Coping strategies applied by Western vs overseas Chinese business expatriates in China

Mail surveys were directed at overseas Chinese and Western business expatriates currently working on the Chinese mainland. The Western expatriates were mainly from the USA, France and Germany while the overseas Chinese expatriates were mostly from Hong Kong. It was found that overseas Chinese expatriates less often than the Western expatriates used problem-focused coping strategies, such as showing tolerance and patience and using responsible problem solving, but more often applied symptom-focused strategies, such as resorting to parent-country escapism. Especially Hong Kong expatriates were found to use fewer problem-focused coping strategies than their US and French counterparts while at the same time applying more symptom-focused coping strategies than the US and German expatriates. Obviously, that may limit the managerial effectiveness of overseas Chinese expatriates on the Chinese mainland in general, and in particular that of Hong Kong expatriates.

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