Accounting for international assignments: the case of the German chemical industry

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent HR practitioners value and account for international assignments, and to relate these findings to the HRCA context. Design/methodology/approach -The paper draws on data from a quantitative survey among 415 German chemical companies and expert interviews with HR managers from eight chemical companies. Findings -Demand-driven, flexible approaches to expatriation management are frequent, with a strong reliance on self-selection by future expatriates. Subsequent career development is often left to chance, depending on current staffing situations. HR managers appreciate the positive effect of overseas assignments on personal development, but often appear to underestimate the long-term benefits an international assignment can have for the company. Lack of sustainable integration of expatriates' experiences into their work environment marks a serious threat to this investment. Originality/value -The paper contributes to the discussion on the feasibility of HRCA instruments by introducing an organisational sociology perspective.

Global Mobility in the 21st Century

“…Benefits include the internationalisation of key managers to support a global strategy (e.g., developing cultural intelligence, language skills), increased organisational knowledge through effective "reverse" knowledge transfer, and an increase in firm-wide competitive advantage (Lazarova and Tarique 2005). While McNulty and Tharenou found "no empirical studies examining expatriates' ROI" (p. 89), their framework has been recognised by other scholars (e.g., caligiuri and colakoglu 2007; schmidt and Minssen 2007;collings et al 2009;Welch et al 2009) as a useful foundation for expatriate roI research.…”

“…Indeed, many practitioner-oriented reports (e.g., Johnson 2005, PricewaterhouseCoopers andCranfield University 2006), as well as academic publications (e.g., collings et al 2007; collings et al 2009), point to expatriate return on investment (roI) as an important business challenge which, when combined with the limited number of empirical studies available on the topic (for exceptions see schmidt and Minssen 2007;McNulty 2008;McNulty et al 2009;Welch et al 2009), demonstrates the need for more research in this domain. although interest in expatriate roI remains high, understanding as to how expatriate ROI is operationalised and managed in global firms is under-developed.…”

The UK and German Low-Carbon Industry Transitions from a Sectoral Innovation and System Failures Perspective

“…The German chemical industry has a completely different structure due to the vast plethora of goods produced. A key characteristic is the high share of SMEs, representing 90% of total workforce, which take advantage of increased innovation needs to formulate research-driven business models [102]. The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) is the main association in chemicals representing over 1700 companies, organised in thirty sector groups and associations depending on area of operation [103], further proving the sector's structural complexity.…”

Manajemen Laba: Pro-Kontra Pemaknaan Antara Kreditur Dan Debitur Dalam Proses Pembiayaan Kredit

“…Namun, perbedaan pandangan peran laporan keuangan hanya dikarenakan cara pandang yang berbeda yang dipengaruhi oleh pengetahuan yang dimiliki, tujuan, siapa yang menafsirkan dan situasi serta kondisi disekitarnya. Ungkapan senada juga disampaikan oleh Schmidt & Minssen (2007). Namun, interpretasi laba akuntansi sebagai teks, tidak dapat dilepaskan dari konteks, yaitu tergantung pada siapa yang menafsirkan, waktu, situasi, kepentingan atau tujuan pembacaan, pengetahuan, kebiasaan, pengalaman, serta latar belakang lainnya.…”