International Staffing & Expatriate Management
Step into the role of an international HR manager. Evaluate cultural influences, compare staffing philosophies, solve an expansion case and select an expatriate.
By the end, you should be able to…
Evaluate the impact of culture on managerial decision-making.
Compare and recommend international staffing approaches.
Evaluate expatriate candidates using multiple criteria.
Design support across assignment, performance and return.
Reflect on responsible international HR decisions.
Four ways to staff across borders
The key question is: where does decision-making talent come from?
Ethnocentric
Key roles in foreign subsidiaries are filled by parent-country nationals.
Strength: headquarters control
Risk: limited local responsiveness
Polycentric
Host-country nationals manage subsidiaries; parent-country nationals lead headquarters.
Strength: local knowledge
Risk: headquarters–subsidiary divide
Regiocentric
People move and develop careers within a geographic region.
Strength: regional integration
Risk: regional silos
Geocentric
The best person is selected regardless of nationality.
Strength: global talent pool
Risk: cost and immigration barriers
home • host • region • world
control ↔ responsiveness
Staffing approach challenge
Choose the strongest fit. More than one approach may be defensible in practice, but select the best answer for the stated priority.
Northstar Mobility enters Vietnam
A UK multinational at a crossroads
Northstar Mobility, a Manchester-based electric vehicle component maker, will open its first Vietnamese operation in Ho Chi Minh City. It needs 120 employees within nine months. Headquarters wants consistent quality and knowledge transfer; the venture also needs local labour-market insight, supplier relationships and cultural legitimacy. A UK operations director could lead the launch, but no succession or repatriation plan exists.
Who should lead the 18-month assignment?
Technical competence matters—but assignment success also depends on adjustment, relationships and family readiness. Compare the evidence, then select.
Support the whole assignment cycle
select & train
reward & review
retain learning
Knowledge check
From student to international HR manager
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