ethanol blended to gasoline) to contribute to reduce transport pollution in major cities. In order to have ethanol, China may invest more in the country to produce ethanol from cane and from cellulosic sources. Instead of importing oil, substitute part of its imports and consumption towards ethanol, bringing a clean fuel to the country to be blended with gasoline. China can also develop second generation ethanol to be used and generate jobs and invest in producing ethanol in some African countries and even invest in ethanol production in Brazil and import to China.

The paper is a suggestion of policies, based on the experience of Brazil. Further debate should be done to deepen the analysis of all possible points listed. It is based on a case study of one industry.

There is a preliminary suggestion of policies and strategies for the Chinese Government, together with possible partnership models and benefits to society.

China can reduce dependencies on oil and on some unstable environments; generate jobs and employment; increase relationship with Brazil and African nations, which will be future suppliers of food also to China; reduce pollution in large cities, improving the quality of the air; possibilities of international investments for Chinese people and companies, making profits outside China and repatriating this resources and contribution to mitigate climate change over the world.

The paper brings to Chinese community information about one of the most competitive bioenergy programs on the world and suggests possible ways of partnering towards sustainable development.

The aims of this research are to identify the opportunities and risks and develop effective business strategies for foreign design and construction management companies to penetrate into the Chinese market.

Ten interviews with directors of design, construction and engineering firms who are operating in China were carried out. It also include a literature review.

The results show that the interviewees were very optimistic about the China market and believed that establishing wholly foreign‐owned enterprises was the most effective entry mode. The research also found that “differentiation strategy by providing niche or superior products or services” is the fundamental and best strategy for penetrating into China market. In addition, the research found that the foreign companies must cultivate a network of contacts (i.e. Guanxi) and be culturally adaptive to have a competitive advantage in China.

this paper is original in that it provides insight from the first hand face‐to‐face interviews who have been operating successfully in the Chinese market. With the entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and its rapid economy growth, China presents the world enormous opportunities virtually in every industry sector including the design, and construction industry. Due to the complex and dynamic nature of the Chinese market, there are risks associated with these opportunities. The foreign companies entering into China market must develop capability to assess the opportunities, analyse the risks, and make informed decisions concerning market entry mode and business development strategies.

Due to a number of reported failures of expatriation assignments, a growing body of literature is exploring the possible roles of mentors in supporting expatriates in critical phases while working in another culture. The purpose of this paper is to expand upon the research of mentoring based on a literature review and an empirical study of mentoring expatriates in three transnational companies.

This paper is based on findings from three case companies based in Denmark. In total, 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted with expatriates, managers and vice presidents at the three home organizations and their subsidiaries.

Several empirical studies, including the study presented in this paper, indicate that ethnocentrism in the home-company is a main constraint for cross-cultural learning mediated by the expatriates. It is suggested that the HR department in the home-company should create specialized professional training programs and recruit employees with practical knowledge about expatriation. However, personal and relational mentoring should be conducted by experienced and motivated individuals who are supported and recognized, but not controlled, by the HR department.

This research is focused on Danish companies and further research is needed to test the theories in other cultural settings.

This research can help companies and expatriates gain a more successful expatriation period.

The value and role of mentorship is detailed from a theoretical and practical perspective, which adds to the body of literature on expatriates and mentorship.