| Course | GB526 Global Management and Leadership |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Paper type | Expatriate assignment brief |
| Length | About 870 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | MBA |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for GB526 Unit 7
Three Years in Penang, Budgeted From Selection to Return: A Unit 7 Expatriate Assignment Brief
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
GB526: Global Management and Leadership
Unit 7 Expatriate Assignment Brief
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The company, the manager, the family and every cost are composite and illustrative; the research and sources cited are real.
The Assignment
Allegheny Medical Devices, a composite maker of infusion pumps, is expanding its Penang plant to produce a new pump line. It needs an engineering manager for three years to transfer the product, build the local engineering team and hand over to a Malaysian successor. The role reports to the plant director in Penang and to the vice president of engineering in Pittsburgh.
Budget Summary
The assignment's direct costs over three years, beyond salary, are estimated at about $552,000:
Selection and assessment: $8,000.
Preparation, including family cross-cultural training, language basics and a pre-assignment visit: $28,000.
Relocation to Penang: $65,000.
Housing allowance: $4,200 a month, or about $151,000.
International school for two children: about $132,000.
Tax equalization: about $60,000.
Home leave, one trip a year for the family: $36,000.
Spouse career and network support: $15,000.
Repatriation, including the return move: $45,000.
Re-entry coaching and placement support: $12,000.
The repatriation lines, about $57,000, are about a tenth of the budget, but they protect the return on the other nine-tenths.
Phase 1: Selection
Three internal candidates were assessed on technical fit with the pump line, prior international experience and family readiness. Each candidate's spouse or partner was interviewed separately by an external adviser, because partner adjustment is among the strongest influences on how an assignment goes. Shaffer and Harrison (2001) found that a spouse's adjustment depends on their own social ties, their sense of identity abroad and the support available, not only on the employee's experience. The selected candidate, the composite Erin Walsh, has led two product transfers to the company's Mexican plant. Her spouse, a high school teacher, is interested in teaching at an international school, and the children are nine and twelve.
Phase 2: Preparation
The family's preparation starts four months ahead of the move. The whole family receives cross-cultural training covering Malaysian society, including its Malay, Chinese and Indian communities, religious practices and holidays, and everyday customs. Walsh receives a briefing on the plant's workforce, which reflects that diversity, and on the management practices of the Penang leadership team. The family takes a one-week visit to Penang to see schools and housing. Walsh's spouse is introduced to two international schools and to an expatriate partners' network. Basic Malay lessons are offered, though English is widely used in Penang's business community.
Phase 3: Adjustment
Black et al. (1991) describe international adjustment as having three parts: adjustment to work, to interacting with local people and to the general environment. They distinguish preparation before departure, which shapes expectations, from adjustment in the country, which depends on the job, the organization and the person.
The plan supports each part. For work adjustment, Walsh's role and decision rights are written down before she arrives, and a Malaysian senior engineer is designated as her counterpart. For interaction, she and her family are linked with a local host family through the plant's employee network. For general adjustment, the company provides relocation services for housing, banking and schooling during the first three months.
Check-ins with the vice president of engineering happen every month for the first half year, then every quarter. A short survey of the whole family at three and nine months asks how each member is adjusting, and the human resources partner follows up on any concern.
Phase 4: Repatriation
Repatriation planning starts on the first page and is formalized eighteen months before the return. Three steps matter most.
A return role. Allegheny commits in writing to a role at least equal in level on return, and the vice president of engineering names candidate roles a year before the return, so that Walsh's new experience in building a team and transferring a product is used.
A sponsor. A senior engineering leader in Pittsburgh serves as Walsh's sponsor throughout, keeping her informed of changes at headquarters and advocating for her return role.
Re-entry support. The family receives return relocation services and re-entry coaching, since reverse culture shock, adjusting to home after years abroad, can be as hard as the initial move.
McCall and Hollenbeck (2002) found that international assignments are among the most powerful experiences for developing global executives, but that organizations often fail to use what returning managers have learned. The return role and sponsor are meant to prevent that.
Success Measures
The assignment succeeds if the new pump line reaches its production targets on schedule, a Malaysian successor is ready to take over before the posting ends, the family completes the assignment, and Walsh remains with Allegheny for at least two years after her return.
Risks
The main risks are family adjustment, particularly for the spouse if work is not found; schedule delays in the product transfer; and the absence of a suitable return role if the company reorganizes. The plan addresses the first through partner support, the second through monthly check-ins, and the third through the written return commitment and the sponsor.
References
Black, J. S., Mendenhall, M., & Oddou, G. (1991). Toward a comprehensive model of international adjustment: An integration of multiple theoretical perspectives. Academy of Management Review, 16(2), 291-317. https://doi.org/10.2307/258863
McCall, M. W., Jr., & Hollenbeck, G. P. (2002). Developing global executives: The lessons of international experience. Harvard Business School Press.
Shaffer, M. A., & Harrison, D. A. (2001). Forgotten partners of international assignments: Development and test of a model of spouse adjustment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(2), 238-254. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.2.238
GB526 Unit 7 instructions, in plain terms
In GB526 Unit 7 you plan an expatriate assignment for a specific manager and family. State the assignment's purpose and length. Present a budget that includes repatriation. Describe selection, including criteria and how family readiness is assessed. Plan preparation for the employee and family. Describe how adjustment will be supported, using an adjustment model. Plan repatriation with specific commitments. Close with success measures and risks. Expect about six pages organized by phase, citing expatriate research in APA 7.
Inside the GB526 Unit 7 example
The brief describes Allegheny Medical Devices' new pump line in Penang. A budget lists ten lines, and the highlighted sentence explains why repatriation's tenth of the budget protects the rest. Selection compares three candidates and interviews spouses separately, citing Shaffer and Harrison. Preparation covers family training on Malaysia's communities, a visit and partner networks. Adjustment applies Black and colleagues' work, interaction and general dimensions, with a counterpart, a host family and family surveys. Repatriation sets a written return role, a sponsor and re-entry coaching, citing McCall and Hollenbeck. Success measures and risks close it. The risks section names family adjustment, transfer delays and the absence of a return role, each with its safeguard.
Where the points sit in the GB526 Unit 7 rubric
GB526 instructors look for a plan that covers the whole assignment and budgets the return. A budget with repatriation lines earns early credit. Selection criteria that include family readiness show awareness of research. Preparation for the whole family shows care. Adjustment support tied to a model carries significant weight. Repatriation with written commitments, a sponsor and re-entry support distinguishes the brief. Success measures that include retention after return complete it. Black, Mendenhall and Oddou, Shaffer and Harrison, and McCall and Hollenbeck support the brief in APA 7. A clear purpose, such as transferring a product line and developing a local successor, also helps justify the length of the posting. Budget lines for the partner's career support show the brief takes family adjustment seriously.
Common GB526 Unit 7 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Many GB526 Unit 7 briefs plan selection and preparation carefully and treat repatriation in a sentence. Others budget the move but not the return. A common gap is the family: a spouse's adjustment strongly shapes whether an assignment succeeds. Some writers measure success only by the posting's business results. Budget every phase, assess family readiness, prepare the whole family, support adjustment with a model and plan the return with a role, a sponsor and support. Measuring whether the manager stays two years after returning shows the brief values the experience gained. Writing down the manager's role and decision rights before arrival, and naming a local counterpart, gives work adjustment practical support. A family survey at three and nine months shows the brief plans to check adjustment rather than assume it. A return role named a year ahead keeps the manager's new experience in use.
Get a GB526 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
Give the destination, length and purpose of the posting in your Unit 7 scenario, plus the rubric. A custom brief covering selection, preparation, adjustment and a funded return comes back within 24-48h, with no charge the first time. Family details are bracketed, which lets the posting match the case your instructor set. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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GB526 Unit 7 questions, answered
Should the brief recommend a specific candidate?
If the prompt supplies candidates, yes: compare them on the criteria and choose, stating the risk in the choice. If it does not, describe the selection process and criteria instead. Either way, include family readiness and cross-cultural adaptability alongside technical skill, since a brief that selects on expertise alone repeats the error the research warns about.
What research on expatriates is most useful here?
The adjustment model of Black, Mendenhall and Oddou, Black and Stephens on spouse adjustment, and the repatriation work of Black and Gregersen are common anchors. Rosalie Tung's early studies of expatriate failure are often cited for context. Use research to justify specific choices, such as interviewing the spouse or funding a return role, rather than summarizing it.
How long should an expatriate assignment be?
Many long-term assignments run two to three years, while short-term postings last under a year. Length should follow purpose: transferring a process and developing a successor usually takes longer than solving an immediate problem. The brief should say why the chosen length fits the purpose, and scale the preparation to match it.
Where can I find a free GB526 Unit 7 sample paper?
This page carries a full GB526 Unit 7 expatriate assignment brief for a three-year posting to Penang, with a budget, selection, preparation, adjustment, repatriation plans and APA 7 references.
Why is the spouse interviewed separately?
A partner's adjustment depends on their own social ties, identity and support abroad, and it strongly influences whether an assignment succeeds. A separate interview lets the adviser hear the partner's concerns directly.