This study examines an important area of strategic global human resource management - expatriate managers' compensation in times of global business uncertainty. While expatriation has numerous well-documented benefits for multinational corporations (MNCs), it is incredibly costly. In consequence, when global business conditions become uncertain, the expatriate program in MNCs is typically one of the first budget centres to be targeted for cost savings. The MNC typically radically restructures expatriate remuneration. The resultant effect of these actions is a negative impact on the relationship between the expatriate and the MNC, ultimately reducing expatriate performance and thereby abating the many advantages that the expatriate program brings to MNCs. Social Exchange Theory and Real Options theory help to provide a theoretical framework to understand how expatriate compensation decisions can help to create a desirable sustainable expatriate program in MNCs.

这项研究考察了战略性全球人力资源管理的重要领域-全球业务不确定时外派经理的薪酬。尽管外派人员给跨国公司（MNC）带来许多有据可查的好处，但代价却是难以置信的。结果，当全球商业状况变得不确定时，跨国公司中的外派人员计划通常是第一个以节省成本为目标的预算中心之一。跨国公司通常会从根本上调整外籍人员的薪酬。这些行动的结果是对侨民与跨国公司之间的关系产生负面影响，最终降低了侨民的表现，从而减轻了侨民计划给跨国公司带来的许多好处。