The primary emphasis in the field of expatriate adjustment has focused on the experiences of the person working overseas on assignment. Research that includes the experiences of the accompanying partner of the working expatriate frequently positions this person as an antecedent to the working partner's adjustment process. Understanding the adjustment process from the accompanying partner's perspective is underrepresented in the literature. In this qualitative research project eight expatriate couples were interviewed to examine in detail their experiences of adjusting overseas on assignment in order to identify the critical adjustment factors, the resources that are available to assist the adjustment process, and what personal characteristics aid a successful intercultural experience while living overseas. Recommendations are provided for both the employer and the accompanying partner to assist the adjustment process.

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[pt] O presente trabalho tem como objetivo conhecer e analisar experiências culturais propiciadas às crianças da Educação Infantil da Rede Municipal de Maceió, Estado de Alagoas, a partir da relação com os equipamentos culturais. Parte-se de uma compreensão de infância enquanto categoria plural, dinâmica, situada na história e na cultura e de criança como sujeito de direitos, sujeito potente, imaginativo, competente e capaz. A pesquisa procurou estabelecer um diálogo com estudos produzidos nos campos da infância, cultura, equipamentos culturais e formação cultural, compreendendo-se que falar em cultura implica reconhecer que se trata de um termo carregado de múltiplos sentidos. O conceito de equipamento cultural é abordado para além da perspectiva que o define como instalação física e material, sendo tratado também enquanto coletivo ou círculo de pessoas que produzem e expressam de modos distintos a cultura e que contribuem para a produção de identidades e sentimentos de pertencimento. Ao se lançar um olhar para a literatura que trata da formação cultural da criança pequena a partir da mediação da Instituição de Educação Infantil em diálogo com instituições culturais, percebe-se que existe uma lacuna no tocante a pesquisas que abordam a referida temática no Estado de Alagoas e no município de Maceió, contudo, esta percepção também se confirmou em nível nacional. Compreende-se que formação cultural é um processo que não finda, é diálogo e troca permanente que se faz no re/encontro diário com as experiências e repertórios individuais e coletivos. Trata-se de educação dos sentidos, cujas experiências concorrem para refinar e aguçar o olhar, a escuta e, portanto, a percepção de si, do outro e do mundo. O estudo tem um caráter qualitativo em que se realizou uma pesquisa de campo, utilizando-se de entrevistas com profissionais que atuam em equipamentos culturais; com professoras, diretoras e coordenadoras pedagógicas que trabalham em Centros Municipais de Educação Infantil de Maceió (CMEIs). Utilizou-se também de pesquisa documental, de registros fotográficos dos equipamentos culturais e de notas em diário de campo. Estabeleceu-se um diálogo com os estudos de Adorno, Vigotski, Teixeira Coelho, Nogueira, Carvalho, Chauí, Freire, Ostetto e Leite e outros, que contribuem para as reflexões empreendidas nesta tese. Os resultados da investigação indicam que os desencontros das crianças da Educação Infantil com os equipamentos culturais em Maceió ocorrem em detrimento de uma frágil articulação entre diferentes órgãos responsáveis pelas ações educativas e culturais no Município. Verificou-se que a concepção de formação cultural presente nos CMEIs pesquisados é marcada pela valorização das tradições populares em Alagoas, desta feita, as experiências culturais das crianças pequenas são perpassadas pela presença dos folguedos e se sobrepõem àquelas que acontecem por meio de visitas esporádicas a instituições culturais, como museus, teatros, salas de cinema, bibliotecas públicas etc. / [en] This paper aims to know and discuss the cultural experiences provided to Early Childhood Education children of the Municipal Schooling of Maceió, State of Alagoas, from the relation with the cultural equipment. It is started from the comprehension of childhood as plural and dynamic category, placed in history and culture, and the child as an individual with rights, a potent subject, imaginative, competent and capable. The research aimed to establish a dialogue with studies produced in fields such as childhood, culture, cultural equipment, and cultural formation. So, it was necessary to understand that speaking about culture implies the recognition that this term is full of multiple meanings. The concept of cultural equipment is approached beyond the perspective that defines it as physical and material installation and it is also treated as a collective, or as a circle of people that produce and express culture in different ways. Therefore, they equally contribute to the culture dissemination, to identities production, and to belonging feelings. By taking a look at the literature, which handles the cultural formation of young children from the mediation of the Early Childhood Educational Institution in dialogue with cultural institutions, it was possible to confirm the lack of studies regarding this topic in Alagoas State and Maceió municipality. However, it was also confirmed to be a national gap. The cultural formation is understood as endless, as permanent dialogue and exchange, which are built-in daily re/encounters with collective or individual experiences and repertoires. It is regarded to sense education, which experiences compete to refine and to sharpen the visioning, the listening and, thus, the self, the other and the world perceptions. The study is qualitative, performed through field research, by means of interviewing cultural equipment professionals, such as teachers, directors and pedagogic coordinators of Maceió’s Early Childhood Education Centers (CMEIs), as well as technicians of SEMED s, which actuate with continuing teacher education. In addition, it was adopted documental research, field diary, photographic records of the cultural equipment and notes of the field s journal. The reflection around the cultural formation is based on theoretical perspectives from Adorno, Vigotski, Teixeira Coelho, Nogueira, Carvalho, Chauí, Freire, Ostetto and Leite, among others. The investigation results attest that the discrepancies between children from Early Childhood Education and cultural equipament in Maceióoccur because of a fragile articulation between the different public organs responsible for the educational and cultural actions in the City. It was verified that the conception of cultural formation present in the surveyed CMEIs is marked for the valorization of popular traditions in Alagoas. Therefore, the cultural experiences of young children are predominantly accompanied by the presence of mirth. Those overlap the experiences of visiting cultural institutions, such as museums, theatres, cinemas, public libraries, etc.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l’Université de Montréal / Particular interest to expatriate adaptation on the assignment is explained by the globalization of business and the necessity to catch growing opportunities on the international market with the help of qualified and effective human resources. The researchers try to identify the antecedents of successful international assignments (Black, Gregersen, and Mendenhall 1992, Parker and McEvoy 1993) and to provide the evidence of cross-cultural training utility for expatriate adaptation and performance in the host country (Deshpande and Viswersvaran 1992, Earley 1987). D However, according to the literature, only 30-45% of American multinational corporations provide cross-cultural training to their expatriates. The effectiveness of cross-cultural training and its different components as well as its prevalence in Canadian multinational companies remain under-explored. Reported in the literature results concerning the impact of some individual, family-related and host country characteristics on expatriate adaptation are contradictory. In this study the attempt was made to investigate the importance of crosscultural training and previous international and cross-cultural experience of expatriates for their adaptation in the host country. The influence of several intermediate factors (personality, demographic, family characteristics and adaptation, job, host country and expatriate community characteristics) on expatriate adaptation was also examined. The concept of expatriate adaptation was divided into three facets: general, interaction, and work adaptation. The population of this study was represented by 140 expatriates working for one division of Canadian multinational company. The data was collected between October 2000 and February 2001. Twenty three valid questionnaires were received. 3 The results demonstrated that cross-cultural training of expatriates was not a commonly used practice and, even when provided, had no, or in some components, had a negative impact on expatriate adaptation. At the same time, cross-cultural training was perceived as important by the expatriates. Previous international and cross-cultural experience were reported by the majority of expatriates. While previous international experience was found to be negatively associated with expatriate adaptation, previous cross-cultural experience had a positive impact on the dependent variable. Positive family relations, family support, favorable family perception of the relocation, successful family adaptation in the host country and knowledge of the host country predominant language turned out to be the most important antecedents of effective expatriate adaptation. Young age, personal characteristic self-efficacy and greater hierarchical position on the assignment were predictors of a better expatriate adaptation. Longer international assignments were associated with worse expatriate adaptation. Meanwhile, marital status of expatriates, level of education completed and importance of expatriate community in the host country were not related to any facet of expatriate adaptation. The assumption about positive relationship between expatriate adaptation and expatriate effectiveness on the international assignment was empirically confirmed in this study. 0 The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between expatriate adaptation and expatriate performance on the assignment and mark out the role of some antecedents of successful expatriate adaptation. Though no positive relationship has been found between cross-cultural training and expatriate adaptation the importance of cross-cultural training should not be eliminated. The proper content of training, the right moment of its implantation and corresponding intensity can affect significantly adaptation of expatriates on their first assignment and increase adaptation of those with previous experience of international relocations.

In today’s global business environment, multinational companies recognise that expatriate management is a major determinant of success in international business. Expatriates do not only face changes in the work environment but face a full range of cultural, personal and lifestyle changes that influence the success of an international assignment. This study investigates the relationship between cross-cultural training and expatriate adjustment. A quantitative longitudinal study was conducted within two phases to explore a European multinational companies cross-cultural training programme and its effects on expatriate adjustment in South Africa. Overseas experience, language proficiency, spousal adjustment, cultural distance and host country friendships were also explored as antecedents of adjustment. The empirical study included descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between cross-cultural training and expatriate adjustment. While previous overseas experience showed a significant positive influence on sociocultural adjustment, it had no significant effect on psychological well-being or culture shock. Cultural distance displayed a significant negative influence on sociocultural adjustment and psychological well-being / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com.

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Those who take the Great Commission of Christ seriously realise that enlarging today's mission force is crucial. The Two-thirds World church is in a prime position to meet the need. Cross-cultural mission training would greatly enhance and accelerate the fulfilling of Christ's final mandate to the Church. As founding director of Missions Exposure and Training (MET), a Christian ministry located in Pretoria, South Africa, the author of the thesis lays out the details of the programme for the reader. MET is the case study being considered, with particular emphasis placed on Missionary Candidate School (MCS), the backbone of MET. Before MET is introduced, the thesis begins with the challenge facing the universal Church today: the need to strengthen and enlarge the current mission force. The theological implications of Jesus Christ's mandate to the Church, the missionary purpose of the Church, as well as eschatological concerns build a strong argument for the need of a larger mission force. Demographic changes taking place within the Church mean that Two-thirds World Christians should be considered as a primary resource for cross-cultural mission endeavours. To maximise the potential of the new recruits, which the writer refers to as 'missionary candidates,' further discussion is given for the need of systematic training and equipping of Two-thirds World missionaries. After describing MET and MCS, the programme is critically evaluated. MCS is proven to be effective in training African men and women for intercultural Christian mission service, and as such it becomes a model worth investigating. The clear findings that result from the candid evaluation, and assessments made in light of current theological and missiological issues, should prove to be beneficial to those developing programmes with the purpose of training and equipping Two-thirds World missionaries. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

Those who take the Great Commission of Christ seriously realise that enlarging today's mission force is crucial. The Two-thirds World church is in a prime position to meet the need. Cross-cultural mission training would greatly enhance and accelerate the fulfilling of Christ's final mandate to the Church. As founding director of Missions Exposure and Training (MET), a Christian ministry located in Pretoria, South Africa, the author of the thesis lays out the details of the programme for the reader. MET is the case study being considered, with particular emphasis placed on Missionary Candidate School (MCS), the backbone of MET. Before MET is introduced, the thesis begins with the challenge facing the universal Church today: the need to strengthen and enlarge the current mission force. The theological implications of Jesus Christ's mandate to the Church, the missionary purpose of the Church, as well as eschatological concerns build a strong argument for the need of a larger mission force. Demographic changes taking place within the Church mean that Two-thirds World Christians should be considered as a primary resource for cross-cultural mission endeavours. To maximise the potential of the new recruits, which the writer refers to as 'missionary candidates,' further discussion is given for the need of systematic training and equipping of Two-thirds World missionaries. After describing MET and MCS, the programme is critically evaluated. MCS is proven to be effective in training African men and women for intercultural Christian mission service, and as such it becomes a model worth investigating. The clear findings that result from the candid evaluation, and assessments made in light of current theological and missiological issues, should prove to be beneficial to those developing programmes with the purpose of training and equipping Two-thirds World missionaries. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

The researcher of this study " Indian Migrants and Self-Initiated Expatriates in the host Countries: the Focus on Social Support" the whole study about the Indian expatriates who are living in the United Kingdom and the main goal of this research is to predict how successful the Indian expatriates in their settling process in the UK and the focus of social supports. The sample includes both Self-initiated expatriates ( SIE's) and Assigned Expatriates(AE's). SIE's expatriates are Indian students who are studying in the UK and the AE's expatriates are the company assigned Indian full-time employees. Social support includes briefly the overall host country support provided for Indian expatriates in the host country. Social support is measured in three broader dimensions pertinent to Waxin cross-cultural adjustment model (2006), likely perceived organizational support, individual self-motivation, and contextual support, includes family support and host country environment. (Navas et al, 2005) classified six relevant contexts of acculturation of expatriates in a foreign country, which emphasize, politics and government, organizational work-related adjustments, economic perspective, family relations; social relations and ideology, which includes religious belief and customs. The structure of the thesis covers extensive theoretical part based on the intense review of literature in the field of expatriation, cross-cultural studies, information on this context about the United Kingdom and India and final part includes practical data analysis, business cases and recommendation for the future research.

Der vorliegende Band wirft einen Blick in verschiedene Forschungsfelder, die an der Professur Interkulturelle Kommunikation der Technischen Universität Chemnitz in den letzten Jahren von Studierenden im Masterstudiengang ‚Interkulturelle Kommunikation – Interkulturelle Kompetenz‘ bearbeitet wurden. Die den sechs Artikeln zugrunde liegenden Studien nutzen Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung zur Datenerhebung und -auswertung. Die Artikel thematisieren interkulturelle Lernprozesse in internationalen Workcamps und interkulturellen Trainings, Erfahrungen während eines Auslandsstudiums und im interreligiösen Austausch sowie die Zusammenarbeit in multikulturellen Teams. / This volume gives insight into different research projects conducted by students in the master‘s programme ‚Intercultural Communication – Intercultural Competence‘ at the Chair of Intercultural Communication at Chemnitz University of Technology. All empirical studies on which the articles are based use methods of qualitative social research for data collection and analysis. The articles focus on intercultural learning processes in international workcamps and intercultural trainings, experiences during studies abroad and in interreligious dialogues as well as cooperation in multicultural teams.