By bringing more locals into the overseas operation, the use of expats can be reduced. In addition, the cost of expats should be factored into the decision to enter a market. Major markets will still be profitable even with the presence of expats, but there are many marginal markets that may not be viable once expat costs are included (for example, where Malaysia may be profitable, adjacent Brunei may not be).

The human resources department can also reduce the value of the package offered to expats. If assignment allowances and property costs are 70% of the expat costs, then these costs should be the focus of efforts to reduce total expat costs. For example, one solution is to introduce funding at a blanket level, and then allow the expat to determine how those funds should be dispersed. This strategy fixes the amount of money that is spent on the assignment,...
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