Role of the Asia-Pacific region in global business: An integrative statement

During the past decade, practising managers, researchers, public policy-makers at all levels and students of international business have increasingly turned their attention to strategic planning aspects of international business. This is not a surprising move, as the majority of private firms and public enterprises on both sides of the equator are increasingly venturing into those global markets with tremendous opportunities in order to attain their profit and growth objectives as well as to maintain and improve their market share. Although a substantial body of research and reading material is now available on the behaviour and practice of global business firms in the international context, strategic planning aspects of international business unfortunately have not been adequately studied. To overcome this, managers of global businesses need to view their operations from a global perspective. They must think and act as though the whole world is their market and identify the most lucrative market niches within accordingly.