In an increasingly global world organizations are encouraging global work experience among employees, in order to compete in the new international environment. Employees are sent out on international assignments to gain this international experience and skills. These individuals are called expatriates and play an important role for organizations' international success. Moreover, the expatriates are helpful to establish and maintain linkages with other countries, enhance global knowledge in the organization as well as to help spread the organizational culture.

This thesis reports a qualitative study to gain an in depth understanding of how expatriates perceive that career capital competencies develop during expatriation and as well how they utilize their acquired competencies when they return home. To better understand how an organizational context may influence career capital development and utilization a dual dependency approach is used to contrast the individual and organizational perspectives. Therefore, a single-case study is conducted on a global organization where there is a clear and structured expatriate operation.

Several competencies were found to be developed through the international assignment. The findings of this research highlights the importance of the international assignment for development of career capital competencies that would have been impossible to gain without the expatriation. Furthermore, factors which may impact the utilization of these career capital and individuals, moreover may facilitate the utilization process are also identified.