On the surface, an expatriate appears to have a glamorous life and career. However, the attraction of foreign destinations may fade in the face of local sociocultural norms, laws and economic realities, which may be very different from those found in the expatriate's country of origin. While the reward packages for expatriates are no longer as lucrative as they used to be two or three decades ago, organisations still need to have expatriates to realise their strategic vision and objectives. In an ever-increasing globalised and technologised world, international assignments continue to thrive. The Managing the Global Mobility Function 2014 report (FEM, 2014) reveals that while 51 per cent of assignments are still long term, there is an upward trend in the use of 3-12 months short-term assignments in organisations. The FEM report reveals that 20 per cent of assignments are short term while 5 per cent are commuter assignments and 6 per cent are business trips. The report also shows that some organisations send several employees, one after the other, on six-month assignments instead of sending one person on a long-term expatriate assignment. There is also an increase in the use of business travellers, who frequently travel to foreign destinations often once a fortnight or even weekly - depending upon the distance and time of travel - as a part of their job. Given the increasing need and use of expatriates by organisations, there has emerged a new industry of global mobility professionals and advisers who have the skill and knowledge to smooth out expatriation and repatriation. Their services range from visa and travelling arrangements to the issues of language and taxation. Their services are vital to 'support the assignee so the assignment is a success, and to help get the right talent to the right place quickly' (O'Donovan, 2014: para.9).

Questions

1 How is the attraction of global destinations compromised by contextual challenges?

2 Refer to a real life MNC and identify the contextual challenges facing its expatriate employees.