Expatriate Satisfaction in International Assignments: Perspectives from Indian IT Professionals Working in the US

Abstract

Rapid globalisation and boundaryless business ventures have contributed to a growing number of expatriates working in foreign locales.  As a result of this, it is increasingly important that multinational corporations sending their employees for international assignments prioritise expatriate management. The Global Delivery Model followed by the Indian software firms creates a number of onsite (international) opportunities for Indian software professionals. The effective management of expatriates is increasingly been recognised as a major determinant of success or failure in international business. This study attempts to identify factors that impact expatriate satisfaction in the software industry. Using the method of exploratory factor analysis, through a survey conducted of 75 Indian expatriates currently on assignment in the United States, 25 variables which impact expatriate performance have been grouped into five factors and the correlations of these factors with overall expatriate satisfaction have been examined.