Profiling German Expatriate Managers in China

Table of Contents

1 Expatriates in IHRM – an Introduction

1.1 Research on Expatriates

1.2 Demographic studies about managers

2 Data Collection and codification

2.1 Data collection and input

2.2 Codification

2.2.1 Codification of Demographic Variables

2.2.2 Position, Function, Industry and Mobility

2.2.3 Clustering of Countries

3 Results – The Typical Demographic Profile

3.1 Age and Gender

3.2 Marital Status and Children

3.3 Educational Background

3.4 Study Sojourns and Internships abroad

3.5 Foreign Language Abilities

4 Results – the Typical Career Profile

4.1 Position, Function and Industry during the Career Life

4.2 The Expatriate Assignment

4.3 Mobility and other Findings

5 Conclusion

5.1 Summary and Recommendations

5.2 Outlook and Implications for further Research

Objectives & Core Topics

This master's thesis investigates the demographic and career profiles of German expatriate managers in China through an empirical analysis of résumés, aiming to define typical patterns in their professional backgrounds and assignment characteristics.

• Demographic profiling of German expatriates in China.
• Analysis of career trajectories, including position, function, and industry.
• Investigation of mobility patterns and international experience.
• Evaluation of the relationship between educational background and assignment success.
• Development of HRM recommendations for multinational corporations.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1 Expatriates in IHRM – an Introduction: Sets the theoretical stage by defining expatriate management and the growing importance of international human resource management in a globalizing economy.

2 Data Collection and codification: Details the empirical methodology, explaining how résumés were gathered and codified into numeric variables for analysis.

3 Results – The Typical Demographic Profile: Presents the findings regarding age, gender, marital status, education, and language skills of the analyzed German expatriates.

4 Results – the Typical Career Profile: Analyzes the professional journey of the subjects, focusing on career steps, industry affiliation, and assignment specifics.

5 Conclusion: Synthesizes the empirical results into practical recommendations for MNCs and identifies areas for future research in expatriate management.

Keywords

Expatriates, International Human Resource Management, China, Career Profile, Demographic Profile, Résumé Analysis, Globalization, Multinational Corporations, Mobility, Skill Development, Assignment Success, Cultural Clusters, Expatriate Failure, Career Path, Staffing Policies

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary objective of this thesis?

The study aims to establish a demographic and career profile of German expatriate managers in China by analyzing résumés to identify patterns that can help multinational corporations optimize their human resource strategies.

Which demographic data points were analyzed?

The research focuses on variables such as age, gender, marital status, children, educational background, and foreign language abilities.

What research methodology was employed?

The author conducted an exploratory empirical study using the content analysis of 40 résumés of German expatriates in China, which were coded into numerical data for statistical examination.

What is the focus of the career profile analysis?

The analysis covers the professional history of expatriates, specifically identifying prevalent positions, functions, and industries throughout their careers and specifically during their assignments in China.

Why was China selected as the research destination?

China is a critical emerging market with high FDI from Western countries, and human resource management remains one of the greatest challenges for German companies operating there.

What are the key findings regarding the "typical" German expatriate in China?

The "typical" expatriate is male, married, in his 30s, holds a university degree, and frequently possesses experience in production functions within engineering or electronic industries.

How does this study contribute to the existing IHRM literature?

It provides empirical insights into career patterns and industry-specific data that are often absent or underrepresented in survey-based expatriate literature, offering a unique "résumé-based" perspective.

What advice does the author provide to corporations based on these findings?

The author recommends that MNCs integrate international assignments more effectively into long-term career development programs and prioritize repatriation support to retain valuable talent.