If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.Abstract Singapore is a cosmopolitan city. With the rapid globalisation of businesses and the government's call for Singapore companies to "go global", to what extent are Singaporeans ready to take up foreign assignments? Location-related factors have often been cited in the popular press as one of the most powerful barriers to expatriation. This study aims to ascertain: the willingness of Singaporeans to consider overseas assignments with specific reference to the cultural distance between the host and home countries; and the relative importance of different contributing factors (demographic attributes, individual personality traits, job and community tenure, spouse-related attributes and company relocation policy) in determining Singaporeans' willingness to accept expatriate assignments. Results from a survey of 200 working adults reveal that Singaporeans, in general, prefer to work in a culturally similar host country rather than an unfamiliar place. For both locations, the most influential antecedent of expatriation appears to be a company's relocation policy.