Susan Shortland

Susan Shortland


Susan is a Senior Lecturer in HRM at the University of Westminster. Her career spans 40+ years, during which time she has worked in both the private and public sectors. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She also holds SEDA accreditation.

Susan gained her PhD on ‘Women’s participation in expatriation: the contribution of organisational policy and practice – a case study of the oil and gas exploration and production sector’ in 2012. A series of peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters are published, in press and in progress drawing from this thesis. Susan also writes on international HRM issues for practitioner journals, speaks regularly at conferences and has a long track record of publishing in peer reviewed and practitioner journals. She is the author of five books in the field of HRM.

Prior to working in Higher Education, Susan worked in a managerial role in international HRM consultancy in one of the ‘big four’ accountancy firms, KPMG. Prior to this she managed an employer advisory unit and edited HR publications for the employers’ association, the Confederation of British Industry. Early in her career, Susan worked in publishing, carrying out research on a range of HR and industrial relations issues for highly respected UK-based research organisations, Incomes Data Services and Industrial Relations Services. 


Susan's main areas of research are in the areas of gender and expatriation. She also publishes in the field of education, specifically on peer observation of teaching.

Her recent publications include:

Shortland, S. and Perkins, S.J. (2022) ‘What do we know about diversity, intersectionality and inclusion in organisationally-assigned expatriation? A review of relocation management company/consultancy practitioner research’ Career Development International, in press.

Shortland, S. (2021) ‘Women’s participation in organisationally-assigned expatriation: an assignment type effect?’ The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol 32 No 5, pp. 1113-1138 (first published online 2018).

Shortland, S. (2020) ‘International rotational assignments: Women’s challenge to occupational gender segregation’ Career Development International, Vol 25 No 7, pp. 693-714.

Shortland, S. and Perkins, S.J. (2020) ‘Women’s expatriate careers: losing trust in organisational equality and diversity policy implementation?’ Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 183-208.

Shortland, S. and Porter, C. (2020) ‘Unlocking inhibitors to expatriate gender diversity: can job-related training provide a key?’ Journal of Global Mobility, Vol 8 No 1, pp. 85-105.

Shortland, S. (2020) ‘Career cooperation, coordination, compatibility and co-working: how female expatriates mobilise dual-career strategies’ Gender in Management: An International Journal, Vol 35 No 2, pp. 121-139.

Shortland, S. and Perkins, S.J. (2019) ‘Great expectations? Female expatriates’ perceptions of organisational performance and development reviews in supporting access to international assignments’ Career Development International, Vol 24 No 2, pp. 110-126. Highly Commended Paper in the 2020 Emerald Literati Awards.

Asiedu, E.M., Shortland, S., Nawar, Y., Jackson, P., and Baker, L. (2019) ‘Supporting Ghanaian micro-entrepreneurships: the role of mobile technology’ Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, Vol 11 No 3, pp. 306-327.

Shortland, S. (2018) ‘What seals the deal? How compensation and benefits affect women’s decisions to accept expatriation in the oil and gas industry’ Personnel Review, Vol 47 No 3, pp. 1-19.

Shortland, S. (2018) ‘Female expatriates’ motivations and challenges: the case of oil and gas’ Gender in Management: An International Journal, Vol 33 No 1, pp 50-65. 

Shortland, S. and Perkins, S.J. (2016) ‘Long-term assignment reward (dis)satisfaction outcomes: hearing women’s voices’ Journal of Global Mobility, Vol 4 No 2, pp. 225-250.

Shortland, S. (2016) ‘The Purpose of Expatriation: Why Women Undertake International Assignments’ Human Resource Management, Vol 55 No 4, pp. 655-678.


Awards
2020 Literati Award winner - highly commended paper

Career Development International

Professor Emerita, London Metropolitan University

London Metropolitan University

40 outstanding global women 2023 – Relocate Global

Relocate Global