International Business Travel in the Global Economy

Mobility is a key factor in the globalization process. This takes many forms but, in economic terms, business travel now appears to be the fundamental production process in constructing and reproducing the Network Society and the global, knowledge-based economy. Cross-border airline business travel has become a significant global flow and generator of corporate and world city networks. Coupled to this are the infrastructures of airport and hotel chains around the world and the associated economies that service the daily requirements of the business traveller. This opens up a whole new range of debates and also points to new industries such as business traveller intelligence that now provides advice to business travellers on accommodation, visas and security. The latter issues also raise questions about the geographical effects of state border controls and political geographies on the mobility of the so-called 'knowledge worker'. Importantly, encircling all of these discussions is also the rising discontent associated with the environmental impacts of air travel and the likely future challenges to current mobility practice. Bringing together a team of international experts, this book provides a detailed analysis of the role, nature and effects of business travel in the twenty first century and advances existing understanding by addressing the key issues taking place in academic, practitioner and policy debates. It examines the role of the airline industry in business travel and offers one of the first in-depth discussions of the relationships between airlines and business travellers. It also provides an up-to-date analysis of the changing form of the airline industry and the affects of this on business travel. he book then questions the role of mobility in business activities and the opportunities and challenges created by mobile workforces. Much has been written about the need for mobility and the role of face-to-face contact in business. Yet how the insights in these literatures can be used to manage and theorise business travel has not been addressed head-on. This book pushes such debates forward to by offering a focussed discussion of the way the need for, organization of and costs/benefits of business travel impede on the operation of organizations. Another issue addressed is the sociology of business travel and its role in and affects on the global economy. This offers one of the first focussed interpretations of the affects of an increasing preponderance to business travel on the sociology of work in contemporary organizations. All in all, this book offers a comprehensive perspective on business travel which will help develop debates across the social sciences about the nature, organization and space of work in the twenty-first century.