An investigation of expatriation challenges: a case study of Transnet Port Terminals in Durban.
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Date
2018
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Abstract
Globalization has influenced internationalisation of 21st century organisations. South African
organisations are expanding their horizons not only nationally but globally. The expansion of
organisational activities outside national borders challenge South African companies to invoke
changes that relate to the management of expatriates. Changes due to globalisation poses many
new challenges for management due to the internationalisation of human resource management.
As a result, employers and employees are expected to rapidly gain various skills to adapt to the
speed of change for organisations to achieve competitive advantage. This study explores the
expatriate process challenges at Transnet Port Terminals and examines the perceptions and
experiences of expatriates prior, during and post international assignments. It also examines the
perceptions of the Human Resource (HR) Managers responsible for the management and
administration of global mobility. The study delves into the experiences of expatriates based on
four phases of the expatriation process, that is (phase 1) selection of suitable candidates for
international assignments, (phase 2) pre-departure training that looks at training before the
assignment, (phase 3) on-assignment support that looks at communication and ongoing
support between Head Office and the expatriate and lastly, (phase 4) repatriation of expatriates
that looks at the return of expatriates back to the home country. The research methodology
adopted for this study is a qualitative research to investigate the perceptions of expatriates, and
acquire a deeper understanding about their experiences. The researcher conducted semistructured interviews with ten participants from Transnet Port Terminals (TPT). The ten
participants included six expatriates and four managers from Human Resource Management,
who played an integral role in administering and managing global mobility. Adopting a single
case study approach, the study explores international HR management processes and practices
at Transnet Port Terminals. Data collected from the questionnaire and existing sources were
analysed to answer research questions, and compared the expatriate processes at Transnet Port
Terminals to ‘best practices’ obtained from literature review. The results from the study affirm
the importance of four phases in the expatriation process to implement and manage a successful
international assignment. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge due to the
growing demand for expatriates globally. Valuable insights on expatriation from existing
literature provided in this study including the recommendations hope to inspire management at
Transnet Port Terminals in developing a successful expatriation process.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.