The Relationship of Regional Location and International Work Experience on the Job Satisfaction of Expatriate American Managers.

Is there any relationship between the differences in perceived deficiencies in need fulfillment and previous international work experience and regional location of the manager's present assignment? This paper investigates this question and, specifically, presents the result of a study designed to extend and enlarge upon the previous research concerned with the need satisfaction of Americans who are assigned to international managerial positions. Data was collected by means of a Porter need satisfaction questionnaire. The sample of respondents consisted of 141 upper middle staff personnel employed by 4 large American multinational companies. The subjects were assigned to foreign subsidiaries located in Europe and Latin America. The results of this study indicate that regional location and prior international work experience influence perceived need satisfactions of overseas managers. In Europe, experienced managers were more satisfied than their inexperienced colleagues. Converse experienced managers in Latin America were less satisfied than their inexperienced counterparts. It is suggested that jobs in different parts of the world may be viewed differently by managers on the basis of their previous international work experience and career aspirations, as well as the control exerted by the parent company over its foreign subsidiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]