Components of Pre-departure training

PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING –
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Table of Contents1.0 Introduction........................................................................3
2.0 Components of Pre-departure training..................................3
2.1 Cross-Cultural Awareness Training..............................................3
2.2 Preliminary Visits......................................................................4
2.3 Language Instruction.................................................................4
2.4 Day to Day Assistance................................................................5
3.0 Measuring the Effectiveness of Pre-departure Training..........5
3.1 Kirkpatrick Model......................................................................6
4.0 Conclusion..........................................................................7
5.0 Recommendations...............................................................8

1.0 Introduction
Global corporate expansion has become increasingly competitive and highly applicable to
organisations over the years. Due to recent economic developments within the corporate
sector such as increases in international competition, mergers and acquisitions, high demand
for company restructuring and industry performance. Multi-national corporations (MNC)
have found it beneficial to assign parent country nationals (PCNs) in global subsidiaries for
the sake of forming international assignments (Arora and Wadhwa 2012). These individuals
are referred to as “expatriates”. As a result of these economic developments and urgency for
global industry expansion, International Human Resource Management (IHRM) activities
serve a fundamental purpose when achieving global success. Dowling and Schuler (2007)
defines IHRM as “The complexity of operating in different countries and employing different
national categories is a key variable of International Human Resource Management (IHRM),
which in broad terms involves the same functions as domestic HRM”. Dowling (1999)
suggest that a number of firms often underestimate the complexities involved when operating
in international markets, thus business failures gradually occur due to poor management
practices and lack of human resources. Furthermore, as a consequence of the globalisation
process, IHRM functions accommodates significantly to components found in the pre-
departure training programs. In order for the expatriate to transition smoothly into a foreign
nation it is essential that HR managers provide adequate pre-departure training to expatriates
prior to their departure. There are number of components associated in the pre-departure
process, most prominently; cross-cultural awareness training, preliminary visits, language
instructions, and assistance in practical day to day, these factors will be further elaborated in
the following report. The measurement of the effectiveness of pre-departure training for
international assignments will be discussed for deeper understanding. Additionally,
recommendations on how to enhance pre-departure training and avoid failures and setbacks
for future assignments will be provided.
2.0 Components of Pre-departure training
2.1 Cross-Cultural Awareness Training
Culture is defined as a set of values, morals, ethics, religion, ethnicity, etc. that governs the
social construct of a group of people and the differences between the cultural value of