Globalisation has led to an increasing growth of world trade which has directed business all over the world to become increasingly international and increased the number and power of multinational companies. These expatriates are confronted with societal norms different from their home cultures. This study investigated which factors influence cross-cultural adjustment the most and which factors are perceived by the expatriates to influence cross-cultural adjustment. Based on the literature review four different categories of factors influencing cross-cultural adjustment were identified (Individual, organisational, work-related and non-work related factors) A self-administered online questionnaire, based on existing questionnaires (Black’s (1988) cross-cultural adjustment questionnaire) and literature research, was developed in order to detect a relationship between factors and one of the three adjustment types (general, interaction and work) and to reveal the perceived importance of the factors. In this study all identified factors were perceived to be important for cross-cultural adjustment. However, language skills and spousal adjustment were perceived to be the most important factors and had indeed the strongest correlation towards cross-cultural adjustment. Based on the findings of this research project, recommendations for organisations and expatriates have been provided.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:9424 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Hesse, Anjuli |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MA |
| Format | xiv, 126 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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