Management

2007 International Conference on Convergence Information Technology

Expatriation Management in China

--A case study based on IKEA and NCR’s operation in China

Rongzhi Liu School of International Education, Wuhan University of Technology. Wuhan, China liurongzhi818@163.com Bei Hu School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China Beilei@mailme.cn Zhiqiang Qiu Department of Control Science & Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China acqzq@163.com Kamila Karcz, Joanna Adamska School of Management and Economics, Vaxjo University, Vaxjo, Sweden joasia.aa@wp.pl, kamilou.k@hotmail.com

Abstract

The increase of foreign direct investment in China has resulted in the presence of a number of Western expatriates working in Sino-foreign joint ventures in China. The effective expatriation management has become an increasingly important task for the international HR department. Based on the empirical research about two multinational organizations’ practical experience in China, this article looked inside the expatriate management process regarding training and supporting the expatriates, as well as the content of cross-cultural training, and finally suggested an approach for international human resource department relating expatriation management in China. Keywords: Expatriation Management, International Training, IKEA, NCR

China has become an important present and potential market for western and other international business organizations. Foreign capital has poured into China on a large scale over the last two decades and the Chinese market has retained a considerable attraction for international business2. However, China is particularly different from most of the other countries and stays a challenging destination for Western business expatriate managers and their implementation of the international training program3. In academic terms, more research is needed about trainings for business expatriates going...