ABSTRACT
One approach to the acknowledged variation in causes and consequences emphasises stated reasons for moving. Their use as psychological motivations originated in studies of the ‘pushes and pulls’ in migration decisions, those factors inducing dissatisfaction with the current residence and encouraging selection of a particular destination. This chapter discusses the important role of job transfers in the United States migration process and emphasise the use of transfers by private sector corporations. There are no comprehensive and reliable estimates for the United States of the number of corporate transfers or of their community impact. A less than perfect source is the Employee Relocation Council (ERC), a non-profit agency formed in 1971 and supported both by corporations and real estate firms. The ERC publishes Mobility, billed as ‘the communication vehicle for the relocation industry’, and surveys members about transfer activity and policies. The first distinction about transfers from an organisational viewpoint concerns whether the transfer is of individuals or the complete firm.
