Comment on Ries' Paper

Beginning of article

The role of regional studies in international business research and education is as difficult to define as the role of international business itself. Regional studies do not have a natural home in business schools that are organized around the core functional areas. John Ries's paper presents an excellent summary on how the contents of regional studies can be related to existing courses in the business environment and functional areas. I find his suggestions relevant for the courses that I teach at the University of Alberta on Japanese firm behavior in international business settings.

I agree with Ries that a specific regional focus provides a practical context for theories of the foreign direct …