Factors Affecting International HRM: Accenture UK Report

This report provides an overview of International Human Resource Management (IHRM), focusing on the challenges faced by multinational companies, particularly Accenture UK, in managing international expatriate assignments. It delves into the impact of globalization, privatization, and liberalization on international business, highlighting the complexities of cross-cultural environments. The report identifies key factors influencing expatriate success, including individual attributes, work-related factors, and the importance of preparation, orientation, and in-country coaching. It examines the significance of selecting suitable expatriates, providing training, and addressing family-related concerns. The report also discusses the impact of cultural adaptation, personal attributes, cultural self-knowledge, and cultural factors on employee performance and overall assignment success. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing these factors to achieve long-term goals and objectives in international assignments. References include various books and journal articles on IHRM and related topics.

International Human Resource Management

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task .................................................................................................................................................3
References .......................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
After globalization, privatization and liberalization have a great impact on the
international business. The world is getting more interconnected with each other due to reducing
the trading barriers for cross country business. There are various difficulties which are facing by
the multinational companies specially to working with complex and cross cultural environment.
Foreign assignments are difficult because there are various factors which affects these
assignments. Because there are multi cultural employees working in these environment. There
fore it is important for the company to make and implement their business considering these
factors in mine so that they can attain there goals in more effective manner (Harzing and
Pinnington, 2010). Accenture UK is one of the leading consultancy organization. They have
various international assignments which are done by the company. The company have large
number of employees who are working the various assignments. The purpose of this report is to
identify the various factors which are facing the the company for their international expatriate
assignment. It also focusing a specific region in the world. And how these multinational
companies success their international expatriate assignment.
TASK
Expatriate is significant for a multinational companies to complete their international
assignment . Expatriate refers to sending an employees at abroad by the company in another
country. For these kind of operation there are various opportunities and problems which are
facing by the companies. Specially the human resources related issues (Daley, 2006). The
success of an international assignment is more depend on the employees of the company. There
are following factors which influences the performance of the employees at host countries.
As a human resource prospective the process of expatriation can be divide in to the following
phases and implement more effectively:
Selecting expatriates: This is first phase of selection of a expatriate from their employees. It is
one of the significant phase for the company overseas assignment. If the company cab select a
wrong candidate for their job it can harm their assignment completely. For that the human
resource department of the company requires to identify the key skills and competencies for their
job. Once these skills and competencies are to identifies. The another important task is that
match these skills and competencies with individual skills and competencies of their employees
(Lepak and at el., 2006). In this phase it is important for the company. The can be asked to their

employees for their overseas assignment. So that they can meet their requirements of their
assignment more effectively and efficiently. It is essential for the company to selecting an
suitable expatriates there are following factors which are to be considered by Accenture:
Individual factors: The key factor in the overseas assignment is depends on the individual factors
of an employees. These individual factors includes personal characteristics of an individual. For
an international assignment requires the personal characteristics like good maturity, adaptability
to work in the different context or region, cultural flexibility with a open mindset. In the personal
attributes the another important reason is family issues of the employees. These all factors are to
be considered by the company when they want to send their employees for a overseas
assignment.
Work related factors: There are job related factors also affects to the overseas assignment. These
factors includes the wrong selection of individual for the assignment, lack of adaptability
screening, lack of support, lack of networking, and lack of sufficient training to the employees.
To make an effective expatriate assignment it is required an effective planning and strategies to
implement their plan (Berkes, 2006).
Preparing and orienting expatriates: Selecting a suitable employees for their international
assignment. It is important for the company to provide a appropriate training to them. So that
they can prepare in a much better way to their employees. There are two problem which are
facing by the employees. First is the employees not only adjust with their job and roles and
responsibilities but also in a new culture. Because the culture of the host country can be most
complex. It depends on the country by country. Some country culture can be adoptable easily by
the employees and some are to be more complex and difficult. The second problem is the stress
associated with their job or a overseas assignment falls on all members of the family of the
employees the issues need to be addressed. In a training programme for such expatriate
international assignment includes language, cultural awareness, information about the country,
cultural assimilation, flexibility, and local business-government norms and regulations. These all
factors can be reduces the risk of failure of an international assignment of the company (Sun,
Aryee and Law, 2007). And increase the success of that assignment. It is essential for the
company is that to provide these training to their family members also. Language is one of the
key problem in the international assignment. Because there are various languages are used in the
countries. Therefore Accenture requires that to provide language training to the employees as

well as to their family members. Another key factor is the culture of host country. Culture refers
to the norms, values, beliefs which re followed by the member of the society. Culture is one of
the important factor in the overseas assignment. Because today if a person is not aware about the
culture of the host country. He can not performed their job effectively (Bauer and Tand at. el.,
2007). Each country have their own cultural values and beliefs which should be followed by the
member of that country. Therefore it is responsibilities of the home company to provide enough
training about the culture of that country. The information about the host country also important
for expatriates. If an employees is not aware about that country he can not perform their job
effective. The flexibility is significant for the employees who wants to go overseas for the
assignment. The norm and rules regarding their business and government also important. So that
company requires to provide sufficient information and familiar with these norms and
regulations. It helps to improve the performance of the employees and it can increase the success
chances of an international assignments (Halpern and at. el., 2008.).
In-country coaching: As soon as the expatriate arrives in the host country, new and unknown
situations inevitably occur. Therefore, an assignee should receive face-to-face or telephone
coaching. A coach monitors the assignee’s process during the assignment and captures
experiences, case studies, and best practices.
There are the following factors that affect international expatriate assignment-
When the employee who is working outside the country for his/her home country
organization and that person is staying in such a place where he/she is not satisfied then
performance will be affected. Employees result can be viewed in positive and negative aspect
that depends on the factors. Some factors are-
Adaptation- This factor can affect the performance of an employee because sometimes it is
difficult for an employee to adapt the environment of a new country.
Difficulties are identified in adapting the socio culture values and norms of the host country. Due
to these reasons employees did not perform well and results are identified as lower productivity,
unsatisfied goals and poor performance (Gareau and Crow, 2006.). This clearly shows that
employees performance is depends on socio cultural values of the other country.
Problems that are identified in sociocultural adaptation are language of the host country,
interaction with the local people of the host country and knowledge about the culture of the host
country.

Personal attributes- These are depends upon the personal factors and situational factors.
Personal factors are related to individuals values, beliefs and culture. These factors restrict
employees to adjust in another country. Willingness to relocate in foreign country and employees
cross cultural knowledge are shows the adjustment ability of an employee and success of an
assignment. Situational factors are depends upon the role of the home country and they play the
role for the success of an expatriate assignment. Home country organization give training to the
employee so that employee can easily adjust in the different culture and selection criteria of an
expatriate is depends upon the profile of an employee. If the employee is cleared about his role
then he can easily adjust into the another work environment and level of support from the host
country and home country is also important for an employee.
When Accenture sent his employees outside the country then company should give them proper
training.
Cultural Self-Knowledge- If an employee is going to another country for an assignment then
he/she faces different culture and culture has an impact on the business that they do which each
other. Cultural self knowledge plays a important role in a successful assignment. It is also known
as self awareness. When employees gained this self knowledge then only they can set their mind
for the work (Bulgurcu, Cavusoglu and Benbasat, 2010). Cultural orientation can have a impact
on the success and failure of the assignment. When employee understand the culture of host
country and he/she perform well in their assignment this shows the cultural orientation of the
employee.
Cultural factors- All the above factors are related to the mindset of an employee about culture
and difficulties they faced in adapting the culture of other country. These factors are focused on
particular parameters of culture and effects of these factors on employees behaviour. This is the
responsibility of an organization to know the mind set of an employee and according to that they
should provide training to those employees who are selected for the assignment. This will
improve the effectiveness of an expatriate performance (Harzing and Pinnington, 2010).
Accenture should give this opportunity to those who are able to do this and achieve the goal of
an organization.
Family related factors- This is the important factor for expatriate success. Many international
assignments were refused because of the family reasons like some refuses for their spouses,
children and parents. When organization ignore the family members of the expatriate and they

sent that person to other country then this will be a costly and time consuming process.
Accenture should follow this process to increase the productivity of the organization.
CONCLUSION
As per the above mentioned report it has been concluded that managing the human resource
management is one the competitive and complex task. It is important for the multinational
companies like Accenture to make a deep study regarding the various factors including in the
overseas assignment. This report has been described on the various problems like culture,
language, and family issues are affects to the international expatriate projects. If the company
wants to success these international to provide the appropriate training to them. So that the
company can attain their long term goals and objective in more effective ways.

REFERENCES
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[Accessed on 16th December 2016].