Multinational Expatriate Social Networks, The Impact Of Spousal Support On Job Performance Research

With the deepening of the integration of global economy and the increase of the multinational corporations (MNCs), MNCs are now playing more and more important role in the global economy. At the same time, more and more expatriates have been dispatched to the foreign countries. They usually confront lots of difficulties and problems in foreign countries, which will result in expatriate failure. Because expatriate failure will cost lots of money, so it is very important for us to do more research on the issue of expatriate failure and enhance the possibility of expatriate success. With the implementation of opening up and reform policies, more and more MNCs set up factories, R&D centers or regional headquarters in China. At the same time, more and more expatriates come to China. As the frontier of China's opening up and reform policies and the largest economical center city of China, Shanghai has became the first choice of MNCs. It is very important for expatriates of MNCs in Shanghai to adjust to the local environment. It is not only critical for the daily life of expatriates, but the performance as well. From abovementioned reasons, the paper selects the expatriate as research subject and studies the relationship between social network, spousal support and performance through social network theory, constructs the relational model of social network, spousal support and performance and analyzes the relationship among them, so as to offer a guideline for MNCs to manage expatriates scientifically and improve the adjustment and performance of expatriates of MNCs in Shanghai.In the first place, based on the comprehensive review of already existed researches, the paper introduces the newly research progress of expatriates home and abroad. (1)Detailed illustrates three dimensions of expatriates of MNCs and put forward the idea of expatriate as control mechanism, regulating mechanism and knowledge transferring mechanism.(2) A unique explanation of expatriate failure and put forward that it is individual and organizational factors that influence the expatriate failure.(3) Introduces the special issue of expatriates, such as self-initiated expatriates, government and non-governmental organization expatriates, female expatriates and dual-career expatriates.In the second place, the paper develops the theory of social network of expatriates. (1)Analyzes the theory of social network from six angles, that is size, cultural diversity, proportion of host-country governmental officials, density, closeness and frequency. (2)Elaboratelly illustrates the relationship between social network, adjustment and performance. (3) Analyzes the antecedents and consequences of features of social network.In the third place, the paper develops the theory of spousal support of expatriates. The paper put forward that the spouses of expatriates are more difficult to adjust to the overseas life and analyzes the factors that influence the adjustment of spouses of expatriates.In the fourth place, the paper develops the theory of adjustment and performance of expatriates.(1)Put forward the three dimensions of adjustment of expatriates and analyzes the relationship between them.(2)Analyzes the factors that influence adjustment of expatriates from the pre-departure and after-departure angles.(3) Analyzes the relationship between adjustment and performance of expatriates.On the basis of comprehensive review of the theory of social network, spousal support and performance, this paper establishes the relational model among social network, spousal support and performance and brings forward corresponding hypotheses. After measuring the variables, this paper makes a questionnaire on the expatriates of MNCs in Shanghai. Using social network method, SPSS13.0 and hierarchical regression analysis, this paper tests all of hypotheses.The statistical outcomes display:(1) Social network of expatriate has notable influence on performance and idiographic conclusions are as following: the size of social network has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; proportion of host-country governmental officials of social network has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; the closeness of social network has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; the frequency of social network has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate. The cultural diversity of social network and the density of social network have no positive influence on the performance of expatriate respectively.(2)Spousal support of expatriate has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate.(3) Adjustment of expatriate has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate and idiographic conclusions are as following: general adjustment has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; interaction adjustment has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; work adjustment has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate.(4)Adjustment has mediating effect between social network and performance of expatriate. The conclusions are as following: general adjustment has mediating effect between size of social network and performance, general adjustment has mediating effect between proportion of host country governmental officials of social network and performance; interaction adjustment has mediating effect between size of social network and performance, interaction adjustment has mediating effect between proportion of host country governmental officials of social network and performance; work adjustment has mediating effect between proportion of host country governmental officials of social network and performance, work adjustment has mediating effect between closeness of social network and performance.(5)The relationship among three dimensions of adjustment. The general adjustment has notable positive influence on the interaction adjustment of expatriate. The general adjustment has notable positive influence on the work adjustment of expatriate. The interaction adjustment has notable positive influence on the work adjustment of expatriate.(6)Adjustment has mediating effect between spousal support and performance of expatriate. The conclusions are as following: interaction adjustment has mediating effect between spousal support and performance, work adjustment has mediating effect between spousal support and performance. But, general adjustment has no mediating effect between spousal support and performance.The paper is based on the previous studies and overcomes some defects of them. The contributions are as following: Firstly, new research angle. The paper put the social network and spousal support of expatriate into one research model and analyzes the relationship among social network, spousal support and performance of expatriate. Secondly, new research content. One is that brings forward the proportion of host country governmental officials of social network into the research of social network features of expatriate and empirically tests the relationship among the proportion of host country governmental officials of social network, adjustment and performance of expatriate. Two is that brings forward the three dimensions of adjustment and empirically tests the relationship among three dimensions of adjustment and performance and their mediating effects. Three is that new research results. (1) Empirical studies of relationship among social network, adjustment and performance of expatriates of MNCs in Shanghai. (2) Empirical studies of mediating effect of interaction adjustment between spousal support and performance. Empirical studies of mediating effect of work adjustment between spousal support and performance. The two studies support the hypotheses.The study is subject to several limitations: First, the city in which the research samples are selected is only Shanghai. Because of the barriers of culture and language, the respondents may have different opinions about the questionnaire. Secondly, the paper only selects the several dimensions of social network as subjects. There are no enough explanations of the relationship between these dimensions and the logical relationship among social network, spousal support, adjustment and performance of expatriate.