Description

University of Sunderland

Assessment Brief – Postgraduate

Module Code: MGTM15

Module Title: HRM in an International and Digital Context

Assessment First Sit Hand in Date:5th February 2024

Instructions on Assessment:

With reference to appropriate models, theories, frameworks, and academic literature, you are required to create a digital academic poster that responds the following:

Choose a MNC and one of its subsidiary countries to illustrate the challenges an ‘expatriate’ manager will face in the chosen host country in comparison to the parent country, for example corruption, risk factors etc and you are to provide appropriate recommendations to overcome these challenges. The academic poster will illustrate knowledge and application of appropriate models, frameworks, and theory but also be esthetically pleasing with the use of colour, imagery and imagination to represent the chosen country. The poster must includetext citation and a reference list.

The size of the digital academic poster is A1 (594mm x 841mm) and the word count is 800-1200 words (+/- 10%) and it is weighted at 100% of the overall mark. The poster can be submitted via PowerPoint (one slide) or PDF.

This is an individual assessment and does not require a presentation.

 

Answer

Introduction

Many companies face a high failure rate of expatriates. They return earlier or have a poor job performance. With the economic globalisation, most Multinational Companies (MNCs) need expatriates to manage the subsidiaries, as expatriates are more familiar with management techniques and methods used in the MNCs than locals. Nonetheless, the level of expatriate failure is quite high, with many multinationals grappling with huge losses due to failed foreign assignments. On this basis, this essay takes the case of RIO Tinto which is a British Australian multinational dealing in the mining industry and China, which is one of its subsidiary countries in evaluating the challenges that expatriates face in the host country in comparison to the parent company.

Challenges that expatriates face in the host country

The language barrier is one of the significant issues that every multinational company should take into account, particularly when it expands into other countries that do not have the same language as the company’s home language. Language is one of the main problems that expatriate managers are confronted by, because the language barrier may lead to a lack of communication between the expatriate manager, his/her employees and the local people. Language barriers have a substantial influence on business operations. For instance, RIO Tinto expatriates moving to China are required to communicate in Mandarin as that is the main language in China. If the expatriates are not able to communicate in the language, then they might face difficulties interacting with the local people.

Culture shock is one of the significant challenges that expatriate managers may be confronted by in their new environment. Culture shock is felt more profoundly by people whose community differs greatly from the one they migrate to (Guy and Patton, 1996). It is possible that as a result of unfamiliarity with the new surroundings expatriate managers may well encounter various problems when they are exposed to a new environment and society. Therefore, they may experience anxiety, depression, isolation, confusion and frustration when they work in a new setting, in which expatriate managers may need a considerable amount of time to adapt to this new environment. Moreover, expatriate managers may face new customs or traditions which might be confusing or sometimes surprising. In China, there is a custom or tradition that subordinates have to obey and respect managers besides regularly agreeing with them without questioning their ideas. Therefore, the locals may be afraid to give any suggestions to the expatriate manager which could lead to wrong decisions. For instance RIO Tinto Australian expatriates have in many instances been detained in China due to confusions in the way of doing things………………

 

To receive the entire answer to this task, customized and plagiarism free, please contact us on WhatsApp +254716353533.

Please also note that this sample has already been submitted and should not be copied.