Is permanent settlement an option for expatriate employees working in an international joint venture? An evaluation of Sasol’s permanent settlement policy for the United Kingdom

Abstract

Globalisation, amongst other factors has resulted in many organisations pursuing their strategic intent through the use of international joint ventures (Petrovic&Kakabadse, 2003). Companies are sending more employees on expatriate assignments which tend to be extended as a means of developing their pool of global leaders. The consequence of this is that employees begin considering permanent settlement in the host country as opposed to repatriating back to their home country The purpose of this research was to identify the conditions under which a host country permanent settlement policy is desirable for expatriate employees who work in an international joint venture by evaluating Sasol’s policy of permitting expatriate employees to permanently settle in the United Kingdom. Semistructured interviews were conducted with two groups of expatriate employees. The groups consisted of 3 employees each who either settled permanently in the United Kingdom or repatriated to South Africa during or at the end of their assignment in the United Kingdom. The study revealed that the primary drivers for employees choosing to permanently settle in the United Kingdom were due to the push and pull factors in South Africa and the United Kingdom.