ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on recent literature and studies, and describes the likely development of global trading patterns, with particular emphasis on trade to and from Asia-Pacific nations. Classifications of countries have been found to be significantly affected by economic forces, with developed and developing nations forming distinct groups. The nations analysed included the forty largest importing nations in the world to ensure inclusion of the major trading countries. A strong relationship between Japan, Western Europe, and North America has been postulated by Ohmae (1987). Ohmae credits this development mostly to economic growth, where ‘disposable income having reached comparable levels, people’s educational levels, academic and cultural backgrounds, life-styles, and access to information in the urban centres begin to be the same. The international business community, particularly those in or interested in the Asian-Pacific-American (APA) sphere, needs to recognize the significance of increasing intra-region trade.
