Year: 2024
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Traveling for business has increased significantly during last two decades. Due to this phe-nomenon of globalization, the utilization of expatriates has also increased worldwide. Ex-patriates have various kinds of work assignments around the globe, thereby potentially facing locations possessing certain risks and threats, more commonly referred as hostili-ties. In these hostile locations, the well-being aspect is in essence, as it brings out new dimensions and challenges the expatriate, and the organization must consider. Expatriate well-being, management, selection, repatriation, and other human resource management functions have been studied in the past. The role of well-being, in particular expatriates’ ability to the new host country, or the ability to cope with the new environ-ment are well-studied topics in literature. However, research of expatriate’s subjective well-being, in a hostile environment context remains rather limited. This study aims to provide understanding to expatriate well-being. This is done by focusing on expatriates whose international assignment’s location was in a hostile environment. Thereby, the study presents key findings of prior literature of expatriation, well-being, and hostile environments. From the literature review, a Job Demands-Resources model was implemented. According to the model, job demands increase risk of burnout and negative outcomes of occupational well-being. The job resources decrease risk of burnout, increase work engagement and lead to positive outcomes. In order to explore the phenomena of subjective well-being, semi-structured interviews with seven Finnish expatriates were conducted. The dimension of hostility varied amongst the participants, from infrastruc-ture-related risks to man-made threats. This allowed the study to discuss the influence of hostile environment to well-being from a multifaceted viewpoint. The findings of the study disclose key job demands and resources the participants felt influenced their well-being. These demands are for example fear and threat of violence, and pressures faced. Main resources the participants described were social relationships, individual character-istics, and recreational activities. The findings align with previous research of managing expatriates in hostile environments. In conclusion, the study enhances knowledge and understanding of how expatriates in hostile environments perceive their subjective well-being from job demands-resources point of view. The study topic from prior research is very limited. The basis created by the study allows for future research to increase knowledge, enhance well-being and human resource procedures, practices, and guidelines.
Source: Osuva (University of Vaasa)
Author: Ruha, Elisa
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7028384137