ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers one of the first focused interpretations of the affects of an increasing preponderance to business travel on the sociology of work in contemporary organizations. It emanates from an international workshop held at Ghent University, Belgium in January 2008. This workshop was partly sponsored by the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) and we are grateful for their contribution. The book represents an unusually rich range of empirics, concepts, theories and ideas which can help us develop a more advanced understanding of the contemporary nature and role of business travel in firms. It provides a completely comprehensive analysis of international business travel in the early twenty-first century. The book comes at a crucial moment for business travel as a corporate practice. The sociology of international business travel and its role in and effects on the global economy.
