Cultural adjustment is considered to be a prerequisite for expatriate success abroad. One way to enhance adjustment is to provide employees with knowledge and awareness of appropriate norms and behaviors of the host country through cross-cultural training (CCT). This article analyzes the impact of pre-departure CCT on expatriate adjustment and focuses on variations in participation, length and the comprehensiveness of training. Unlike previous research, the study focuses on the effectiveness of pre-departure CCT for non-US employees expatriated to a broad range of host country settings. Employing data from 339 expatriates from 20 German Multinational Corporations (MNCs) the study finds CCT has little if any effect on general, interactional or work setting expatriate adjustment. However, a significant impact of foreign language competence was found for all three dimensions of expatriate adjustment. We used interviews with 20 expatriates to supplement our discussion and provide further implications for practice.

Despite prominence and increasing application of the Job Demands‐Resources (JD‐R) theory across national contexts, the role of culture has not yet been systematically explored. We conducted a meta‐analysis of 132 independent samples from 120 studies across 5 global regions (total N = 101,073) to fill this void. Our paper responds to long‐standing concerns around neglecting differences in the relationships of workplace factors with burnout and engagement across national cultures by testing for a moderating role within JD‐R theory. Results suggest strong support for the direct job demands‐burnout and job resources‐engagement pathways. Regarding the role of culture, our study reveals moderating roles for five out of six cultural dimensions using Hofstede’s framework. Interestingly, these cultural dimensions present a moderating impact towards relationships with either job demands or job resources, yet not both. Our findings offer a valuable starting point for further theoretical developments that can impact international business and global mobility. While these insights suggest a role of national cultural context in JD‐R studies, sensitivity analyses showed that the findings were only partly stable.

This paper reviews Edward T. Hall’s influential concept of high-/low-context communication and its use in cross-cultural research. Hall’s concept suggests that individuals combine preprogrammed culture specific context and information to create meaning. The use of context is argued to vary across cultures and country classifications have been attached to Hall’s concept. These country rankings have evolved over time classifying (national) cultures as ‘high-context’ (HC) and ‘low-context’ (LC). Since future studies employing Hall’s context idea as an underlying framework in cross-cultural research need to rely on a valid and reliable country classification, our study analyses literature related to Hall’s HC/LC concept. Based on a systematic review, we particularly question whether the country classification attached to Hall’s concept is built on rigorous and substantiated findings. Our study shows that most previous research that utilized HC/LC country classifications is based on seemingly less-than-adequate evidence. Mixed and often contradictory findings reveal inconsistencies in the conventional country classifications and show that they are flawed or, at best, very limited.

Purpose: This systematic review provides a synthesis and evaluation of literature surrounding the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model (Demerouti et al., 2001) with particular emphasis on establishing an evidence-based universal application towards different national and international work contexts. Design:The study uses a systematic review approach following the stages suggested by Tranfield et al. (2003). Based on empirical data from 62 studies, we systematically analyse the application of the JD-R model and query whether it is applicable outside merely domestic work contexts. Findings:We found convincing support for the JD-R model in different national contexts.However, we also found an absence of studies employing the JD-R model in cross-national settings. None of the empirical studies in the sample had explicitly considered the international context of today's work environment or had clearly associated JD-R research with the IHRM literature. Research implications: Based on the wide acceptance of the JD-R model in domestic workcontexts and the increased interest in work related outcomes such as burnout and engagement in the IHRM literature, our study identifies a gap and suggests future research applying the JD-R model to international work and global mobility contexts. It also provides a preview on potential job demands and resources relevant to the international work context. Originality:This study is the first to systematically assess the application of the JD-R model in domestic and international work contexts based on a systematic review of empirical literature accumulating since the inception of the model. Our study identifies a lack of internationally focussed JD-R studies and invites further empirical research and theoretical extensions.

Purpose: This study investigates the differing perceptions of fear of expatriates operating in terror-exposed Nairobi and the high-crime environment of Johannesburg and its impact on stress and wellbeing. It illustrates how expatriates cope with the challenges associated with these two regions.Design, methodology, approach: Following an interpretative and inductive research approach, qualitative content analyses were conducted using evidence from in-depth interviews with twelve expatriates in senior management or officer positions within a large global organisation, with respondents based in South Africa and Kenya.Findings: Data suggest that expatriates in the more terrorism exposed context perceive fear less strongly than expatriates in environments categorised by high degrees of conventional crime.Fear seems to relate to physical wellbeing via restricted freedom of movement, but there is little evidence that fear affects mental wellbeing. The study finds that respondents in terror-exposed Nairobi tend to engage more in avoidance-oriented coping strategies, whereas their counterparts in the high-crime environment of Johannesburg predominantly rely on problemfocused coping.Originality, value: This study develops a distinction between terror and conventional crime and contributes with practical insights for assignments into dangerous work environments. The geographic lens of the study provides an in-depth look at expatriation challenges in an arguably neglected regional context. Practical implications: The qualitative design allows practitioners to better understand expatriates' perceptions of fear, its consequences for stress and wellbeing and potential coping strategies expatriates employ. It discusses a set of practical recommendations focussing on the deployment of expatriates assigned to dangerous locations.