Deciding to Go Abroad: The Expatriate Experience
| dc.contributor.advisor | Mauro, Robert | |
| dc.contributor.author | Field, Sarah | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-08-30T19:15:31Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-08-30T19:15:31Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description | 99 pages | |
| dc.description.abstract | This exploratory study uses a survey design to examine the decision-making process people use when considering a move abroad. We explore the following questions: (1) How do expatriates (expats) make their decisions to move abroad? (2) Do those with previous experience living abroad (expats) value different factors in their decision than those who do not have experience living abroad (non-expats)? (3) Do non-expats who are willing to move abroad value different considerations than non-expats who are unwilling to move abroad? To answer these questions, we employed two surveys with a combined 108 participants. The first survey asked people with expatriate experience to recall the decision process they used when moving abroad for the first time and the second asked full-time employees without experience living abroad to consider a hypothetical move to another country. Participants were recruited through Facebook groups for expatriates and professionals, as well as through personal contacts. We found that expats most valued the opportunity for personal growth and new experiences and the location’s cuisine, political landscape, cost of living, perceived safety, and overall reputation in their decision-making process. The two groups significantly differed in their importance ratings. Additionally, we found effects of family situation on the importance of relationship status and age and a near-significant effect on the importance of personal growth and new experiences. This topic has real-world implications in professional settings where employees are sent abroad, as many reject these experiences. We hope that employees will feel more comfortable accepting these experiences if they have a better idea of what they entail and the factors to consider. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.orcid | 0009-0007-2629-0586 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1794/29922 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | University of Oregon | |
| dc.rights | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 | |
| dc.subject | Expatriates | en_US |
| dc.subject | Decision-making | en_US |
| dc.subject | Moving abroad | en_US |
| dc.subject | Expatriate experience | en_US |
| dc.subject | Human resources | en_US |
| dc.title | Deciding to Go Abroad: The Expatriate Experience | |
| dc.type | Thesis/Dissertation |