Expatriate managers in hospitality: A systematic literature review

Abstract

This systematic review endeavors to offer a comprehensive analysis of the research on expatriate managers in the hospitality industry, elucidate contemporary issues, and identify prominent trends that are important for both researchers and practitioners. This study utilizes bibliometric and thematic analytic methodologies to trace the development of academic scholarship on expatriate managers over time, highlighting emerging themes at critical points in the literature. A review of 43 articles published between 1990 and 2023 reveals that researchers have paid disproportionate attention to issues that arise and encounter managers during their international assignments, while giving far less attention to issues related to returning home, expatriate work‐life balance, family dynamics, and female expatriates. Imperative voids in the literature on hospitality expatriation are revealed and theoretical and practical consequences are advanced, including suggestions for future research and methods for improving expatriate managers' journeys in international hospitality assignments. To the best of our knowledge, this review is a groundbreaking effort in this academic field, paving the way for future studies that aim to shed light on the complex realities faced by hospitality industry expatriate managers.