Today, firms around the world need employees with special skills. In some countries, such employees are not always available, and firms then must search abroad for qualified applicants. One way they can do this is through global workforce databases. As business and trade operations continue to grow globally, you may one day find yourself working in a foreign country, perhaps for an American company doing business there or for a foreign company. In what foreign country would you like to work? What problems might you face?

Assignment

1. Choose a country in which you might like to work.

2. Research the country. The CIA’s World Fact Book and the International Trade Administration are good places to start. Find answers to the following questions:

a. What language is spoken in this country? Are you proficient in it? What would you need to do if you are not proficient?

b. What are the economic, social, and legal systems like in this nation?

c. What is its history?

d. What are its culture and social traditions like?

How might they affect your work or your living arrangements?

3. Describe what you have found out about this country in a written report. Include an assessment of whether you would want to work there and the problems you might face if you did.