An investigation of the willingness of managerial employees to accept an expatriate assignment

Data obtained with the aid of structured questionnaires from a Singaporean managerial sample (N = 228) were used to examine receptivity to an expatriate assignment in terms of the cultural similarity or dissimilarity of the country of relocation. Results of a paired t-test indicated that respondents were significantly more receptive to an expatriate assignment in a culturally similar location than in a culturally dissimilar location. Results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed mixed support for the study's propositions and explained only modest amounts of the variance in the culturally similar (R² = 22 per cent) and dissimilar (R² = 20 per cent) models. Limitations of the study, directions for future research and implications of the findings are discussed.