Abstract

The article focuses on selection and training procedures of United States, Great Britain and Japanese multinationals. The policies and practices of U.S., West European, and Japanese multinationals differ with respect to the procedures used for selecting personnel to fill positions overseas and the training programs used to prepare candidates. In light of the increasing demand by both private and governmental agencies for people who can function effectively in a foreign environment and the high incidence of expatriate inability to adapt to foreign countries, it is imperative that researchers and practitioners in the field of selection and training for expatriate assignments understand the means for reducing failure and poor performance in overseas assignments, and how such means can be implemented to improve the company's overall efficiency. The study highlights the importance of the family situation to successful performance in both the U.S. and West European samples. The data on the U.S. sample provide support for the contingency framework for selection and training developed by the author.