How Perceptions of Justice, Children's Lifestyle Satisfaction, and Several Turnover Outcomes Relate to Repatriate and Spouse/Partner Compensation and Lifestyle Satisfaction

This dissertation analyzes how the reactions of repatriates and
spouses/partners about their new lifestyle and compensation package upon
repatriation relate to several repatriate turnover outcomes. U.S.-based
multinational organizations often provide global assignees with an extensive
benefit package, including such items as housing allowances, foreign-service
premiums, tuition for international schools, and club memberships. Once the
assignment is over, these additional benefits are necessarily terminated.
Results of a qualitative analysis of 14 semi-structured interviews and a
quantitative analysis of 37 U.S. repatriated executives and 34 spouses/partners
of repatriated executives suggest that repatriate perceptions of distributive
justice positively relate to all facets of pay satisfaction (i.e. pay level, pay raise,
benefits, and pay structure and administration satisfaction), while procedural
justice relates positively to pay structure and administration satisfaction. Overall pay satisfaction, in turn, positively relates to the intentions to increase
one's investment in company-specific skills. Repatriate and spouse/partner
attitudes about the changes in benefits they encounter upon repatriation are
predicted by their children's satisfaction with their new lifestyle. Furthermore,
some evidence suggests support for the proposition that overall pay satisfaction
and benefit change satisfaction of repatriates and spouses/partners negatively
relate to the actual turnover of repatriates.
The implications drawn from this dissertation inform theories of social
status, spillover, equity, and expatriate adjustment. Multinational organizations
employing expatriates may additionally consider the practical implications
useful when establishing compensation packages and repatriation programs for
international assignees.