Why do they come to London? Exploring the motivations of expatriates to work inthe British capital

摘要

The literature has hitherto neglected the influence of specific cities on thedecision to work abroad, implicitly treating all locations within countries assimilar. Using a boundaryless careers and expatriation perspective, the researchinvestigates a range of specific motives that individuals have when working inLondon, the British capital. The results of semi-structured, in-depth interviewsand a large scale quantitative survey shed light on the relative importance ofindividual drives, career and development motivations, family and partnerfactors, organizational context, national and city-specific considerations tocome to London. A range of London-specific attributes are identified and theirimportance assessed. A new framework of individual international mobilitydrivers is developed. The findings reiterate the importance of individualpreparation of international sojourns based on proactive location choice. Theyalso add to academic insights and inform organizational strategies, policies andpractices with respect to international mobility.