En bank, fem länder
En studie i Handelsbankens expatriaters kulturella anpassning
The purpose of this study is to describe how expatriates at Handelsbanken in France, Hong Kong, China, Russia and Singapore have adapted to the host culture. To illustrate how well they acculturated following seven factors have been chosen: Time, previous international experience, cultural distance, language, work environment, spouse acculturation and met expectations. The study was conducted through interviews with six expatriates and surveys answered by nine expatriates. Our study shows that the expatriates have experienced different lengths for cultural adaptation. The majority of the respondents indicated that it took up to six months before they adapted culturally. The expatriates described that it took longer to adapt to work in the new country than they had expected. Furthermore, the study shows that the expatriates felt the need for cultural understanding both on a private as well as a professional level.