An Expatriate Tour in El Salvador Essay Example for Free

An Expatriate Tour in El Salvador Essay The case provides that John Lafferty has accepted an opportunity to be a Program Officer of the United Nations based in El Salvador. John has previously worked as development economist in different parts of Latin America and his experience and passion for helping refugees make his adjustment to this new environment easy. However, John has recently been married to Joanna, a Human Resource Management consultant based in Toronto, Canada. Although, the couple both agreed to move together to El Salvador, the challenge of the case lies on how Joanna would be able to adjust to a new environment. In preparation for her departure, Joanna studied Spanish and studied Salvadoran history and politics as much as she could. She also contacted a friend, Joan, an expatriate in Guatamela for two years to get feedback about the conditions of living abroad. In a study of Luthans in 2002, he emphasized the importance of cultural learning to avoid premature return by an expatriate. In this case, Joanna should have undergone cultural learning that is specifically tailored for Salvadoran expatriates. This could have prepared her in understanding and accepting the culture and values of Salvadorans. She could have expected living with a housemaid who would serve her and do all the house chores for her. Joanna could have been more comfortable understanding that â€Å"barrios marginales† are generally accepted in their neighborhood and receives only $6 a day. Joanna can mend her situation by learning more about the culture of El Salvador to make her feel more comfortable in her new environment. Upon adjustment, she could find a career opportunity in the UN that is also based in El Salvador where she could practice her HR skills. Joanna’s experience can be valuable in developing a cultural learning program that will help other expatriates. The new employment for John is a great opportunity for him to advance in his career. John’s skills in relating with refugees and his passion to protect them are valid arguments why he should accept the position in El Salvador. John and Joanna may be newly married but their career fulfillment should not be sacrificed. They have to discern well and balance the advantages and disadvantages of moving to El Salvador together or separately. Joanna can decide to stay in Canada and pursue her career as HR consultant. However, the opportunity to experience a different culture and the prospect of gaining a new knowledge in the field of training expatriates are both promising. Joanna should embrace this chance to advance her learning in Human Resource Management. In an article written by Varner and Palmer in 2002, they have identified three factors that can make expatriation successful. These are: 1) integration of expatriation with international operations to attain the organization’s strategic objectives, 2) the training and development of expatriates integrated with organizational goals and 3) the management of the international knowledge expatriates acquired. In this case, the organization that employed John should have provided training to him and to his spouse, Joanna. The training should explain carefully to John and Joanna the situations they may encounter within the organization and its surrounding environment. Further, the organization should have a program for spouses like Joanna that can track her adjustment and assist her in finding a career in a foreign land. It is the responsibility of the organization to ensure that the employee’s spouse and children are comfortable and well adjusted in their new environment. If the employees would have a problem in their families, there is a great possibility that they will discontinue their service with the employer and go back to their home country. Gravenkemper and LaPla (2008) suggested several measures for successful expatriation of the employee’s families: 1. The family of the employee should be interviewed and examined for overseas assignments. 2. Prior to settlement, the family of the employee should be given the chance to visit the foreign land. 3. The organization must select only those employees whose spouse and children are willing to relocate. List of References Gravenkemper, S. and LaPla, L. (2008) Expatriate Assessments. Universal Advisor Issue No. 2. Available from http://www. plantemoran. com/Services/Consulting/OrganizationalDevelopmentPersonnelAssessment/Resources/Articles/Expatriate+Assessments. htm 9 April 2009 Luthans, K. W. (2002) Expatriate development: the use of 360 degrees feedback. Journal of Management Development 21, 10 Varner, I. and Palmer, T. (2002) Successful expatriation and organizational strategies. Entrepreneur. Available from http://www. entrepreneur. com/tradejournals/article/87211787. html 9 April 2009