Thomas W. Roehl is Assistant Professor of International Business at the University of Illinois, Department of Business Administration. Prior to his appointment with the University of Illinois, Professor Roehl has taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Washington in Seattle. Professor Roehl has degrees in political science (MA, Oregon) and economics (PhD, Washington). He was a Fulbright scholar in Japan, starting a research stream on the relationships between Japanese firms which has been the core of his academic work. He has done work on the aerospace industry, the pharmaceuticals industry and on the Japanese distribution system. His current research interests are Japanese foreign investment in the U.S. and the changing role of the Japanese general trading company in the world economy. His book (Hiroyuki Itami with Tom Roehl, Mobilizing Invisible Assets Harvard University Press, 1987) is one of the earliest contributions to the resource based theory of the firm. Professor Roehl has lived in Japan for more than four years and speaks and reads Japanese. He travels to Asia frequently for research. He has done training sessions for American and Japanese firms, and was a faculty member in the Negotiating with the Japanese seminar run by the Michigan Business School.
Tom Roehl International Business, University of Illinois Phone: 217-333-0147; Fax: 217-244-7969