Global careers: New phenomenon or new perspectives?

The concept of global careers has sparked a significant burst of recent research attention. In this article, we introduce this special issue of the Journal of World Business by raising the question of whether this activity is the result of the emergence of a new phenomenon or simply a new perspective on old issues. We then introduce the articles in this issue that present research, which goes beyond the traditional focus on foreign assignments and emphasizes a variety of alternative perspectives on global careers. What seems clear from this set of articles is that the nature of careers in the age of globalization requires new perspectives on the phenomenon.