Editorial

Citation

Kallane (McNulty), Y. and Fee, A. (2021), "Editorial", Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 309-310. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-09-2021-086

Introducing our new Expert Review Series

Expert Review Series article: Brewster, C., Suutari, V. and Waxin, M-F (2021), “Two decades of research into SIEs and what do we know? A systematic review of the most influential literature and a proposed research agenda”, Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 9, No. 3.

On our eighth anniversary of the Journal of Global Mobility, first published in June 2013, it seems timely to introduce JGM's new Expert Review Series. It was in 2019 – just months before the global pandemic locked down all but the most essential international work – that we began inviting prominent scholars in our field to submit articles that reviewed and forecast the trajectory of an aspect of global mobility in which they are experts. These articles are, effectively, a rigorous overview of the “state of the field” and a “where-to-next” synopsis from expert/s who have shaped, led and been deeply committed to the study of global mobility.

The inaugural issue of Journal of Global Mobility made the bold claim to serve “a genuine and important purpose in our globalizing world … taking the field forward into the next era of global mobility.” In the subsequent eight years, while no-one could have predicted the many changes and challenges to international work, JGM continues its quest. Examples include that JGM went straight into the #2 level of the Chartered Association for Business Schools (CABS, UK) Academic Journal Guide 2018. The journal also increased its Scopus CiteScore by 60%, going from 1.93 in 2018 to 3.1 in 2019; and has kept its rank by the Australian ABDC Journal Quality List as a B journal in the 2019 reassessment round. The journal is ranked in the Nordic countries and Brazil as well as by ESSEC (France) and ERA (Australia).

The first Expert Review article in our new series leads the current issue of JGM. Authored by three prominent global mobility scholars – Professor Chris Brewster (Henley Business School), Professor Vesa Suutari (University of Vaasa) and Dr Marie-France Waxin (American University of Sharjah) – the article reviews 20 years of research into self-initiated expatriates, a group whom, by some accounts, likely exceeds the number of assigned expatriates despite the latter being more extensively researched and understood. While the concept of SIEs is not new, having always existed in one form or another for many centuries, and despite that SIEs first came into prominence in the business and management literature in the 1960s with studies of Peace Corps and other volunteers, it wasn't until the publication of Suutari and Brewster's (2000) SIE article, “Making their own way”, that we began as a field to fully embrace this new category of expatriate. Indeed, the article was one impetus for much of the research interest in self-initiated expatriates that followed.

Across JGM's lifespan, self-initiated expatriates have been a regular touchstone, with nearly every issue containing at least one article referencing them. The topic of SIEs, therefore, seems to be a good place from which to commence our Expert Review Series, and for no small reason: the authors have done an outstanding job narrowing down the most influential empirical papers on SIEs over the past 20 years, highlighting their main features, themes and findings. By identifying what we know, and what we don’t know yet, about SIEs they highlight significant knowledge gaps that need to be addressed and suggest future research directions on SIEs. This review paper is, by all accounts, a solid source of ideas and reflection for doctoral and other researchers looking for inspiration and guidance about what to study on SIEs, and perhaps more importantly, why.

The rigor of articles accepted for publication in our Expert Review Series should not be under-estimated. While authors for the series have been invited (“hand-picked”) by the editors based on their conspicuous role in shaping the field in a way that has had a lasting impact on our understanding of global mobility issues, manuscripts have been handled like any other submission to the journal. The peer review process has been strictly adhered to, with manuscripts undergoing several revisions after review by other “experts” on the topic. We hope the rigor, insight and foresight of these articles is obvious and demonstrates the hard work of everyone involved in bringing the manuscript to publication. It is our hope, as editors, that these manuscripts will be helpful resources for academics, students and practitioners in years to come. Readers can expect future Expert Review Series articles in forthcoming issues of JGM, including on the topic of non-traditional expatriates, expatriate compensation and international business travelers.

Yvonne Kallane (McNulty)

Anthony Fee

Editors, Expert Review Series

June 2021