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EXPATRIATES CONCEPTS AND SETTINGS IN THE INTREPRENEURIAL INTERNATIONALIZATION

ABSTRACT

As the organization develops itself internationality, there are different configurations of expatriates. Likewise, the academic literature has indicated different concepts and configurations of expatriation. Thus, this study aims to analyse the concepts and configurations that expatiates assume as the companies internationalize. Therefore, we carry on a qualitative approach of multiple case studies in a Brazilian and a Portuguese multinational company through a semi-structured interview guide. Altogether, thirty interviews were conducted and they were analysed through contend analysis with support of Max-Qda (2007). In the Brazilian company the employees’ configurations were temporary expatriate, repatriate and inpatriate. In the Portuguese company, the employees’ configurations were temporary/support team, expatriate and global citizen. The expatriation is connected to international maturity in both companies, even if the internationalization is in a early stage. The expatriation has a dynamic character and the current concept – employee isent by a company to live and work in another country for two or more years - decreases according to international company maturity. Therefore, the academic literature in this area is limited and does not include the process dynamics, the concept of expatriation should be reviewd.

Keysword:
Expatriate; Repatriate; Inpatriate; Flexpatriate; World’s Citizen

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