2015-Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
SIPS 2015 Volume 11: Recycling & Environmental
| Editors: | Kongoli F, Havlik T, Pagnanelli F |
| Publisher: | Flogen Star OUTREACH |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Pages: | 410 pages |
| ISBN: | 978-1-987820-34-8 |
| ISSN: | 2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series) |
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International Dispatch of Iron and Steel and Metal Corporations - A Certain Risk but Also a Challenge and a Great Success
Horst Pook1;1HAWAR GROUP QATAR, Doha, Qatar;
Type of Paper: Regular
Id Paper: 435
Topic: 10
Abstract:
Corporation staff are normally sent abroad with the goal of helping companies strategies for making their businesses international. This is mostly carried out by global players, specially those from energy, metal and mining sector as shown by the statistics below.
35.4 % Energy, metal, mining, chemistry, building supplies
16.1 % Automobile
9.7 % Telecommunication, IT-Services and Media
9.7 % Medical Services
9.6 % Financial Institutions and Insurance
6.5 % Travel and logistics
6.5 % Consumer goods
6.5 % Trade
Such expatriation procedures are associated with high expectations, as it involves considerable investments per employee. This is more valid during economic recession, where most of the multinational companies are cautious in sending staff abroad. Frequently, they rely on more experienced personnel, as these employees reduce the risks connected with their period of stay abroad. Although there has been a steady increase in numbers of these employees, in 2014 statistical numbers show a stable or slight decrease. In spite of this, the process of sending staff abroad is well understood to play an important role in foreign direct investment.
Expatriate tasks include starting relations with local partners and build on these relations successfully. This is more difficult in regions such as the Near East or Asia because approximately one third of the expatriates fails and returns home. In developing countries and the Near East, this rate is even higher, 70 to 80%. In such cases, customers will be lost or expensive projects will be jeopardised. If expatriates do not find an equivalent position on returning home and decide to quit the employment, important knowledge about the foreign culture and the market will be lost. In the worst case scenario, long term business contacts will cease.
In this point of view, the preparation and training of employees for a successful work abroad is a complex task for personal management. Companies should put policy in place to properly prepare the employees that will be working internationally and prevent expatriates confronting problems in their new position.
The selection of expatriate candidates is a very important process that can be improved by using suitable selection criteria. All aspects of sending employees abroad, such as selection, preparation, support and re-integration, are interrelated and should reach a synergy.