Hi! Need Help from an expat here! :)

[rkaur]

Hi Kelvin,

I really think you need to rethink your assignment objective and think of a great topic you can work on. Approaching one expat to get his/her views may not be a best way to write your paper. As SE asked what type of expat are you referring too? He is right to say you really need to think out of the box. Think about what you want to learn from your readings on cross cultural management and then think about a great topic you can write about from your understanding of the topic

Is this a research paper, by the way?
Some Ideas:
A topic on managing cross cultural business?
What mistakes do companies make when setting-up businesses internationally.
For example Mcdonalds selling beef burgers in India is not going to be successful. Why? Apply the think global act local concept.

Or write about a case study on the Ikea approach when they setup their stores in Spain for example. What are the approaches and the initiatives taken to create a harmonious transfer of ideas, culture and expectations???Do more research on "Hofstede" and Power Distance concept?

I wish you all the best in your paper!!!

[beppi]

The first time I came to Singapore, I found a job by myself. The second time, I returned from being sent to Indonesia by a Singapore company. Since those don't fulfil your requirements, I will answer about my third (out of five, by now) stint in Singapore, where I was sent to Singapore by a company (from Germany):

> 1. Tell me about one of your overseas assignments, from the time when you first learned about the possibility of going to __________.
I was hired because of my previous Singapore experience, to be sent here after a few months training to man the company's new office in Singapore.

> 1a. Did you prepare this immersion in another cultural environment? If yes, how?
No - after having lived here for 8 years previously, it was like coming home!

> 2. What did you think when you first heard you were going to __________?
Great, I got that job!

> 3. What were the first few days like?
Humid, and good food!

> 4. Were there things that surprised you about the way people thought or worked?
Nothing.

> 5. What was your first big ―aha! about the culture?
Nothing much changed. (I was away three years.)

> 6. How would you sum up your first six months?
I never travelled that much on business before (all of my projects were overseas).

> 7. Did you have someone who could explain the local culture to you and that you could confide in?
I acted as local guide to my (German) co-worker.

> 8. How did people see you?
With their eyes (except the blind).

> 9. Can you describe your relationship with your co-workers?
There was only one co-worker. He was German. We got along well.

> 10. What did you think about your job?
Very exciting, interesting tasks, lots of travel.

> 11. What was the most important thing you learned in those first six months?
I learned a lot about Taiwan and Korea (where most of my projects took place).

> 12. What did your family/spouse think about living in __________?
My (Singaporean) wife stayed back in my country during that time. She complained about being lonely and not having the good food.

> 13. Whom did you mainly socialize with (people from your own culture, third-country expatriates, or host-country nationals)?
All kinds of Asians - I stayed in a shared bungalow.

> 14. How many host-country co-workers did you interact with on an average day?
None (the only co-worker was German).

> 15. How many did you supervise? What was that like?
None.

> 16. Did you feel you changed as a result of working in _______? If so, how?
I don't think so.

> 17. What was it like to come home (if the person has been repatriated)?
I didn't return home after that stint, moved to Taiwan instead.

> 17a. Did you prepare your ―cultural repatriation? If yes, how?
No.

> 18. Do you feel you get to use the skills you acquired abroad in your current job?
Yes, every day!

> 19. What advice would you give to a friend who was on his or her way to a foreign assignment?
Expect the unexpected - or even better, expect nothing!

Now, if after reading the above you still think it is a worthwhile assignment and you should not think out of the box to make more sense out of it, I will never hire you!

[sundaymorningstaple]

beppi, that no good. You were already indoctrinated by the first 8 years so you already knew about blur like sotong, innit! Their complete lack of spatial awareness, and the fact that after 30 years of courtesy campaigns there has been absolutely no noticeable improvement. So, the way I see it, you are going to skew his results!

[beppi]

So, the way I see it, you are going to skew his results!

And have fun doing so!!!