Gregory K. Stephens

The Influence of the Spouse on American Expatriate Adjustment and Intent to Stay in Pacific Rim Overseas Assignments

Past international human resource management literature has suggested that most American multinationalfirms that employ expatriate managers have difficulty successfully retaining these managers in overseas assignments. Although some scholars have suggested that the inability of the spouse to adjust is one of the major reasons expatriate managers return early from their overseas assignments, few researchers have attempted to verify empirically a relationship between the spouses adjustment and the adjustment and intentions to stay or leave of the expatriate manager. This study found that a favorable opinion about the overseas assignment by the spouse is positively related to the spouses adjustment and the novelty of the foreign culture has a negative relationship with the spouses adjustment. Additionally, the adjustment of the spouse is highly correlated to the adjustment of the expatriate manager and the adjustment of the spouse and the expatriate are positively related to the expatriates intention to stay in the overseas assignment.

The Measurement of Work to Family Conflict

Although research on work-family conflict has grown, empirical investigations have frequently been a theoretical and lacking in measurement rigor. The objective of this study was to develop a conceptually and methodologically sound measure of work to family conflict (W -* FC). Data were collected from three independent sources, and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, which supported a theoretically grounded measure of W -e FC. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a three-factor model, including time-, strain-, and behavior-based dimensions of W -> FC, was superior to both a two-factor and a single-factor (null) model.

Crossing Internal Career Boundaries: The State of Research on Subjective Career Transitions

Todays dynamic and constantly changing business environment is a catalyst for change in the subjective career. These subjective career transitions are an important aspect of career development, and failure to manage them effectively carries profound consequences for both the individual and the organization. This review examines the current status of research on subjective career transitions, and seeks to encourage ongoing research by: (I) identifying gaps in current understandings of subjective career transitions; (2) integrating existing theory on work role transitions with a model of career stages as an illustration of theory-based research on subjective career transitions; and (3) developing research propositions based on this integration as a partial guide for future research.

Escalation of commitment: a comparison of differences between Mexican and U.S. decision-makers

Differences in tendencies toward escalation of commitment are examined in a comparative study of Mexican and US decision-makers. Results show that Mexican subjects were significantly more inclined toward escalation. Mexican subjects also reported significantly greater confidence in their escalatory decisions, and subjects from both countries escalated their commitment when bad news about the investment came from subordinates. Furthermore, Mexican subjects made relatively smaller additional investments when they were personally responsible for the initial investment decision.

The Career Success Expectations Scale: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

In the present study, the development of the Career Success Expectations Scale (CSES), and its application to two different significant career transitions, is described. Two independent samples (161 managers in expatriate work assignments and 103 managers obtaining an MBA degree) were employed in conducting, first, an exploratory (orthogonal and oblique rotations) analysis, and second, a confirmatory analysis of the factor structure of the instrument. The three-factor structure that emerged in the exploratory factor analysis was confirmed with structural equation modeling techniques in the second phase of the study.

Employee Relations Issues for U.S. Companies in Mexico

Low labor costs are a key attraction for companies seeking to establish or expand operations in Mexico. However, the realization of sustainable low costs while maintaining high quality requires managerial approaches adapted to the Mexican business environment. Companies doing business in Mexico need to understand the significant culturally based differences between U.S. and Mexican approaches to employee relations. This article examines employee relations in Mexico from the perspective of U.S. managers, identifies pivotal features of Mexican employee relations, and offers pragmatic guidelines for managing employee relations south of the border.