Abstract
Two main reasons may explain the choice between an expatriate and a local worker when it comes to the skill set. First and foremost, the skills needed are not always found within the companies. Thus in some countries where there is a foreseeable lack of engineers, executives and other experts, many firms have to integrate the system of expatriation in their development to educate the local workers.
Actually, the expatriate has the role of being a coach and a teacher for his successors, which is often included in contracts (particularly in China). The skills required depend on the area of the world, the history of the country…
Secondly, an expatriate is often supposed to know the company, its values and its expertise. Moreover, his management puts trust into him. In addition, he might be considered as the shepherd of the company abroad. Hence, most of the time, the function of financial manager is given to expatriates while sales managers are usually local workers because this function requires closer connection to the head office.
Nevertheless, before leaving the mission must be clearly defined in order for the expatriate not to be disappointed once he is in the new country. In fact, many failed missions are due to a lack of information and a failure in communication at the root.
