Christian Yao

Citation

Thesis Title
Experiencing international assignment: An exploratory study of Chinese international assignees

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Mr Yao investigated the international experience of Chinese assignees working for multinational companies in different cultural contexts. His research was triggered by Chinese companies’ increasingly important global position. Mr Yao used an integrated, multidimensional theoretical framework that incorporates motivation, experience, and career capital. He found that decision-making is a multifaceted, complex, and interdependent process involving a balance of individual, organisational, and social factors. Moreover, his study outlined the dynamic and multidimensional nature of international experience. His findings offer new insights regarding careers; Chinese international assignees appreciate international experience (in contrast to what is suggested in much of the Western literature), but consider it to have little impact on their future careers. Cultural factors and the nature of Chinese multinational companies explain this. Mr Yao’s proposed model suggests useful avenues for future research, such as comparative studies of international assignees from different cultures or assignees on different types of international assignments.

Supervisors
Professor James Arrowsmith
Professor Kaye Thorn