Exploring the perceptions and experiences of international doctoral students and expatriates from education and international human resource management perspectives

Purpose The study addresses two related research questions. First, what complementary themes are evident in education and international human resource management (IHRM) literature, which are relevant to the challenges faced by international doctoral students and expatriates? Second, to what extent do the self-reported perceptions and experiences of international doctoral students studying in the UK reflect these key themes? Design/methodology/approach The methods adopted for this study were primarily qualitative in nature. An open inquiry approach involving semi-structured interviews with 33 participants was used to generate primary data and to draw out key findings. Findings The findings reveal the potential for multi-disciplinary research designed to provide insights into key success factors involving both expatriates in host-country settings and international doctoral students in educational settings. For example, the findings highlight the potential relevance of education literature to scholars and practitioners working in the field of IHRM with reference to issues such as working in a second language, receiving oral and written feedback from supervisors in cross-cultural settings supervision, and the performance management of expatriates. Originality/value The study makes an original contribution by demonstrating the extent of the compatibility between research studies in the field of education focused upon the perceptions and experiences of international doctoral students, and IHRM research into expatriates and their management.