45 blythe avenue, East wall, Dublin 3 Ireland

tbaloch58@yahoo.com

Dear sir/madam

I am currently completing a masters thesis at Dublin business school MSC in international business program . I am looking to collect information on the repatriation process of managers who have returned home from foreign assignments . The objective of the thesis is to examine the manager repatriation process. I am especially interested in the process expatriates go through when returning home . Programs in place of this process would interest me greatly and the barriers to repatriation that some employees encounter . Any information about programs you have in place to facilitate this process would be much appreciated. I would be very grateful, if you could fill out the questionnaire, as best you can and return it to the above address, or on the other hand if you can fill the form and email it back to me . It should take no longer than ten minutes and all the information will be kept confidential and only used for academic purposes. Thank you for your time and cooperation Yours Faithfully M Tahir Baloch

Appendix 2 Quantitative survey on the effects of repatriation on managers returning from foreign assignments Please mark the appropriate response with any mark with you wish i.e. (.* # ) If you cannot mark the appropriate box a mark beside it is sufficient

Section 1 Demographic variables

1. Gender

Male

Female

2. Age

20-29

50-59

30-39

60+

40-49

3. Martial status

Single

Married

Divorced

4. Where did you spent your last foreign assignment and how long was that assignment? a. o ntr City

b. <6MTHS

25MTHS

7-12MTHS

13-24MTHS

5. What was the name of the organization/firm you went to work ?

6. What is the total numbers of years you have spent working on foreign assignments for any organization ?

a. < 1Yr

1-2Yrs

3-4Yrs

5Yrs+

7. How long have you been back to your home country since your foreign assignment?

<6MTHS

6-12MTHS

13-18MTHS

19MTHS+

Section 2 Expatriation/Repatriation Process 8. What were your main reasons for taking up a foreign assignment?

Finance issue

Foreign experience

Advancement in Career

Other

If Other Please List

9. Were these reasons fulfilled?

Yes

No

Why if Yes?

Why if No?

10. Before you left for your foreign assignment did you discuss the impact and general things to expect with management?

Yes

No

11. Was Pre-Departure Training offered to you before returning to your home country?

Yes

No

(If Yes Proceed to Question 11, If No go to Question 12)

12. How many hours of training did your company provide before returning home ?

< 3HRS

3-6HRS

7-12HRS

13+HRS

13. Were there any other organizational supports/program to help re-integration before you come home ?

Yes

No

14. If Yes, what form did the programs or supports take ?

15. Were these programs effective for you?

Yes

No

16. If Yes, what part of the program did you find most beneficial?

Section 3- Barriers to Re-entry: 17. Please rate your response to each statement below on a scale between 1 and 5 1 = Strongly agree 2 = Agree 3 = medium 4 = disagree 5 = Strongly disagree

a) b) c) d) e)

I had financial pressure when i returned to my home country My family had problems when returning It was difficult to re- establish myself into the firm Lack of training affected me setting back in Stress came as a result of all of the above issues

Other problems experienced if any:

Section 4 Independent Variables 18. How significant are the following factors in the successful repatriation process ? Please rate your response between 1-5 according to the scale below: 1 = Very Significant 2 = Significant 3 = Medium 4 = A Little Significant 5 = Not Significant. Position you hold in the organization Duration of Assignment Age Previous cultural Experience Effect on Family

19. Which was easiest for you ?

Adjusting to your foreign assignment abroad

Re Adjusting when returning to home country

Equality Difficult

20. Please rank the importance of the following factors in successful expatriation ? 1 = Most important 5 = Least important Living Expenses Effect on family life

Living Arrangements Relationship with Senior Management Relationship with Colleagues Other (if so please state )

21. Would advise your colleagues to take up a similar foreign assignment ?

Yes

No

If Yes Please give a reason If No Please give a reason

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation