Question

You work in the human resource department at the headquarters of a multinational corporation. Your company is about to send a number of managers overseas as expatriates (or expats) to France and New Zealand. You need to create an executive summary evaluating, comparing, and contrasting the possible issues expats may encounter in these two countries. Your manager tells you that a tool called Expat Explorer created by HSBC can assist you in your task.

Answer 1

Moving into a foreign country comes with its challenges. Therefore managers moving to France and New Zealand may encounter various issues due the nature of these countries. First, In New Zealand, life is expensive hence one should be financially stable. Secondly, during winter it is very cold. This means that managers heading to this country must seek a good quality house well insulated preferably double glazing and central heating. This is also the same case in France where finding accommodation is stressful.

Even though English is a worldwide spoken language, these two countries are different. Manager will face challenges communicating with local people especially in France where majority of citizens use French as the national language. They should therefore try and learn native languages of these countries. Travelling around New Zealand may also take long than ones expectation. There are no direct routes to the destination and the roads are not in good conditions. Additionally, there are frequent strikes in France especially during holidays. One should have a plan B while flying in and out of France during this period.