Potential expats in Singaporean organizations

Purpose – With globalization and accompanying expatriation becoming a reality for developed countries, including those that have recently arrived in Southeast Asia, this study explored the effects of family and personal characteristics on Singaporeans’ willingness to accept an expat assignment. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from a random sample of 191 managers and engineers across a number of organizations in Singapore. Findings – The results indicated that the perception of a negative influence on family members has a negative impact on Singapore engineers and managers intention to accept an international assignment. Further, both need for achievement and perseverance personal characteristics had a positive impact on intention for an international assignment. Originality/value – The study findings suggest how international human resource manager can provide help to expatriates and their family in dealing with family issues related to expatriation.