<p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva hur AstraZenecas expatriater stationerade i Mölndalupplevt repatriationen. För att illustrera hur repatriationen upplevts har de fem variablerna:förväntningar, karriärplanering, stöd och kontakt med hemorganisationen, tydlighet iprocessen samt omvänd kulturchock valts. Studien genomfördes genom intervjuer med sexrepatriater anställda på AstraZenecas kontor i Mölndal. Denna studie visar att repatriaternasupplevelser till stor del överensstämmer med tidigare forskning. Processen var tydlig gällandehemkomstens praktiska detaljer. Gällande planeringen kring karriären fann vi attrespondenterna själva tog ansvar för sin utveckling och kommunikation med företaget.Förväntningarna fann vi ha stor påverkan på hur repatriationen upplevts. En majoritet avrepatriaterna upplevde en kulturchock vid återkomsten till Sverige, något som är i linje medtidigare forskning.SammanfattningSyftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva hur AstraZenecas expatriater stationerade i Mölndalupplevt repatriationen. För att illustrera hur repatriationen upplevts har de fem variablerna:förväntningar, karriärplanering, stöd och kontakt med hemorganisationen, tydlighet iprocessen samt omvänd kulturchock valts. Studien genomfördes genom intervjuer med sexrepatriater anställda på AstraZenecas kontor i Mölndal. Denna studie visar att repatriaternasupplevelser till stor del överensstämmer med tidigare forskning. Processen var tydlig gällandehemkomstens praktiska detaljer. Gällande planeringen kring karriären fann vi attrespondenterna själva tog ansvar för sin utveckling och kommunikation med företaget.Förväntningarna fann vi ha stor påverkan på hur repatriationen upplevts. En majoritet avrepatriaterna upplevde en kulturchock vid återkomsten till Sverige, något som är i linje medtidigare forskning.</p> / <p>The purpose of this study is to describe how repatriates at AstraZeneca in Mölndal haveperceived the repatriation process. To illustrate how the repatriation has been perceived fivefactors have been chosen: Expectations, career planning, support and contact with theorganization, clarity in the repatriation process and reverse culture shock. The study wasconducted through interviews with six repatriates employed at AstraZeneca in Mölndal. Ourstudy shows that the repatriate’s perceptions mainly concur with previous research. The returnhome was clear regarding practical details; however regarding career planning we found thatthe repatriates themselves felt that they were responsible for their career development andcontact with the home office. Furthermore we found that expectations had great impact on theperception of the repatriation. A majority of the repatriates experienced a reverse cultureshock upon re-entry, something that is in line with previous studies.The purpose of this study is to describe how repatriates at AstraZeneca in Mölndal haveperceived the repatriation process. To illustrate how the repatriation has been perceived fivefactors have been chosen: Expectations, career planning, support and contact with theorganization, clarity in the repatriation process and reverse culture shock. The study wasconducted through interviews with six repatriates employed at AstraZeneca in Mölndal. Ourstudy shows that the repatriate’s perceptions mainly concur with previous research. The returnhome was clear regarding practical details; however regarding career planning we found thatthe repatriates themselves felt that they were responsible for their career development andcontact with the home office. Furthermore we found that expectations had great impact on theperception of the repatriation. A majority of the repatriates experienced a reverse cultureshock upon re-entry, something that is in line with previous studies.</p>

Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva hur AstraZenecas expatriater stationerade i Mölndalupplevt repatriationen. För att illustrera hur repatriationen upplevts har de fem variablerna:förväntningar, karriärplanering, stöd och kontakt med hemorganisationen, tydlighet iprocessen samt omvänd kulturchock valts. Studien genomfördes genom intervjuer med sexrepatriater anställda på AstraZenecas kontor i Mölndal. Denna studie visar att repatriaternasupplevelser till stor del överensstämmer med tidigare forskning. Processen var tydlig gällandehemkomstens praktiska detaljer. Gällande planeringen kring karriären fann vi attrespondenterna själva tog ansvar för sin utveckling och kommunikation med företaget.Förväntningarna fann vi ha stor påverkan på hur repatriationen upplevts. En majoritet avrepatriaterna upplevde en kulturchock vid återkomsten till Sverige, något som är i linje medtidigare forskning.SammanfattningSyftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva hur AstraZenecas expatriater stationerade i Mölndalupplevt repatriationen. För att illustrera hur repatriationen upplevts har de fem variablerna:förväntningar, karriärplanering, stöd och kontakt med hemorganisationen, tydlighet iprocessen samt omvänd kulturchock valts. Studien genomfördes genom intervjuer med sexrepatriater anställda på AstraZenecas kontor i Mölndal. Denna studie visar att repatriaternasupplevelser till stor del överensstämmer med tidigare forskning. Processen var tydlig gällandehemkomstens praktiska detaljer. Gällande planeringen kring karriären fann vi attrespondenterna själva tog ansvar för sin utveckling och kommunikation med företaget.Förväntningarna fann vi ha stor påverkan på hur repatriationen upplevts. En majoritet avrepatriaterna upplevde en kulturchock vid återkomsten till Sverige, något som är i linje medtidigare forskning. / The purpose of this study is to describe how repatriates at AstraZeneca in Mölndal haveperceived the repatriation process. To illustrate how the repatriation has been perceived fivefactors have been chosen: Expectations, career planning, support and contact with theorganization, clarity in the repatriation process and reverse culture shock. The study wasconducted through interviews with six repatriates employed at AstraZeneca in Mölndal. Ourstudy shows that the repatriate’s perceptions mainly concur with previous research. The returnhome was clear regarding practical details; however regarding career planning we found thatthe repatriates themselves felt that they were responsible for their career development andcontact with the home office. Furthermore we found that expectations had great impact on theperception of the repatriation. A majority of the repatriates experienced a reverse cultureshock upon re-entry, something that is in line with previous studies.The purpose of this study is to describe how repatriates at AstraZeneca in Mölndal haveperceived the repatriation process. To illustrate how the repatriation has been perceived fivefactors have been chosen: Expectations, career planning, support and contact with theorganization, clarity in the repatriation process and reverse culture shock. The study wasconducted through interviews with six repatriates employed at AstraZeneca in Mölndal. Ourstudy shows that the repatriate’s perceptions mainly concur with previous research. The returnhome was clear regarding practical details; however regarding career planning we found thatthe repatriates themselves felt that they were responsible for their career development andcontact with the home office. Furthermore we found that expectations had great impact on theperception of the repatriation. A majority of the repatriates experienced a reverse cultureshock upon re-entry, something that is in line with previous studies.

Ce travail doctoral se propose de prendre pour objet un jeu vidéo très connu du grand public paradoxalement ignoré par la communauté scientifique alors que son premier opus fut distribué dès l’an 2000. Alors que les études précédemment réalisées sur les jeux vidéo portent principalement sur une pratique en ligne, nous avons voulu nous consacrer à un jeu hors-ligne afin de nous questionner sur la relation que le joueur entretient avec ses avatars dans cette configuration. En effet, quelle est la nature de cette relation entre le joueur et ses personnages ? Que se passe-t-il durant le jeu ? Que font les joueurs et pourquoi ? En étudiant les joueurs de Les Sims ainsi que leurs pratiques, nous avons pu mettre en évidence la présence d’une socialisation spécifique, la socialisation vidéo-ludique, via un processus particulier comportant différentes étapes. L’adolescence nous est apparue comme un moment de la vie à la charnière entre des temporalités socialisatrices favorisant la richesse de l’expérience de simulation et un âge de la vie où le jeu est encore socialement permis et même encouragé. Dans le but d’améliorer notre interprétation, nous avons dessiné un modèle théorique prenant la forme d’un voyage que le joueur effectue durant son activité. Ce voyage identitaire véhicule le processus de socialisation vidéo-ludique advenant au cours de la pratique de simulation de vie. En prenant du recul, et en ajoutant les résultats d’une enquête menée en parallèle de la recherche doctorale, nous avons complété notre modèle avec des explications relevant d’un niveau macro social. Notre objectif a été d’inscrire la pratique vidéo-ludique dans la globalité de la vie sociale du joueur. / In many books, articles, conferences, we can read, hear, notice that gaming is helping the socialization process, that games are socializing tools and that is the reason why video games could be “good” for individuals (Greenfield, 1994 ; Taylor, 2002 ; Gee, 2003). But what is that socialization? What does this specific socialization is bringing to the overall understanding of the evolution of individuals in our societies? In one word: what is the video-ludological socialization? The concept of socialization is widely used by many disciplines such as Sociology, Social Psychology, Communication Sciences, Media Studies, Game Studies and Educational Studies and so forth. Socialization, which is the social process that makes a subject become a social being, is a key concept for understanding society and its functioning. That is why I scrutinize video-ludological socialization in this dissertation. To cast light on benefits of this specific socialization, no game is better than one simulating life which is also very popular: The Sims. For my research I overlooked praxis of teenagers gaming and how they utilize the gameplay to experiment social behaviours. In this thesis, I propose to explain what video gaming is bringing more than usual play by presenting findings of this study carried out in two steps with 180 teenagers from 12 to 16 years old.This video-ludological socialization, befalling through interacting, is part of the main socialization process which lasts during all the lifespan of individuals (Berger & Luckmann, 1966). In my research, I demonstrated that gaming with The Sims channels the video-ludological socialization process and that gaming plays an active role in gamers’ social lives.

Au Canada, les diplomates de carrière sont mutés à l’étranger tout au long de leur carrière. En raison de la nature intrinsèquement internationale et interculturelle du travail diplomatique, des compétences en communication interculturelle (CCI) sont essentielles aux diplomates. Pourtant, les études consacrées à la CCI et à l'expatriation ont négligé cette population, utilisant plutôt des échantillons de voyageurs, d'expatriés du secteur privé ou d'étudiants en échange universitaire. Partant du principe que les diplomates sont des expatriés particuliers en raison de leur situation spéciale à l’étranger, cette étude a pour objectif de remédier à cette lacune dans la littérature. Utilisant une méthodologie qualitative, cette étude examine les expériences d’affectation à l’étranger de diplomates canadiens à travers l’optique conceptuelle de la CCI. Les données ont été recueillies à travers des entretiens individuels semi-structurés avec douze diplomates canadiens, et analysées selon une approche dialectique combinant les principes de la théorie de la dialectique relationnelle et du postmodernisme. L’analyse a identifié cinq tensions dialectiques, trois au niveau individuel et deux au niveau organisationnel. Ce mémoire contribue à la littérature interculturelle en théorisant la CCI en tant que concept organisationnel, en repensant la compétence en tant que gestion durable de dialectiques et en réfléchissant la CCI sur une échelle de temps de moyen terme. / In Canada, career foreign service employees are posted abroad on a rotational basis throughout their career. Because of the inherently international and intercultural nature of diplomatic work, intercultural communication competenies are essential for diplomats. Yet, studies examining intercultural communication competence (ICC) and expatriation have neglected this population, instead employing samples of sojourners, private sector expatriates or exchange students. Based on the premise that diplomats are particular expatriates because of their special circumstances abroad, this study aims to remedy this gap in the literature. Using qualitative methodology, this study examines the experiences on posting of Canadian diplomats through the conceptual lens of ICC. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews with twelve Canadian diplomats on posting, and analyzed through a dialectical approach combining tenets of relational dialectics theory and postmodernism. Analysis identified five dialectical tensions, three which interplayed at the individual level and two which interplayed at the organizational level. This thesis contributes to the intercultural literature by theorizing ICC as an organizational-level construct, by re-thinking competence as the sustainable management of dialectics, and by considering ICC on a meso-time scale.

Cette étude porte les raisons de l’acceptation d’une affectation internationale. Alors que l’augmentation du nombre d’entreprises et d’activités internationales crée une pression de plus en plus forte à recourir à la mobilité internationale, ces entreprises éprouvent toujours certaines difficultés à attirer et à sélectionner les bons candidats. Notre étude, effectuée auprès d’individus travaillant dans le domaine de l’ingénierie-construction, visait, dans un premier temps, à connaître quels sont les déterminants individuels, organisationnels et de l’affectation dans l’acceptation d’une affectation à l’international. Dans un second temps, nous avons cherché à vérifier l’importance relative de ces déterminants dans l’acceptation d’une affectation à l’international. Nos analyses ont révélé que deux déterminants individuels et sept déterminants organisationnels ont influence positive significative dans l’acceptation d’une affectation internationale. / This study’s main focus is the reasons that are involved in the acceptance of an international assignment. While the number of multinational corporations is increasing, so is the pressure to attract and select candidates that will accept an international assignment. Based on a sample of employees working in engineering and construction, our study had two main goals. First, we sought to identify which are the key individual, organisational and assignment variables in the decision to accept or refuse an international assignment. The second goal was to verify the relative importance of those key variables in the acceptation of an international assignment. Our analyses revealed that two individual variables and seven organisational variables have a significant and positive influence in the acceptance of an international assignment.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T18:40:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 25 / Nenhuma / Esta dissertação enfoca aspectos favoráveis e aspectos que dificultam o processo de expatriação e repatriação vivenciados por executivos em organizações brasileiras com operações internacionais. Seus objetivos estão centrados na interferência dos aspectos relacionados à adaptação dos expatriados e repatriados, como também, nas políticas e práticas de pessoas voltadas aos processos de expatriação e repatriação. Ao examinar a interdependências das categorias adaptação pessoal, profissional, familiar, políticas e práticas de gestão nos processos de expatriação e repatriação, são eleitas algumas proposições capazes de retratar os aspectos mais relevantes nestes processos. A metodologia do estudo envolveu a realização de uma pesquisa qualitativa com caráter exploratório-descritivo em uma consultoria e sete organizações brasileiras com operações internacionais, sendo duas organizações de pequeno porte, duas de médio porte e três de grande porte. Foram realizadas vinte entrevistas em profundidade com executivos expa / The focus of this dissertation is the aspects that favor and the ones that constrain the expatriation and repatriation processes of executive living and working for Brazilian companies that operate internationally. It aims at the interference of aspects related to the expatriated and repatriated adaptation as well as the policies and practices utilized by people who are involved in the processes of expatriation and repatriation. Some assumptions that depict the most relevant aspects are elected when examining the interdependence of personal, profession, and family adaptation, and politics and management practices on the processes of expatriation and repatriation. The methodology encompassed a qualitative exploratory descriptive design research in one consulting firm and in seven multinational Brazilian companies that operate internationally. Twenty in-depth interviews with expatriated/ repatriated businessmen and human resource professionals were performed. The results demonstrate that the elements involved

Nos últimos cinqüenta anos ocorreu uma imensa gama de mudanças e inovações tecnológicas que tem impacto direto nos povos, nas questões sociais, econômicas e políticas. Essa mudança fica mais intensa com o processo de globalização que ocorreu nas últimas décadas, e caracterizou um aspecto multifacetado, com questões profundas, que exigiu das culturas uma nova inter-relação mundial. Este novo momento demanda um estudo para que se compreendam o choque entre culturas e o impacto sobre cada indivíduo. O desenvolvimento da economia transformou profundamente o trabalho e estabeleceu alto grau de competências e habilidades dos profissionais necessárias para o novo contexto. Dessa forma, o profissional depara-se com uma recente situação, na qual deve articular culturas de forma harmônica e retornar a sua pátria. Nesse contexto, o objetivo principal foi elucidar as questões relativas à expatriação, procurando apresentar a realidade desse processo através de mapeamento dos diversos momentos dessa mobilidade e sua relação com o momento histórico, bem como, vislumbrar os aspectos do fenômeno da transnacionalidade a que o executivo e sua respectiva família estão sujeitos. A metodologia adotada constituiu-se de pesquisa de campo exploratória e multidisciplinar. As informações foram obtidas com a área de expatriação das organizações e com os profissionais e suas famílias, por meio de questionário e entrevistas. Este trabalho traz três contribuições acadêmicas; a estruturação do cenário histórico mundial e nacional (1956-2005) que permite visualizar a ocorrência da internacionalização do capital e como o Brasil adentrou nesse processo; a possibilidade de entender como se sustentam os processos de expatriação dentro das empresas; e compreender o olhar dos expatriados e respectivas famílias sobre essa experiência, no tocante à adaptação pessoal e profissional no momento da saída e do retorno. / In the past fifty years a vast range of technological changes and innovations that have had direct impact on nations and on social, economical and political matters have occurred. This change is intensified by the globalization process that has taken place in the recent decades, implying on a multifaceted aspect, with profound issues and demanding a new world interrelationship from cultures. This new moment presents a demand for a study to gain in-depth understanding of cultural shock and its impact on individuals. The development of economy has deeply transformed labor and set a high level of skills and competencies needed from professionals within the new context. Thus professionals are faced with a recent situation in which they must articulate cultures harmoniously and then return to their homeland. In this context the main goal was to elucidate matters pertaining to expatriation, seeking to demonstrate this process reality through the mapping of this mobility different moments and its relationship with the historical moment, as well, as to glimpse at the aspects of the transnationality phenomenon to which the executive and his/her respective family are subject to. The chosen methodology was composed of multidisciplinary and exploratory field research. Information was obtained from the organizations expatriation areas and from professionals and their families, through questionnaires and interviews. This work provides three academic contributions; structuring of historic national and world scenario (1956-2005) that provides visualization of capital internationalization occurrence and of how Brazil entered this process; the possibility of understanding how expatriation processes are sustained within companies; and of understanding expatriates and respective families outlook on this experience to the extent of personal and professional adaptation on departure and upon return.

<p>Allt fler svenskar är utlandsstationerade i Kina (Sveriges Ambassad 2008) och att anpassa sig till den kinesiska kulturen kan vara påfrestande för en utlandstjänstgörande. Problematiken kring kulturanpassning har lett till att olika teorier testats och utvecklats (Black & Mendenhall 1991). En av de modeller som tagits fram är U-kurvan som beskriver individens anpassningsprocess genom faserna kulturchock och kulturanpassning (Zapf 1991). Individuella faktorer, som exempelvis språkkunskaper och kulturell erfarenhet har varit centrala inom forskningsområdet (Earley & Mosakowski 2004, Shay & Baack 2004) och denna studie undersöker därför företagsrelaterade faktorer då en utlandstjänstgörandes förmåga att utföra sina arbetsuppgifter påverkas av hur pass anpassad individen är till kulturen (Aycan 1997, Jun m. fl. 2001). Syftet med denna uppsats är därför att ta reda på hur en svensk utlandstjänstgörandes anpassningsprocess till den kinesiska kulturen påverkas av faktorerna företagsstorlek, bransch och verksamhetstid i Kina.</p><p>Materialet till undersökningen har huvudsakligen samlats in genom webbenkäter som skickats ut till utlandstjänstgörande svenskar i Kina. Resultaten visar att det är branschen i vilken den utlandstjänstgörandes företag verkar som har högst påverkan på en utlandstjänstgörandes anpassningsprocess. Undersökningen visade även att utlandstjänstgörande i företag med mindre än 50 anställda i detaljindustrin som etablerade sig i Kina under 1990-talet var bäst anpassade till den kinesiska kulturen. Då resultaten från studien presenterades i diagram framgick att i två fall av tre var den bästa anpassningsprocessen den som mest liknade en U-kurva vilket tyder på att den bästa anpassningsprocessen är den då en utlandstjänstgörande går igenom faserna på ett balanserat sätt. Detta är dock ingen slutsats som kan dras av undersökningen eftersom resultaten inte gällde för alla faktorer.</p> / <p>The numbers of Swedish expatriates in China are increasing (Swedish Embassy 2008) and adaption to the Chinese culture can be demanding for an individual. The complexity of cultural adjustments has led to different theories being tested and developed (Black & Mendenhall 1991). One of the models that have been developed is the U-curve, which describes the process of individual adaption through the two phase's culture shock and cultural adaption (Zapf 1991). Factors related to the individual, such as language skills and cultural experience have been central in research of cultural adaption and this study therefore examines company related factors because an individual's ability to perform his/her work tasks is affected by the individual's adjustment to the culture (Aycan 1997, Jun et al. 2001). The purpose of this study is therefore to verify how a Swedish expatriate's process of adaption to the Chinese culture is affected by the company related factors firm size, industry and time of operation in China.</p><p>The data of the study has mainly been collected by web surveys which were sent to Swedish expatriates in China. The results show that the industry has the largest influence on the adaption process. The study also showed that expatriates in companies with less than 50 employees in the retail- and manufacturing industry which were established in China during the 1990s, were the ones that were the most adjusted. When the results were presented as diagrams it showed that the best adaption process was the one that most reminded of a U-curve which indicates that the best adaption process occurs when the expatriate passes the phases in balance. However, this is not a conclusion that can be drawn from this study since these results are not valid for all the factors.</p>

Allt fler svenskar är utlandsstationerade i Kina (Sveriges Ambassad 2008) och att anpassa sig till den kinesiska kulturen kan vara påfrestande för en utlandstjänstgörande. Problematiken kring kulturanpassning har lett till att olika teorier testats och utvecklats (Black &amp; Mendenhall 1991). En av de modeller som tagits fram är U-kurvan som beskriver individens anpassningsprocess genom faserna kulturchock och kulturanpassning (Zapf 1991). Individuella faktorer, som exempelvis språkkunskaper och kulturell erfarenhet har varit centrala inom forskningsområdet (Earley &amp; Mosakowski 2004, Shay &amp; Baack 2004) och denna studie undersöker därför företagsrelaterade faktorer då en utlandstjänstgörandes förmåga att utföra sina arbetsuppgifter påverkas av hur pass anpassad individen är till kulturen (Aycan 1997, Jun m. fl. 2001). Syftet med denna uppsats är därför att ta reda på hur en svensk utlandstjänstgörandes anpassningsprocess till den kinesiska kulturen påverkas av faktorerna företagsstorlek, bransch och verksamhetstid i Kina. Materialet till undersökningen har huvudsakligen samlats in genom webbenkäter som skickats ut till utlandstjänstgörande svenskar i Kina. Resultaten visar att det är branschen i vilken den utlandstjänstgörandes företag verkar som har högst påverkan på en utlandstjänstgörandes anpassningsprocess. Undersökningen visade även att utlandstjänstgörande i företag med mindre än 50 anställda i detaljindustrin som etablerade sig i Kina under 1990-talet var bäst anpassade till den kinesiska kulturen. Då resultaten från studien presenterades i diagram framgick att i två fall av tre var den bästa anpassningsprocessen den som mest liknade en U-kurva vilket tyder på att den bästa anpassningsprocessen är den då en utlandstjänstgörande går igenom faserna på ett balanserat sätt. Detta är dock ingen slutsats som kan dras av undersökningen eftersom resultaten inte gällde för alla faktorer. / The numbers of Swedish expatriates in China are increasing (Swedish Embassy 2008) and adaption to the Chinese culture can be demanding for an individual. The complexity of cultural adjustments has led to different theories being tested and developed (Black &amp; Mendenhall 1991). One of the models that have been developed is the U-curve, which describes the process of individual adaption through the two phase's culture shock and cultural adaption (Zapf 1991). Factors related to the individual, such as language skills and cultural experience have been central in research of cultural adaption and this study therefore examines company related factors because an individual's ability to perform his/her work tasks is affected by the individual's adjustment to the culture (Aycan 1997, Jun et al. 2001). The purpose of this study is therefore to verify how a Swedish expatriate's process of adaption to the Chinese culture is affected by the company related factors firm size, industry and time of operation in China. The data of the study has mainly been collected by web surveys which were sent to Swedish expatriates in China. The results show that the industry has the largest influence on the adaption process. The study also showed that expatriates in companies with less than 50 employees in the retail- and manufacturing industry which were established in China during the 1990s, were the ones that were the most adjusted. When the results were presented as diagrams it showed that the best adaption process was the one that most reminded of a U-curve which indicates that the best adaption process occurs when the expatriate passes the phases in balance. However, this is not a conclusion that can be drawn from this study since these results are not valid for all the factors.

Cette étude porte les raisons de l’acceptation d’une affectation internationale. Alors que l’augmentation du nombre d’entreprises et d’activités internationales crée une pression de plus en plus forte à recourir à la mobilité internationale, ces entreprises éprouvent toujours certaines difficultés à attirer et à sélectionner les bons candidats. Notre étude, effectuée auprès d’individus travaillant dans le domaine de l’ingénierie-construction, visait, dans un premier temps, à connaître quels sont les déterminants individuels, organisationnels et de l’affectation dans l’acceptation d’une affectation à l’international. Dans un second temps, nous avons cherché à vérifier l’importance relative de ces déterminants dans l’acceptation d’une affectation à l’international. Nos analyses ont révélé que deux déterminants individuels et sept déterminants organisationnels ont influence positive significative dans l’acceptation d’une affectation internationale. / This study’s main focus is the reasons that are involved in the acceptance of an international assignment. While the number of multinational corporations is increasing, so is the pressure to attract and select candidates that will accept an international assignment. Based on a sample of employees working in engineering and construction, our study had two main goals. First, we sought to identify which are the key individual, organisational and assignment variables in the decision to accept or refuse an international assignment. The second goal was to verify the relative importance of those key variables in the acceptation of an international assignment. Our analyses revealed that two individual variables and seven organisational variables have a significant and positive influence in the acceptance of an international assignment.