When starting up, most send expatriates to manage their operations.
"In the south of Afghanistan, in areas near Kandahar and Kabul, we cannot send expatriates anymore," said Roger Persichino, desk officer with the group Action Against Hunger.
So Indian companies hire a bulk of their workforce locally wherever they locate facilities, and this works out cheaper as well because it would cost more to send expatriates.
The ensuing report was aimed at firms who sent expatriate managers to far-flung places, to determine whether they needed to pay a hardship allowance.
Since moving here 13 months ago as the local manager for Total, the French oil giant, Mr. Deffontaines has seen his main export pipeline damaged by terrorists, endured devastating flash floods and sent expatriate families back home because of security concerns.
Despite increased political and financial volatility in Europe, "many of its cities offer the world's highest quality of living and remain attractive destinations for expanding business operations and sending expatriates on assignment," the survey noted.
Cyrille Ahiadife, a science professor and chemical engineer in Togo, said the outsiders earn salaries "way out of proportion to their qualifications". "In the teaching field, France sends (expatriates) without experience who come to Africa and receive salaries five times higher than their African counterparts, who have the same professional training," he said.
This helps it develop managers locally, rather than having to send in expatriates to run its operations.Lecture theatre, or echo chamber?Although there are many good reasons for firms to invest in corporate universities, they have their limitations.
Companies in all industries, from tourism to mining and from agriculture to manufacturing, have sent their expatriate staff to the safety of their foreign homes.
At least until today, however, the United Nations deemed the north of Afghanistan too volatile to send in its expatriate staff to coordinate the huge aid effort that is desperately needed.
