Nana Oye Blay

// DISSERTATION PROJECT

The Role of Need for Cognition in Expatriates’ Occupational and Community Embeddedness and the Intention to Stay

Given the increasing talent shortage in many countries, the attraction and retention of expatriates during their work abroad are of top priority to organizations. Expatriates often face new challenges in the host environment after relocation, which can have an impact on their intention to stay and their further retention. Expatriate embeddedness is one major factor influencing their intention to stay. The extent to which they are embedded could be influenced however, by how they perceive and cognitively attend to the post-move challenges they encounter abroad. Based on the Conservation of Resources theory, this study aims to examine the role of expatriates' personal characteristics as a resource in their occupational and community embeddedness abroad. In relation to the cognitive aspect of the challenges faced by expatriates, the personal characteristic in focus is the individual cognitive assessment (i.e., their need for cognition, NFC). This study would therefore assess the correlation patterns between degree of NFC of expatriates; the extent to which they are embedded in their host occupation and community; and their intention to stay. The results will be analyzed and discussed in view of the role of personality traits in the retention of globally mobile employees.

Key terms: Expatriate; embeddedness; need for cognition; intention to stay; retention

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// ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

2020 - Date
Doctoral Candidate, Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences (BAGSS) - University of Bamberg

2013 - 2015
Masters Degree Psychology: Learning Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich - Germany
Master Thesis: Can Successfulness in the Scientific Community be Explained by the Way Scientists Relate to Scientific Literature?

2007 - 2011
Bachelors Degree Psychology, University of Ghana, Accra - Ghana
Bachelor Thesis: The Effect of Medium of Message Presentation on Persuasion

Awards / Academic Achievements and Scholarships

• DAAD Research Grants - Doctoral Programmes in Germany
• BAGSS Starter Scholarship

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// CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS

13. Fachgruppentagung der Fachgruppe Arbeits-, Organisations- und Wirtschaftspsychologie gemeinsam mit der Fachgruppe Ingenieurpsychologie der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie. Presentation: "Our strengths make the dream work: Cognitive processing abilities and career resource endowment in expatriate dual career couples". Kassel/Germany. 15 September 2023.

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// EXPERIENCE

01/2023
Paper Reviewer- 2023 EURAM Conference. Dublin/Ireland. 14-16 June 2023.

2016 - 2019
Global Assignment Associate, SIRVA Relocation GmbH, Munich - Germany

2015
Administrative Assistant, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Munich - Germany

2014 - 2015
Learning Solutions Coordinator, Munich Center of the Learning Sciences, Munich - Germany

Image Credits: © Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences