Methodological issues in family expatriation studies and future directions

Abstract

As scholars uncovered the crucial role of the family in the relocation of organization-assigned expatriates, the investigation of the expatriate’s family became of interest to management researchers and practitioners alike. While recently the number of studies evaluating the family interface of international assignments has risen significantly, the topic remains at an emerging stage. In order to support the future development of trustworthy and credible empirical research, this article examines the research methodology and the associated issues of the extant literature. To investigate the family expatriation topic, we included articles by pre-defined criteria with a management focus from the international business, (international) human resource, as well as management and psychology disciplines. By critically assessing how research has been conducted in family expatriation studies, we provide a foundation from which future studies can infer the appropriate choice and application of research methods. In order to achieve this objective, we discuss the research methodology of 69 published articles, identify methodological issues, and offer recommendations.

Keywords:

• Children
• expatriate
• family
• international assignments
• methodological issues
• research methodology
• spouse

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Julia Goede

Dr. Julia Goede recently finished her PhD at the Department of Strategic Management of the University of Hamburg, Germany. Her research interests are in the area of international human resource management with a focus on the assignee's family during international assignments. Her work has been published in the Journal of Global Mobility and Management Review Quarterly.

Dirk Holtbrügge

Dr. Dirk Holtbrügge is Professor of International Management at the School of Business, Economics and Society, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. His main research interests are in the areas of international management and human resource management. He has published eight books, eight edited volumes and more than 75 articles in refereed journals.