Culture Shock Essay

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Fay Baylis Student ID: 12025874 Paper: 114.241 Assignment 2: Essay Culture shock is experienced by many expatriates living overseas (Stone, 2010, p. 614). Discuss how human resources managers can prepare staff for working in overseas locations. Use academic literature to support your discussion. Sending employees abroad can have great advantages and opportunities for a company or organisation as well as the employees. For expatriations to be successful, managers have to consider many aspects when choosing the right employee for the job. Once the correct staff member has been chosen; they have to be prepared for working overseas and be well informed of the possibility of culture shock. Managers have to prepare for different scenarios and provide constant support throughout the journey. The term “culture shock” was first mentioned in literature by ‘Kalvero Oberg’ in 1960. According to Raymond J. Stone, culture shock is defined as “the result of stress overload, induced by the removal of familiar cues. Everyday tasks such as reading the newspaper, making a phone call or even catching a bus can seem like a nightmare”. The oxford dictionary defines it as “"a sudden and disturbing impression on the mind or feeling, usually one produced by some unwelcome occurrence or perception, by pain, grief, or violent emotion, and tending to occasion lasting depression or loss of composure , in weaker sense, a thrill or start of surprise, or of suddenly excited feeling of any kind.”. People feel lost and confused which can lead to many problems for both the individual and the company. These problems can include; requests for transfers or to return home, dissatisfaction, negativity, withdrawal, alcohol and drug abuse, family break up and even suicide. Not only does it affect the individual but also the company. The quality of work by the expatriate deteriorates and they

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