American expatriates: An inquiry examining knowledge transfer and acquisition

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between personal characteristics, successful experience, and knowledge transfer and acquisition by American expatriates who have worked for a profit-seeking enterprise in a foreign country for at least nine months. The expatriates who participated in this study were mature, energized individuals. They were very comfortable in their jobs and in environments of their own choosing. They spoke with pride of their accomplishments in the foreign business culture and identified personal characteristics that promoted their success. They well understood their role as knowledge transmitters. Acquisition of knowledge was not a simple byproduct of the experience but was an integral part of their working life. Quantitative analysis was done with SPSS and utilized non-parametric tests Kendall's tau-b, Gamma, and Spearman's Rho. Quantitative and qualitative analysis supported the findings of relationships between personal characteristics, successful experience, and knowledge transmittal and acquisition.