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Drawing on the “shocks to the system” concept in image theory, a mid-range theoretical model is developed to illuminate understanding on why cross-cultural experience is so conducive to stimulating entrepreneurship yet has remained largely unexplained at the individual level.

The novel idea is put forth that experience of foreignness, in itself, can be harnessed as a powerful cognitive resource for entrepreneurship – particularly the nascent stages of new venture development. Providing cross-cultural exposures arouse “self-image shocks”, they manifest over time as skill clusters that reflect the sensing, seizing and transforming capabilities at the heart of entrepreneurship. This paper's pivot helps delineate a common mechanism to explain how a diverse range of seemingly disparate cross-cultural experiences can be processed in a way that enhances entrepreneurial pursuits.

The insights of this paper reinforce the need for educators and policymakers to encourage and provide opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs to engage in cross-cultural and overseas exposures as they are influential for stimulating each of the core sets of entrepreneurial capabilities. The model and synthesis table also help to practically unpack how to design and plan such cultural experiences to optimize the enduring entrepreneurial advantages.

The author turns a long-standing assumption surrounding cultural differences in entrepreneurship on its head. The shocks and tensions arising from intercultural interactions are not always inevitable liabilities to be “managed away” or attenuated. Rather, cross-cultural experience can be explicitly leveraged as an asset for nascent venturing as the juxtapositions they evoke provide both proximal and distal enhancements to ways in which entrepreneurs think and develop skills at the core of venturing.

The purpose of this paper is to identify themes on international experiences that impact culture and how these findings will intervene in understanding cross-cultural training programs. Thereby an attempt is made to: evaluate cross-cultural insensitivity influences on cross-cultural shock and willingness to adapt, identify cultural impressions over a short overseas period, provide some insights on cross-cultural training that will improve training practices for cross-cultural assignments.

A diary method was used to analyze the data using NVivo. This research uses diary studies because they have been popular in identifying factors that influence learners to learn, as well as found to be productive to achieve short term experiences. They allow for in-depth analysis, uncovering several findings unlike observation and interviews that cannot reach. In addition, diary text is said to give information on areas of social reality that are not contained in the text. Following this the study used the theme category frequencies to enable us to undertake non-parametric testing of contingency tables.

Several descriptors were identified in this study; the χ²-test indicates that there is a difference in cultural shock experiences on negative cultural sensitivity but no difference in positive cultural sensitivity which was found significant at the p=0.05 level. On the other hand there is a significant association between positive cultural sensitivity and willingness to adjust and no significant association between negative cultural sensitivity and willingness to adjust which was found significant at the p=0.05 level.

This research shows how learning in higher education can take into account the experiences by which learners can use their knowledge and skills for future cross-cultural training in international careers.

These results can be useful in guiding vocational interests. The results of the research offer descriptors of an exploratory nature which can also be used as a reference analysis for consequent phases in cross-cultural training.

Research provides several descriptors on international culture such as culture shock, positive and negative intercultural sensitivity, and willingness to adapt, some of which were significant. Diary method to analyze data are used which is distinctive and unique to understand behavior.

The present study aims to understand context and dynamics of cognitive learning of students as an outcome of the usage of popular movies as a learning tool in the management classroom and specifically in the context of a course on cross‐cultural management issues.

This is an exploratory study based on qualitative analysis of reflection notes of 14 students who participated in an elective course on “managing cross‐cultural issues (MCCI)” in the second year of their MBA programme. Students were asked to submit reflection notes focused on classroom learning as an outcome of the course MCCI with specific reference to used movies Outsourced and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Students' reactions in their reflection notes were analyzed through qualitative content analysis.

The findings of this study reveal that students found selected movies very relevant and effective in learning cross‐cultural theories, issues and developing cross‐cultural competence. They also enjoyed movies as learning experience in the classroom. Both instructor's observations and students' reactions regarding the effectiveness of movies as classroom learning tool are very positive.

Popular movies, if appropriately selected and included in cross‐cultural training programmes for expatriate managers, immigrant workers and managers who travel to different countries, could be very useful as a learning tool for developing multicultural perspective and cross‐cultural competence.

This paper could be very useful to academicians and researchers who want to use popular movies as an instructional or research tool for exploring the psychodynamics of classroom learning in management and social sciences courses or professional training programmes focused on cross‐cultural management skills, global leadership skills, diversity management.

Drawing on image theory, the authors investigate how and when cross-cultural experience cultivates two core entrepreneurial sensing capabilities: opportunity recognition and creative behavior.

The authors develop and test a second-stage moderated mediation model across two studies. Study 1 consists of a sample of prospective entrepreneurs from the UK using perceptual scale measures (n = 153). Building on this, core findings are replicated using task-based measures on a sample of US participants (n = 342).

Results show that cross-cultural experience is positively related to both entrepreneurial sensing capabilities through the mediating role of self-image fluidity. No support is found for the moderating role of regulatory focus orientations.

These findings contribute to the burgeoning literature on multicultural experience and initiating skills in nascent venturing by providing insight on the mechanisms and boundary conditions relevant for entrepreneurial capabilities to emerge.

The results reinforce the need for educators, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to facilitate and encourage opportunities for cross-cultural and overseas experiences as they are influential for stimulating entrepreneurial skills.

Positive linkages between international mobility and entrepreneurial activity are of continued interest, yet individual-level mechanisms that explain this have been limited. The authors find that exposure to foreign cultures is potent for entrepreneurship as it can stimulate flexibility and exploration of the self-image and break frames of reference. This fosters greater tendencies for opportunity recognition and creative behaviors.

As the development of internationalisation in higher education, the mobility of international students around the world has been more active than ever. Chinese international student community is growing larger and larger in the popular destination countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Cultures vary from east to west; Chinese students might find it difficult to adjust in a new cultural environment. When international Chinese students are struggling with cultural adjustment issues, they might have difficulties finding the support that they need, as schools might not have culturally relevant international students support service. Using an exploratory case study approach, the researcher intends to investigate some uncommon issues that Chinese undergraduate students were facing in their cultural experience in the United Kingdom. This research is aimed to raise the awareness for institutions to supply more through international students support service to reach a higher level of students’ satisfaction.

This chapter aims to make sense of the growing research that examines the role of culture in mergers and acquisitions. We provide a detailed review of the many related but distinct constructs that have been introduced to the literature. While each construct has contributed to our understanding of the role of culture, the lack of connections made among constructs has limited the consolidation of contributions. The review shows what these constructs mean for mergers and acquisitions, what major findings have been discovered, and, most importantly, how constructs interrelate. Our discussion provides several opportunities to foster the needed consolidation of this research.

This paper aims to explore the interplay between international experiences and male and female top managers' career paths, taking into consideration gender differences. Furthermore, the research investigates the specific job and personal demands and resources related to the different types of international work experiences.

This study provides an in-depth subjective reconstruction of the international professional experience of 37 male and female top managers employed in Italy, using semi-structured interviews.

Participants highlighted the benefits of their international assignments (IAs) in terms of the development of managerial, soft and cross-cultural skills. Family issues and cultural differences were frequently cited as challenges by the top managers interviewed. Culture shock and perceived difficulty in managing multicultural teams were reported by both women and men. Men reported experiencing long periods of separation from their family more often than women and cited the support of their partner as a valuable resource. In addition to the support of a partner, women also indicated that certain job resources and welfare policies played a crucial role. Moreover, women appear to be more interested in work-family management issues, thus suggesting that the traditional division of roles between men and women continues to persist in Italy.

This study provides an insight into the extrinsic factors linked to career success, as well as the challenges and the resources associated with different forms of global work other than traditional expatriation. It takes into consideration a specific country, Italy, where a traditional family paradigm persists, providing an insight into better understanding the link between IA experiences and gender roles in global mobility. Managerial implications are also discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the success factors needed for the development of global human resources from both the organisation’s and expatriates’ perspectives in emerging eastern economies. Specifically, this study focuses on pre-expatriation preparation, during-expatriation adjustment and post-expatriation repatriation.

In total, 23 Taiwanese personnel contributed to this case study. Data collected from the focus group discussion and open-ended asynchronous email interviews was analysed using the content analysis approach.

The results of this study revealed four main selection criteria for the selection process and five desired preparation methods from the organisation and the expatriates’ perspectives.

This study makes two main contributions to cross-cultural related global human resources research. Firstly, this study deepens understanding on the pathway to developing culturally intelligent global human resources for successful mission accomplishment from both the organisation and expatriates’ perspectives based on a three-phase expatriation process in emerging eastern economies. Secondly, this study provides an insight into the best practices that HR practitioners can use in developing global human resources for expatriation.

This study seeks to address the challenge of repatriate turnover by focusing on how effective repatriation adjustment, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment are at predicting the Taiwanese repatriates' intentions to leave their organization. By building on the cross‐cultural adjustment and turnover theories and researches, this study expands these recent findings to Taiwanese repatriates.

Multiple regression was used to predict intent to leave and explain the impact of the three predictors on intent to leave. Correlation was used to compare the relationship of study variables.

The results of multiple regression indicated that repatriation adjustment was the strongest predictor of intent to leave followed by organizational commitment. The combination of the three variables can predict approximately 58 percent of the variance of intent to leave. Overall interrelations among the independent variables showed a positive strong relationship and negatively related to intent to leave the organization.

The results provide empirical evidence that repatriation adjustment, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment are negatively related to intent to leave the organization. Furthermore, the conceptual framework of this study can be a guide to future research in repatriates' turnover intention.

The results of this study may help multinational organizations in Taiwan to enhance the international assignment process of their employees and keep valuable human capital within the organization.