Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

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2013 - 20162

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Author: search.filters.author.Thorn KSubject: search.filters.subject.motivation

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    Exploring motivations in Chinese corporate expatriation through the lens of Confucianism
    (1/07/2016) Yao C; Arrowsmith J; Thorn K
    There is increasing interest in the human resource management strategies and practices of Chinese multinationals, including the important area of overseas assignments. This article focuses on the neglected area of employee perspectives, in particular workers’ motivations for accepting an international assignment (IA). It is based on qualitative interviews with 31 individuals recruited through a snowball technique. In contrast to the established (western) literature which understands IA motives from an individual rational-instrumental perspective, this study stresses the importance of Confucian values on motivations and in particular how these relate to perceived collective obligations to the family, the organisation and society. It is argued that the results add a different perspective for the academic study of IAs and have implications for the successful management of IAs more generally.
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    New constructs for the prediction of self-initiated international mobility: An exploratory study
    (Cambridge University Press, 2013) Thorn K; Inkson K; Carr S
    This study aims to explore relationships between the motives for international mobility and observed mobility patterns. The key motives of 2,608 skilled expatriate New Zealanders were identified as cultural and travel opportunities, career, economics, affiliations, political environment, and quality-of-life. Mobility patterns, described here as the frequency, duration and cessation of mobility and the nature of the destination in terms of development level and cultural distance, were investigated. Desire for cultural and travel opportunities was the dominant motive, and the best predictor of cessation of mobility and development level of the destination. Career motives predicted duration of mobility and cultural difference of the destination. Linking motivation and actual mobility is a novel contribution to the theorisation of self-initiated mobility. Countries and organisations that understand this linkage may ultimately gain competitive advantage.