Review, Analyze and Critique” the articles (“Dimensions of Expatriate Acculturation”).

The written critique should contain the following sections:

• A brief description of the research problem. Review of the literature, and give a description of this article’s contribution (what makes this article different from its predecessors)

• A brief description of the theoretical model and expected signs (some papers may omit the theory)

• A description of the data, and associated problems, weaknesses or limitations.

• A description of the results, and problems in interpretation.

• An overall conclusion regarding the study accounting for data problems, modeling problems, and or problems in interpretation. In short, are the conclusions reached by the writers strongly supported by the research?

The Dimensions of Expatriate Acculturation: A Review' MARK MENDENHALL Loyola Marymount University GARY ODDOU San Jose State University A review o{ empirical studies thot directly investigoted the overseas adjustment o{expotriote monogers revealed {our dimensions thot were related to successJuJ expotriote occufturotion: (1) the “sef{-oriented” dimension; (2] the “others-oriented” dimensioni (3) the “perceptual” dimensioni ond (4) the “cultuml-toughness” dimension.

The study’s implications {or expotriote selection end troining procedures in muIti- notionol corporations ore discussed. During the past two decades personnel admin- istrators in multinational corporations (MNCs) have been plagued by a persistent, recurring problem: significant rates of the premature return of expatriate managers (Baker & Ivancevich, 1971; Henry, 1965; Misa & Fabricatore, 1979; Tung, 1981, Zeira, 1975). The inability of expatriate managers to adjust to the host culture’s social and business environment is costly in terms of management performance, productivity in the overseas operation, client relations, and operations efficiency. It has been estimated that the expatriate failure rate from 1965 to the present has fluctuated between 25 percent and 40 percent (Henry, 1965; Misa & Fabricatore, 1979; Tung, 1981), with the average cost per failure to the parent company ranging between $55,o00 and $85,000, depending on the international exchange rate and location of assignment (Misa & Fabricatore, 1979). Misa and Fabri- care note that The costs involved in expatriate assignments that don’t work out can be staggering. Assuming a moderate early return rate of 25'fo and $55,000 per family, the expense amounts to more than a million dollars for 100 expatriate family units (1979, p. 42). There are also “invisible” costs due to a man- ager’s failure overseas: the loss of self-esteem and self-confidence in the expatriate’s managerial ability and the loss of prestige among one’s peers. Despite the clear need for effective selection and training policies and programs for expatriates, personnel directors have consistently employed rigid and simplistic methods in selecting and training expatriate managers (Baker & Ivancevich, 1971; Tung, 1981; Zeira, 1975).