1. What role(s) do you think is most appreciated by international assignees? Why? 

2. What roles may senior managers value most? 

3. How can GM departments achieve to become more accepted/work more like strategic advisors? 

4. How can GM professionals become better global people effectiveness experts? What might this work entail? 

5. Given the parallels with the original Ulrich model – what barriers and disadvantages may the envisaged shift have? 

The case captured a situation in which many large MNCs rethink the role of their global mobility work and departments. Looking at the membership of The RES Forum – including large companies such as Adidas, Prudential and GlaxoSmithKline – the expatriates managed by the members are likely to number in their hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. Cost pressures, highly dynamic environments, the duty of care for employees and modern technology all play a role in the increasing demands on GM departments. A few bullet points addressing the questions are outlined above.