Managing expatriates

Spouse and Family Satisfaction:

It has been noticed that the satisfaction and adjustment of the spouse and other family members of the expatriates in the host country plays an important role in the success or failure of an expatriate process. In a study, which was conducted by Mohr and Klein it has been found out that only 36% of the spouses feel that the level of adjustment into the host country helps to satisfy them (Mohr & Klein, 2002). Thus the human resource manager of Walt Disney has to provide proper orientation to the Spouses of the expatriates about China which would help them to settle in China

Providing Training Opportunities:

Order custom essay Managing expatriates with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

Training for employees selected to assume job responsibilities in China is essential. But unfortunately, according to a study conducted by Brewster and Pickard, “The research that has been done shows, primarily, that little preparation takes place. Despite the importance of expatriate positions, the high costs associated with expatriation and the extensive and largely nonproductive "running-in" periods, it is still the case that most organizations provide no formal training for expatriation” (Brewster and Pickard, 1994). According to the researchers, “Key elements include the nature of the international operation, the relevant job, the extent of interaction with locals, motivation, the family, and language skills. One implication of these approaches is that formal courses may be just one way of meeting the need for preparation, and that other means, such as preparatory visits, informal briefings, shadowing, and overlaps may be more cost effective“(Bonache, Brewster and Suutari, 2001). It is more appropriate for Walt Disney to involve employee’s spouses in certain aspects of training programs allow for easier adjustment in China.

Use local Chinese:

Knowing everything about Chinese culture is not possible for American employees of Walt Disney. Thus it is also a good suggestion to hire as much local Chinese in the company Creating the Right rewards: In all competitive and good organizations, a normal employee of the company usually gets a package including basic salary, health insurance for employees and their families and employer pension contributions. But the people who work in a foreign environment, it is better to offer some extra.

Walt Disney, for their China operation, can provide a number of rewards from which employees can choose which is most suitable for them. It is also appropriate to offer their shares to their most talented workers. The offering of shares may align the interests of the company and the employees by allocating the right to purchase equity, usually at a discount, at a set date in future Creating Work- Life balance: The people working in a foreign environment have some family responsibility and the work-life balance is their major priority.

One of the most important strategies to get best out of an employee and to retain it centered on helping him to reduce work-life stress because the statistics has shown that over seventy one percent of the employees of present business world cited its family-friendly programs as one of the main reasons they stay with the company. Conclusion The world is shrinking rapidly with the advent of faster communication, transportation, and financial flows.

Products developed in one country are finding enthusiastic acceptance in other countries. The domains of business now cover the entire planet, where stock markets, fax machines, Internet, Televisions intermingle across national boundaries. The world of commerce is becoming wired like an integrated circuit, with no nation left out of the loop. Over the next few years, new forces are going to shape managerial careers. Managers will have to rely heavily on human skills and conceptual skills, but they will apply them in new ways.

If Walt Disney Company plans to open a subsidiary in China, the human resource managers of Walt Disney have to prepare themselves for:

• Managing Diversity: the increasing diversity of people within organization is reflected in several ways. Managers must learn to motivate and lead different types of people and to attract the best people from these groups
• Flexibility: speed and flexibility become the dominant competitive issues. Walt Disney company will have to respond with products that fit hot market segments, the preferences of the people of China
• Managing expatriates: The human resource manager plays an important role in the success of the company. It is the duty of human resource manager to know and understand how to measure the monetary impact of their actions. The human resource managers also become the strategic partners of the organization when they participate in the process of defining business strategy, move strategy into actions by asking questions and by designing such human resource practices which align and integrate with the business strategy of the organization.

As Human Resource Manger plays an important role in the company it is not easy for him to please all the employees and the administration of the organization at the same time. The job of a Human Resource Manager becomes many times more difficult when he is dealing with the employees of the company from all over the globe. The employees who are stationed in countries other than their home country faced many problems due to the isolation from their family, isolation from their culture and language, financial difficulties etc. and makes it really difficult for the Human Resource Manager to cope with all these problem

Thus, in the end, it can be said that opening a subsidiary of Walt Disney company in China do affect the international human resource management policies of the company and the human resource managers have to strive their utmost to cope with its challenges.

References

1. Adler, N. J. (1991). International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. 2d ed. Boston: Kent.
2. Bonache, Jaime, Brewster, Chris and Suutari, Vesa. (2001- January- February). Expatriation: A Developing Research Agenda. Thunderbird International Business Review. Retrieved on 21 November, 2006 from http://users. anet. com/~smcnulty/docs/research. pdf

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer