THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS TRAVEL FOR INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS – MAKING SENSE OF NOMADIC WORKERS

This article uses research on business air travel to study the external linkages of clusters. Using a typology of travellers (from commuters, explorers, and nomads to visiting tradesmen and missionaries) we show how elements of the cluster have more complex external connections than proposed by most of the cluster research literature. Maintaining these linkages involves hyper-mobility of individuals. We explore the implications of such continued physical travel for understandings of the workplace, for work-life balance and for citizenship. We conclude by warning against any one-dimensional understanding of the relationships.