The impact of perceived organization support on cross-cultural adjustment, job satisfaction and turnover of expatriate employees from individualistic and collectivist countries in the United Arab Emirates

Global competition and reduction in trade barriers have increased the demand for individuals who can work effectively in a foreign environment. In the United Arab Emirates, the expectation is for the number of expatriates to increase in the coming years, with a corresponding expectation that, as the number of expatriates is growing, the expatriate failure rate is also increasing. This is an important issue because of the financial impact on companies’ bottom line. This study investigates whether organisational support can be used to reduce the high rate of expatriate turnover through an impact on expatriates’ cross cultural adjustment and job satisfaction. The relationship between organisational support and an expatriate’s intentions to quit the organisation is also examined, together with the relationship between spousal support to expatriates and its impact on the cross cultural adjustment.