An Empirical Study of the Key Criteria Influencing Eritreans Expatriates Technical Skills in the US ()
1. Introduction
America is a large land with a densely populated and gigantic influential culture and its accordance half of the national population of America is business inclined toward initiating businesses, i.e., 50% of the whole national market (Chou, 2022). The national identity and loyalty toward the e-Travel system are very unique in the US. The economic and business market conditions of Europe and America are not suitable for the entrance of foreign companies, and do not ever desire to compete and face financial insecurity. However, still, Eritreans inhabitants are migrating to America for jobs and businesses vulnerable to a big Indian group as early as possible. From the last three decades, new inverter relations have been on top day by day in Eritreans because Eritreans are seen as more inclined towards diversity.
The intention behind the formation of e-entrepreneurial activities and the global digital connection is the continuous connection of countries, people, and transactions without any barrier to the market. The acceptance of this system is evolving, and its way of perceiving and usage is being modified with the adaptation of new practices and technology (Zamzami, 2021). The global acceptance of e-payment systems regarding e-business or e-companies strongly depends on economic as well as cultural standards of individual-driven action (Tarhini, 2016). An e-system in the form of e-payment and e-Business is comprised of technology, revenue model (business encryption), and cultural norms. Different countries have different ways to migrate or develop this business model where many technologies and researchers can move easily, but the cultural effect is much dependent on the thinking of the nationality of receiving countries.
Migration is the movement of people from one place to another across national borders to enter, reside, and find employment. It involves intergroup contact and intercultural learning (Ashourizadeh & Saeedikiya, 2022; Jacobs, 2021). In the migration process, it is observed that immigrants respond to the opportunities in destination countries and the avenue for development and economic growth in their home countries to maximize their welfare. With skill in a globally competitive market and knowledge of the policies of the destination country, the immigrants enter and stay in the US labour market (Solano, Schutjens, & Rath, 2022). Again, the existing literature also provides evidence of the significance of return on investment by migrants in the country of origin, including studies on skilled migrants. This context encourages expatriates living in these countries to build their technical skills. In addition to their individual decisions, however, there are numerous key criteria that drive Eritreans expatriates to build their technical skills in the US (Sabzian, Gharib, Hashemi, & Maleki, 2018).
Few researchers have studied the determinants of technical skills, mainly computer science and engineering. Nonetheless, more research is needed for additional critical understanding. Research about how people build technical skills through choices, particularly in the Eritreans context and among Eritreans living in the US, is also limited. According to 2018 data, the top countries Eritreans refugees are fleeing and living in were Ethiopia, the Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands; the US was in sixth place. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research results have been published related to how Eritreans expatriates are motivated to build technical skills in the US (Cao, Zhang, Ge, & Chen, 2021).
This study focused on some key phenomena, such as the need to build technical skills of Eritreans expatriates, and their key criteria for living abroad. This study aims to explore key criteria that influence Eritreans expatriates to build technical skills in the US. Moreover, it will identify which factor is crucial to other researchers and policymakers in making decisions and forming strategies related to human capital management, immigration policy, economic development, and higher education in Eritrea [Eritrea is a country situated in the Horn of Africa with a population of an about 6.3 million] (Sánchez-Bayón, Ramos Lucero, Ng Cheng San, & Johnn Yee, 2021).
2. Related Work
There are many previous research studies associated with Eritreans expatriate (Kuipers, Eapen, Lockwood, & Berman, 2017). Consequently, the findings of most of these studies suggest that Eritreans expatriates build technical skills in the USA, but the factors that determine that are not (Sabzian et al., 2018). The mechanism of DEMATEL-based technique was employed for achieving this kind of goal, where “key” criteria are required to be uncovered. Furthermore, a DEMATEL-based analysis has been conducted to identify the influential factors which critically affect the build-up of technical skills of Eritreans expatriates in the USA (Chou, 2022). Understanding the factors that significantly affect the distribution of technical skills by Eritreans professionals will be instrumental to understanding the patterns of technical skills distribution by humanitarian workers around the globe (Bibi, Anwar, & Rana, 2021).
Technical skills enable an individual to perform a specific set of tasks; as a result, Indians may highly prioritize certain technical skills due to the job market and the form of technical education being given in India in jobs like sales representative, recruiter, sales team lead, customer service representative, and HR professional in comparison to the Eritreans deal with digital skills in these jobs and that is technical skill which is prioritized (Iqbal, Shaikh, Jamal, & Akhtar, 2023).
The Ethiopian and Eritreans expatriates in the United States have important economic and policy implications. Eritreans expatriates, living in the United States, have turned into skilled technical professionals in recent years, establishing businesses and using opportunities (Shewamene, Zimmerman, Hailu, & Negeri, 2022). They have the option to enter the United States under refugee status, thanks to an exemption from having to leave the United States to complete the paperwork. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the main factors which influence Eritreans expatriates’ contribution to the US. in terms of technical skill building.
The subject of Eritreans expatriates, according to some of the studies, is a relatively new topic and that Eritreans expatriate entrepreneurship is a less understood phenomenon. This study examines the characteristics and determinants of entrepreneurship among Eritreans expatriates in the United States (Wassink, 2020). Such analysis is likely to improve our understanding of the determinants of Eritreans expatriate entrepreneurship, both in inward investment literature and immigrant entrepreneurship literature. The United States is home to sizable number of Eritreans expatriates. Data presented here tells an important story. Eritreans expatriates establish far more businesses than natives. Prior circular migration is a significant factor in explaining the propensity of Eritreans expatriates to be entrepreneurs after settlement residency in the United States.
Besides the importance of their prior technical skills, Eritreans expatriates would rely on their technical capabilities because it serves as a dominant factor that stands against traditional discriminatory attitudes toward being immigrants. This is also because of the distinct perspectives of technical capabilities in the US society, where a college degree is not enough for education, and vocational schools have a high reputation in general. Due to this historical legacy, cognitive and technical skills become a vital role for Eritreans expatriates.
Expatriation’s trigger point is not only because of financial constraints but can be attributed to other factors such as conflict and wars (Lee, Lin, & Chiu, 2021). For instance, Eritreans expatriate’s migration to the United States could be associated with the United Nations imposed sanction and Solomonic decision by the Ethiopian Government to disconnect their international gateway with Eritreans as the result of the military conflict between the two countries (Mezhoudi, Alghamdi, Aljunaid, & Krichna, 2023). Upon submitting the applications for visas to come to the US as Asylees with dreams of the American dream, they arrive with fears, trauma and little to no savings. Thus, cognitive capital becomes a crucial factor for success and adaptability in a new environment. Technical skills from practice in the home country remain essential abilities for many individuals, and they can be developed and built on. This is not to argue that the transferability of technical skills does not exist but to argue that the nature of cognitive abilities developed through toil, work and experiences in the home country cannot necessarily be easily acquired once settled in the new countries (Kuipers et al., 2017).
Furthermore, the criteria influencing the expatriates learning is different from one another (Dingsøyr, Røyrvik, & Djarraya, 2019). Due to this, it is necessary to integrate the cross-cultural context of a developing country. Due mainly to the lack of expertise in their home country, there are limitless challenges facing the development of their nation. Their knowledge, skills, and competence are invaluable and of paramount importance for the indispensable development of the country (Bibi, Anwar, & Rana, 2021). Thus, knowing the key criteria influencing the expatriates to have technical skills is important for the development of Eritrea. Although there are several studies in the world about the technical skill building of the expatriates in their host country, most of the studies come from human resources management (HRM) or psychological perspectives and seldom apply computer science/management (CM) methods in combination (Chou, 2022).
3. Conceptualization of the Research Variables
This research conceptualized eleven variables/criteria deemed to influence Eritreans expatriates to build Technical Skills in the US. This laid the path to examining the Key Criteria among the eleven criteria proposed as well as the Influence of each criterion. As a result, the eleven criteria proposed are: Actively Engage (AE), New Technologies (NT), Learn and Integrate (LI), Industry Practices (IP), Technical Problem (TP), Problem-Solving (PS), Collaboration (CO), Sharing Technical knowledge (ST), Stay updated with Industry trends (SI), Stay updated with Advancement (SA) and Stay updated with host country Direction (SH). These 11 variables were selected over others because past research has discovered that they influence the effectiveness of expatriations from a variety of perspectives. This is the reason why the references that supported each study are listed inside each of the subsections that came before it. Similarly, the purpose of this research was to determine which of the variables has the most influence among all of them and to perceive those variables as having an influence on each other. The operational definition of the criteria is as follows.
3.1. Actively Engage
In this research, engagement is operationally defined as the extent to which Eritreans expatriates effectively utilize and accomplish tasks using technology over a period of time. Subsequently, the research aimed to quantify the extent of its impact on other factors that influence technology skills. However, it is necessary to first identify the issue associated with “Actively Engage”. Eritreans expatriates, particularly those working at various professional levels in the US, can also be involved in the implementation aspects of active engagement. Typically, tracking and identifying technically skilled expatriates in different countries of the world is crucial (Chou, 2022). Eritreans expatriates in the US technical skill gaps are an issue (Zamzami, 2021). Eritreans share knowledge with each other in the league of experts (Tarhini, 2016). Similarly, issue of how to adapt to the face of US complexity has been found to be coordinated by most Eritreans expatriates (Ashourizadeh & Saeedikiya, 2022). That is why this research offers to practically examine how technological skills influence Eritreans in the USA to acquire advanced technical skills, so as to induce the long-term benefits that accrue when this expertise is merged with local realities (Jacobs, 2021; Solano et al., 2022; Sabzian et al., 2018).
3.2. New Technologies
The ability of the Eritreans expatriate in the USA to be technologically skillful lies in the adoption of new technology. That is why this study conceptualized new technology as a critical variable. Technology is also making it easier to separate the knowledge of one’s origin and location from an individual’s need to perform work, in particular where digital skills are required. In recent years, advancements in technology have empowered people to adopt new ways of working, change how they interact with each other, and introduce new tools and models (Cao et al., 2021). At the same time, rising computing power, growing amounts of digital data, and advances in deep learning are widening the uses of artificial intelligence (AI) (Sánchez-Bayón et al., 2021; Kuipers et al., 2017). The world has undeniably evolved into a technological era that is driving industrial revolutions, shaping the fourth industrial revolution (Bibi, Anwar, & Rana, 2021). Although termed as the fourth industrial revolution, different governments around the world have different technological initiatives (Iqbal et al., 2023). Emerging technologies have made a case for workforce up-skilling and re-skilling by the different governments and industries around the world (Shewamene et al., 2022). Embracing digital advancement and keeping abreast of the digital transformation holds the promise to prepare Eritreans expatriates in the US for voluntary work to help rebuild the technical skills in their home country (Wassink, 2020). In a fast-paced world where digital technology is reshaping virtually every sector of the economy, professionals are faced with the challenge of constantly learning new skills (Lee et al., 2021; Mezhoudi et al., 2023). That is why this research conceptualized to measure the impact of new technology on Eritreans Expatriate Technical skills.
3.3. Learn and Integrate
Learning and putting what was learned into practice is the central part of this variable “Learn and Integrate”. Hence, this study conceptualized that the ability of the Eritreans expatriates to learn and integrate influence their technical skills. This can be justified by a set of skills acquired a long shot from the US (Dingsøyr et al., 2019). For Eritreans individuals who have moved to the US, they have seemed to not let their hearts stray away from helping to contribute to the grander schema of the betterment and prosperity of the home country they have left behind (Engidaw, Alemu, Muche, & Yitayal, 2023). However, on the contrary, “most Eritreans expatriates come to the US with the sole purpose of migrating home to their country in a few years”. Therefore, an individual should have a willingness to learn and to be okay with failure through the learning process (Raj, Kumar, & Bansal, 2019). After achieving a degree at a university, the world becomes a classroom. Employers now require employees to be super learners. Super learners have highly advanced learning skills, memory, and the ability to learn quickly (Muzumdar, Kurian, Basyal, & Muley, 2023). It was argued that one of the key tools for learning these days is the level of internet connection (Mousakhani, Saghafi, Hasanzadeh, & Sadeghi, 2022; Hizam, Akter, Sentosa, & Ahmed, 2021). As a result, this current research investigates if “learn and integrate” is the key criterion influencing Eritreans expatriates to build technical skills in the USA.
3.4. Industry Practices
Being proficient in technology is essential in today’s world, and this study recognizes industrial practice as a crucial requirement for achieving this proficiency. The influence of Eritrea expatriates in the US and the building of technical skills to influence fast training in the US to accelerate technical building of skills lies with Industrial practices (Fagerholm & Münch, 2013; Fareri, Apreda, Mulas, & Alonso, 2023). It was revealed that the Eritreans who had experience abroad had seen the most modern technical systems. They are now expected to be acquainted with the updated systems and the best practices worldwide. In particular, they should acquaint themselves with the industry standards and know where to find and compete with others. For this reason, this current study investigates the influence Eritreans expatriates to scale their technical skills in the United States, where a variety of best practices from diverse activities can provide that.
3.5. Technical Problem
It is believed that the meritocratic society of the United States, which places a strong emphasis on the significance of acquiring technical skills in careers, is responsible for this aspect (Chagas-Ferreira, de Souza Fleith, & Prado, 2022). Eritreans expatriates in the United States would wish to provide professional professions in order to meet with their Eritreans-American society as well as the new environment in the event that there is success in the Eritreans-American society. Based on the findings of this research, it has been determined that if Eritreans-Americans continue to go with their existing methods of achievement, they will be forced to begin their lives from scratch in the years to come. For a society that is focused on technology, the Eritreans expatriates living in the United States need to investigate the various ways in which change could occur. There are a number of issues that prevent Eritreans expatriates living in the United States (US) from learning the essential technical skills. These factors include, but are not limited to, language barriers, financial restraints, and support systems for parents and children (Guerrero & Wanjiru, 2021). In light of the fact that technical issues are a direct result of a lack of technical skills (Tantawy, Farouk, Mohamed, & Yousef, 2014; Jarquin-Solis, Lin-Shiao, Guerra, & Zúñiga, 2022; Farcas & Gonçalves, 2016). It has been proven that the criteria can be of assistance in the development of technical skills linked with Eritreans international workers.
3.6. Problem-Solving
The criteria for problem solving is crucial to this research because it is conceptualized to have a direct impact on technical skills. The success of Eritreans expatriation to the USA is likely based on the highly educated Eritreans experts. Usually, they have strong cultural values that they are eager to share (Dingsøyr et al., 2019). Eritreans champions have the most traction with the potential to share their deep kinship relations and high emotional intelligence, demonstrating how technical knowledge can develop in unexpected places (Lopez-Blanco, 2023). This is crucial and deemed to be transformed while in the USA. That is why the influx of Eritreans expatriates into the US can serve to help fill some critical areas that require problem-solving. The talent gap in areas like electrical engineering and computer science can fill up. However, the key issue here lies with the problem-solving ability. That is why this current research set out to measure the influence of problem solving on expatriate technical skills. For the purpose of gaining a better grasp of the capabilities of the Eritreans expatriate, this will provide light. Generally speaking, it will provide a response to the question of what options are available to recognize and retain from the United States of America by the Eritreans expatriate.
3.7. Collaboration
This research conceptualized collaboration to influence the technical skill of Eritreans by establishing that collaboration fosters teamwork through clear and unbiased perception and the division of knowledge and expertise, which is essential to avoid organizational collapse, avoid imbalance and workovers, manmade disasters, many manual errors, and impractical reinventions, thus exchanging mild team mistakes for better team mix-ups (Stephany, 2021). In the professional landscape, individuals have the opportunity to establish cooperative relationships with their colleagues or use networks to influence events, mainly due to their motivation in dealing with problems they might encounter in the workplace (Hagos, 2020). Such an environment brings out acquaintances in the working environment, and collaboration arises naturally while the exchange of ideas concerning the profession is up-to-date. There are various ways to promote cooperation among peers, which could be the following: establishing coaching and mentoring programs from abroad, initiating collaborations, supporting funding schemes (Berhane, 2018), exchanging ideas, providing career development workshops, courses, and internships, and above all, promoting networking (Ghebreab, 2017). One of the appropriate means to promote networking is to use the already established Eritreans Diasporas platforms including social media, and new technologies to initiate expert recruitment initiatives. Diasporas platform could be those of professional associations, youth groups, educational institutions, churches, mosques, and non-profit organizations providing humanitarian supports, that might be utilized for expert mobilization initiatives (Tesfai, 2019). That is another reason that this research deemed it necessary to measure “collaboration” with respect to the technical skills of Eritreans expatriates.
3.8. Sharing Technical Knowledge
There are many types of information and knowledge that expatriates may need to access to help their descendants adapt quickly to the digital world, seeking its economic potential. The combination of scarcity of skilled labor and a large population reliant on farming and simple industry does not provide an obvious match with the Information Technology (IT) and commercial-level skills that are high in demand and easy to standardize (Kidane, 2019). Such skills are necessary for diverse businesses, however, and the solutions to this divide could be high-impact. Eritreans who migrated to the USA for their continued education tend to be self-initiated expatriates when they get some expertise in a variety of fields like electronics, navigation technology and aeronautical engineering, urban planning and information technology. In this case, the concept of transferring knowledge and skills across borders is particularly relevant (Weldeab, 2021). This is because the process can influence how quickly migrant workers can adapt to and exploit new labor market opportunities when they relocate to the developed world, which could have a wider impact on the economic success of the countries that generate these workers (Kidane, 2019). That is why this current study conceptualized measuring the “sharing technical knowledge” as the key factor influencing Eritreans technical skills.
3.9. Stay Updated with Industry Trends
This study conceptualized this variable based on the fact that experts should frequently be sought to map current industrial trends from the previously unlinked industrial trend information in order to improve their awareness and control the continuous flow of their awareness through the industry. There are opportunities in business programs, Internet data science and information technology. Firms create their programs with their basic concepts and skillsets for a multitude of technical competencies. The good thing is there is a lot of material available for free. Out there, lots of free code classes can be found. Some courses will be more hands-on than others. Successful careers depend on keeping up-to-date with current industry standards, tools, and skill sets (Solomon, 2020). Eritreans expatriate in the USA can keep their skill sharp and build new ones so they stay updated. The demand for skilled specialists is one of the best areas of the market, and it continues to provide increasing salaries and flexibility. The crucial reason for measuring this variable lies in the fact that each and every piece of feedback provided on industrial trends is an opportunity to improve. Expatriate will ensure that all they have is the best and can fit in industrial demand (Solomon, 2020). Additionally, Expatriate can offer input better with good knowledge of the Industrial, service, and valuable marketing tips (Habtom, 2020).
3.10. Stay Updated with Advancement
Eritreans expatriates will provide too many opportunities to the USA, and their organization will give a perfect insight for the future generation. This will construct various strategies to maintain the different progress of technology and culture. If they are typically involved with advancement, they will recognize themselves, at least by reducing the gap in progress and by maintaining their dignity and activities (Tsegay, 2019). The justification for adopting this variable lies in the fact that the world has realized the importance of technological progress, and individuals should follow technological advancement for a better future. Therefore, the primary question is whether life can proceed without developing technological advancement (Haile, 2020; Yosief, 2021; Gebremichael, 2020). That is why the current research established that Eritreans’ technological developments should mapped with the advancement in most technological skills. Another justification lies in the fact that the education level of Eritreans would contribute the most and would be a significant input in getting involved in technology without facing an unexpected technological gap. Therefore, they have to be a significant concern in order to be involved in technological progress with different plans and strategies.
3.11. Stay Updated with Host Country Direction
“Stay Updated with Host Country Direction” refers to the ability of a self-initiated expatriate to continuously monitor, understand, and adapt to the evolving policies, regulations, economic trends, technological advancements, and strategic priorities of the host country. This includes aligning professional practices with national industrial strategies, compliance with local laws, and responsiveness to shifts in market dynamics. This variable is established because it was recognized that Eritreans expatriates should leave their home country from the US. Eritreans expatriates in the US feel stuck between two countries and cultural contexts (Ghebremusse, 2021). Most of them adjust to host country’s political and cultural preferences and direction, and less to home country’s external environment and direction, as most of the national development directions are unpredictable and unclear about when or how it ends. These directions affect their return intention and engagement with the exploits of proficient home country’s direction and development priorities, such as changes in political space and stability or regional integration to expand trade or industry cooperation and improve economics (Yohannes, 2021). Hence, the main reason why this variable is conceptualized for this research lies in the fact that it influences development by making technical skills belong to the host country. These expatriates might also consider transferring their already acquired expertise and skills or technical capability to their native land to start influencing their home country’s governance and the livelihood of their relatives and compatriots in sustainable ways (Shewamene et al., 2022). As a result, this current research proposed to measure the influence of staying updated with host country direction in order to develop technical skill.
4. Methodology
The DEMATEL technique was used to evaluate the conceptualized criteria during the course of this study. The first step in the approach is to gather pairwise comparisons from specialists who possess expertise in the use of DEMATEL to leverage Eritreans expatriates to acquire technical and financial skills in the United States (Raj et al., 2019). After creating an appropriate survey design, the data was gathered through an online survey using a structured questionnaire. The conceptual requirements are directly connected with the survey questions to ensure that the survey is comprehensive enough to gather input on the variables. The next phase is presenting the analysis of the data.
4.1. Sampling and Profile of the Participants
The sampling DEMATEL previously believed that the appropriate sample size would be between five and ten specialists in specialized fields that require in-depth expertise from academic research, niche companies, or innovative technologies (Zerai, 2019). The purposive sampling approach was employed in this study to obtain twenty experts, which is a decent amount to ensure that the research has a wide range of views while still being manageable. Additionally, other studies suggested that a pool of thirty experts would be the best for balancing reliability and feasibility (Trivedi, 2018).
In terms of their expertise and professional background, the demographic information of the participants demonstrates that all the participants have relevant knowledge and experience in the field of expatriation and expatriates in the United States of America. While 11 of them are practitioners in the academic sector, 6 of them are from the Industrial world, and 3 of them come from non-governmental organizations (Shieh & Wu, 2016).
In terms of their “Age,” the data reveals that 8 of them are between the ages of 30 to 40, 10 of them are between the ages of 41 - 50, and the remaining are between 50 years and above.
4.2. Research Items/Questionnaire Development
In the context of self-initiated expatriation and DEMATEL, the goal of establishing a research questionnaire is to conduct an analysis of the interdependencies that exist among fundamental components that influence technical competency skills. The question is always attached with a scale that ranges from one to five points to rate the degree to which one element influences another. Hence, the scales are described below: 0 = No influence, 1 = Very low influence, 2 = Low influence, 3 = Moderate influence, 4 = High influence. An indication of the degree to which the first element (row) influences the second factor (column) is always required in every working environment for each pair of components. All the questions generated give room for many different analyses. In the current paper, the analysis of DEMATEL used for the purpose of DEMATEL analysis, and the responses are utilized in the construction of a Direct-Influence Matrix. The descriptive part of the items is used for another publication. However, abstract concepts like “Stay Updated with Host Country Direction” or “Sharing Technical Knowledge” were measured in the survey, by “Staying Updated with Host Country Directions”
“How significantly does Staying Updated with Host Country Directions influence Collaboration with professionals?”
“To what extent does Staying Updated with Host Country Directions impact the integration of Industry Practices?”
“How strongly does Staying Updated with Host Country Directions affect the ability to Share Technical Knowledge?”
“Staying Updated with Technological Advancements”
“How strongly does Staying Updated with Technological Advancements influence the ability to Learn and Integrate new industry practices?”
“To what degree does Staying Updated with Technological Advancements impact Problem-Solving?”
“To what extent does Staying Updated with Technological Advancements contribute to Collaboration?”
These are a few items necessary for response based on: 0 = No influence, 1 = Very low influence, 2 = Low influence, 3 = Moderate influence, 4 = High influence.
5. Presentation of the Results and Discussion
The analysis of the key criteria that influence Eritreans expatriates to build “Technical Skills” in the US using DEMATEL method has been carried out. After the data collection, the first step in obtaining the analysis result involves building an initial individual matrix described as the participant’s response obtained and presented in an n × n non-negative direct relation matrix presented in Table 1.
Table 1. The direct average relation matrix.
# |
AE |
NT |
LI |
IP |
TP |
PS |
CO |
ST |
SI |
SA |
SH |
AE |
0.0000 |
2.2143 |
2.2857 |
1.4286 |
2.0000 |
1.4286 |
2.4286 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
2.2143 |
1.5714 |
NT |
1.5714 |
0.0000 |
1.7143 |
1.4286 |
1.7143 |
1.2857 |
2.1429 |
1.5714 |
2.0714 |
2.0714 |
1.7143 |
LI |
1.4286 |
2.0000 |
0.0000 |
1.7143 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
2.2857 |
2.1429 |
1.9286 |
2.0000 |
2.0714 |
IP |
1.8571 |
1.2857 |
1.4286 |
0.0000 |
1.5714 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
1.7857 |
1.7857 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
TP |
1.5714 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
0.0000 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
1.6429 |
1.9286 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
PS |
1.5714 |
1.5714 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
0.0000 |
1.5714 |
2.0000 |
1.9286 |
1.7857 |
1.8571 |
CO |
2.0000 |
1.7143 |
2.1429 |
2.0000 |
1.7143 |
1.5714 |
0.0000 |
1.9286 |
1.5714 |
2.0714 |
1.8571 |
ST |
1.5714 |
2.0000 |
1.7143 |
1.8571 |
1.5714 |
2.1429 |
1.6429 |
0.0000 |
1.7857 |
1.8571 |
1.5714 |
SI |
1.6429 |
2.0714 |
1.5714 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
1.6429 |
0.0000 |
1.9286 |
1.9286 |
SA |
2.0714 |
2.2143 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
2.2143 |
1.7857 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
0.0000 |
1.5714 |
SH |
1.5714 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
1.7857 |
1.7857 |
1.5714 |
0.0000 |
In the following phase, you will be required to calculate the Summed Direct Relation Matrices that are illustrated in Table 2. This stage of the calculation of the Summed Direct Relation Matrix is an important step that requires aggregating the influences of all the aspects or criteria that are being taken into consideration.
Table 2. Summed direct relation matrices.
|
Sum |
|
0.0000 |
2.2143 |
2.2857 |
1.4286 |
2.0000 |
1.4286 |
2.4286 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
2.2143 |
1.5714 |
19.5715 |
|
1.5714 |
0.0000 |
1.7143 |
1.4286 |
1.7143 |
1.2857 |
2.1429 |
1.5714 |
2.0714 |
2.0714 |
1.7143 |
17.2857 |
1.4286 |
2.0000 |
0.0000 |
1.7143 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
2.2857 |
2.1429 |
1.9286 |
2.0000 |
2.0714 |
19.4286 |
1.8571 |
1.2857 |
1.4286 |
0.0000 |
1.5714 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
1.7857 |
1.7857 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
17.2855 |
1.5714 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
0.0000 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
1.6429 |
1.9286 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
18.7142 |
|
1.5714 |
1.5714 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
0.0000 |
1.5714 |
2.0000 |
1.9286 |
1.7857 |
1.8571 |
18.1427 |
|
2.0000 |
1.7143 |
2.1429 |
2.0000 |
1.7143 |
1.5714 |
0.0000 |
1.9286 |
1.5714 |
2.0714 |
1.8571 |
18.5714 |
1.5714 |
2.0000 |
1.7143 |
1.8571 |
1.5714 |
2.1429 |
1.6429 |
0.0000 |
1.7857 |
1.8571 |
1.5714 |
17.7142 |
1.6429 |
2.0714 |
1.5714 |
2.0000 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
1.6429 |
0.0000 |
1.9286 |
1.9286 |
18.5 |
2.0714 |
2.2143 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
2.2143 |
1.7857 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
0.0000 |
1.5714 |
19.4284 |
1.5714 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
1.8571 |
2.0000 |
1.7857 |
1.7857 |
1.5714 |
0.0000 |
18.1426 |
Sum |
16.857 |
18.786 |
18.571 |
18.143 |
18.786 |
17.643 |
19.5 |
18.357 |
18.786 |
19.357 |
18 |
|
The next step involves calculation of the Normalised Direct Relation Matrix which establishes the framework for reliably recording the direct influences between elements in a standardised manner. Hence, the result of the matrix is presented below:
The identity matrix is a unique square matrix that is essential to the operation of a number in DEMATEL. It is a square matrix, with the diagonal having a value one, as presented in Table 3, is used to do the calculation.
Table 3. Inverse matrices.
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
In order to calculate the Total Relation Matrix, the next involves subtracting the Normalised Direct Relation Matrix from the Identity Matrix and the result of such calculation is presented below:
![]()
As the next stage, you will need to combine the initial direct relationships matrix with a correction factor that is derived from the difference between the idealised relationships that are represented by the identity matrix and the real normalised relationships that are represented by. Because this operation could help refine or adjust the direct relationships between factors, it is essentially a combination of the original direct relationships and a correction factor that is derived from the deviation between the idealised relationships represented by the identity matrix and the actual normalised relationships represented. This is because in decision-making contexts, this operation could help refine or adjust the direct relationships between factors, incorporating insights gained from the normalisation process. A detailed knowledge of the interconnections between entities is made possible as a result of this, taking into account not only the connections that are intrinsic to the entities but also the adjustments that are necessary to align them with standardised or normalised standards. Following is a representation of the result of the calculation, which is as follows:
![]()
The next step involves the calculation of the total relation matrix derived from the direct relation matrix by considering both the direct influences between factors and the indirect influences mediated by other factors. It encapsulates the cumulative effects of direct and indirect relationships, providing a holistic perspective on the interactions within the system.
The final evaluation lies in establishing the relationship between the cause and the effect, where the result is presented in Table 4.
Table 4. Direct influence of the criteria among themselves.
|
r |
c |
r + c |
r − c |
Identity |
Actively Engage |
17.16621 |
14.95879 |
32.125 |
2.207416 |
Cause |
New Technologies |
15.31384 |
16.49594 |
31.80978 |
−1.1821 |
Effect |
Learn and Integrate |
16.98953 |
16.31313 |
33.30266 |
0.676405 |
Cause |
Industry Practices |
15.2939 |
16.00045 |
31.29436 |
−0.70655 |
Effect |
Technical Problem |
16.4319 |
16.48954 |
32.92144 |
−0.05764 |
Effect |
Problem-Solving |
15.96286 |
15.57651 |
31.53936 |
0.38635 |
Cause |
Collaboration |
16.34516 |
17.0462 |
33.39136 |
−0.70104 |
Effect |
Sharing Technical knowledge |
15.60433 |
16.13309 |
31.73741 |
−0.52876 |
Effect |
Stay updated with
Industry trends |
16.23804 |
16.4827 |
32.72074 |
−0.24466 |
Effect |
Stay updated with
Advancement |
17.01721 |
16.95242 |
33.96963 |
0.064794 |
Cause |
Stay updated with host country Direction |
15.95744 |
15.87166 |
31.8291 |
0.085773 |
Cause |
As a result of this DEMATEL research, the final results provide insights into the links and roles of many factors that influence Eritreans expatriates to gain technical skills in the United States. In the table, the column labelled “r” gives an indication of the total amount of influence that a particular element has on other factors. The degree to which a factor is active in affecting other people is demonstrated by this attribute. It is represented in the column (c) that the total amount of effects that a factor receives from other factors is considered. It depicts the degree to which a factor is influenced by other factors. The entire degree of relation is shown by the column (r + c), which indicates the overall engagement of a factor in the system, both as an influencer and as an entity that is influenced by some other element. The column labelled “r-c” provides information on whether a certain factor is more of a cause (with a positive value) or an effect (with a negative value). When the value is positive, it implies that the factor is more of a cause, whereas when the value is negative, it shows that the component is more of an effect. The column (identity) that accepts either Cause or Effect as a result of the r-c that is identified as either a “Cause” or a “Effect.”
It can be deduced from the breakdown of the results that “Actively Engage,” “Learn and Integrate,” “Problem-Solving,” “Stay updated with Advancement,” and “Stay updated with host country Direction” are the “Cause” factors that influence Eritreans expatriates to develop their technical abilities in the United States. This indicates that these elements are key influencers in the process of building technical skills by Eritreans expatriates living in the United States where they exert more influence than they receive. Because of this, they are referred to as a “Cause,” which means that they are the driving force behind the other elements. In other words, those remaining factors are more influenced by other people than they are by themselves, which is why we refer to them as an “effect.” They react in response to alterations or impacts brought about by the “cause” variables.
6. Conclusion
This study conducted using the DEMATEL method has conducted a thorough examination of the factors that impact the development of technical skills among Eritreans expatriates residing in the United States. The study has found crucial elements that have a substantial impact on this process by analysing the interactions between different factors. The results suggest that the main contributing elements are “Actively Engage,” “Learn and Integrate,” “Problem-Solving,” “Stay Updated with Advancement,” and “Stay Updated with Host Country Direction.” These variables are proactive catalysts that stimulate the growth of technological expertise among Eritreans expats. Their role as “Cause” factors emphasises their significance in initiating and maintaining the development of technological capabilities within this group. Conversely, elements such as “New Technologies,” “Industry Practices,” “Technical Problem,” “Collaboration,” “Sharing Technical Knowledge,” and “Stay Updated with Industry Trends” have been recognised as factors that have an impact. These factors exhibit a higher level of reactivity and are molded by the influences of the “Cause” factors. They symbolise the results of the exchanges and impacts within the system. The differentiation between “Cause” and “Effect” elements offers useful insights for stakeholders seeking to facilitate the enhancement of technical skills among Eritreans expatriates. By prioritising the improvement of the “Cause” aspects, it is feasible to establish a more favourable setting for the acquisition and utilisation of skills. Moreover, comprehending the “Effect” elements can assist in overseeing and quantifying the influence of activities designed to promote technical expertise. This research highlights the significance of focused interventions and strategic assistance in empowering Eritreans expatriates to develop and improve their technical skills. This, in turn, leads to their professional advancement and successful integration into the United States. The findings provide a roadmap for policymakers, community leaders, and educational institutions to prioritise initiatives that enhance the fundamental factors of technical skill development.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I am profoundly grateful to God for granting me the strength, sound mind, and health to accomplish this research. The completion of this report brings me great satisfaction, but this achievement would not have been possible without the invaluable support and guidance of many individuals and organizations. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Derrick V. Warren, Dean of the College of Business, for his unwavering support, encouragement, and guidance throughout this journey. I am also deeply thankful to Dr. White, Previous Dean of Business, and Dr. Haile, Chairperson of the Management & Marketing Department at Grambling State University, for their insightful advice and guidance that provided me with a solid foundation for an excellent career path. Additionally, I am sincerely grateful to the faculty, administrators, and students who contributed to this research, as well as to all the participants who graciously offered their time and insights, whether through interviews, in-person meetings, or Zoom sessions. Your input has been crucial in shaping the outcomes of this study, and your willingness to share your experiences and expertise is greatly appreciated. Furthermore, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to my friends and family for their unwavering support, encouragement, and cooperation throughout this process. Their kindness and belief in my abilities motivated me to persevere through the challenges of this research. This accomplishment is as much theirs as it is mine. I acknowledge with deep gratitude the collective efforts of all those who have contributed, directly or indirectly, to the completion of this research. I pray for your continued health, happiness, and success. Thank you all for your invaluable contributions.