Of course, management has been shifting corporate headquarters since the 1970s with the massive migration from the Northeast and the Midwest to the South and the West. But, thanks to global telecommunications networks, it's easier now than in the '70s or even the '80s for a major multinational like Boeing to pick up stakes. Indeed, the forces driving much of the relocation activity are strengthening. Most notably, global mergers and acquisitions often force a change in headquarters. And top executives are no longer loyal to any particular place.
Home is airplanes and hotel rooms for top executives overseeing vast global enterprises.
Senior managers are more like sports stars, free agents lured from elsewhere by a lush pay packet, with little connection to the local community. Home is where the paycheck comes from.