The Problems and Challenges of Working in International Settings

Excerpt] While international issues have always been part of the content published in the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, this is the first issue devoted exclusively to multinational content. In part, this issue is a signal of the importance of and need for international research in the hospitality domain. The breadth of topics and approaches also highlights the diversity of the content necessary to contribute to practice. This issue begins a periodic series that examines some of the challenges and opportunities that face hoteliers and restaurateurs as the travel business becomes increasingly internationally focused. Greater understanding of the critical elements that must be considered by executives accepting assignments in other lands can help to ensure success and avoid critical errors that can ruin promising careers and hurt the parent companies. Some of the most essential considerations are outlined below; other thoughts will arise from readers and can be the subject of articles in future issues of the Cornell Quarterly.