In August 2001, the National University of Kaohsiung established the Department of Asia-Pacific Industrial and Business Management. The original idea underlying the establishment of this unique department is to provide skilled management personnel for Taiwan's manufacturing industries operating on the Island and other countries, especially the Southeast Asian countries and China.

Under the Global Logistics Development Plan sponsored by the government, a lot of highly skilled labor is needed resulting from creating the country's second science and technology corridor linking Tainan Science-Based Industrial Park with the Kaohsiung Multifunctional Commerce and Trade Park.

In addition, many traditional manufacturing industries in order to cut operation costs have moved their production plants from Taiwan to China as well as to Southeast Asian countries. However, a great number of emigrated companies have been confronted with serious management problems due to unfamiliar with the invested countries' economic policy, regulations, culture and language differences. In viewing of this, it is necessary to have an academic department training students specialized in Asia-Pacific affairs to be employed by these emigrated companies in solving the encountered management problems.

From time to time, the emigrated companies need to upgrade the skills of their executives and technicians by sending them back to Taiwan for re-training. This department is equipped with adequate faculties and facilities to meet their requirements.

Students of this department are consisted of three different sources: the first are local students through conventional university entrance exam, the second overseas Chinese students, and the third foreign students through applications. In the foreseeable future, each source of students is expected to account for one-third of the total students in the department.

In the overall structure of the National University of Kaohsiung, this department is under the College of Asia-Pacific Affairs. Two other independent graduate institutes also plan to establish within the College: one is the Institute of Southeast Asian Socio-Economics, and the other the Institute of Mainland China's Affairs on Economics and Trade. They are to be established in August 2006 and August 2007, respectively.

The baccalaureate in commerce programs including industrial and business management during the days last four years and normally carry a minimum of 128 credits. Of this total, some 86 credits are compulsory courses, and the remaining 42 credits are electives, including 28 credits of electives from general education courses offered by the other faculties in the university.

Another baccalaureate program in the evenings was also established in August 2003. This program is offered to students who have already obtained an associate degree from a junior college and have a full-time job during the days. Students entering this program are required of a minimum of 80 credits (63 compulsory courses and 17 electives) and normally take 3 to 5 years to complete the degree.

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is to be established in August 2005. When it completes, the College of Asia-Pacific Affairs is expected to have two undergraduate programs offering baccalaureate in commerce and three graduate programs offering respective MBA, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, respectively.

The National University of Kaohsiung is located in the north of Kaohsiung City, which is the largest seaport and manufacturing center of Taiwan. Kaohsiung City is situated in the middle of the Asia-Pacific region, at the central axis of Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and coastal Mainland China. This pivotal position gives Kaohsiung to become an international transportation and transshipment center. Kaohsiung's geographic advantage has enabled the Department of Asia-Pacific Industrial and Business Management to educate and train skilled personnel to be capable of managing business in the Asia-Pacific region and all over the world.

The design of curriculum for the department of Asia-Pacific Industrial and Business Management is learned from the University of Hawaii, by incorporating different courses in culture, arts, history, geography, and sociology due to multiple races in the Asia-Pacific region. In the meantime, some specialized courses in the areas of industrial technology and management are also incorporated into the curriculum.

These courses are currently the most demand in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the Asian Institute of Technology, The department offers an array of programs that include both general and specialized courses in the areas of industrial and business management. This delicate balance between general and specialized training is made necessary by the complexity of the problem facing managers today. They must fully understand the economic, political, social, and technical environment in which they work (general instruction) and they must also be ready to think and act in light of advanced management concepts (specialized instruction).

This is why the baccalaureate program at the department has been designed to allow students to blend general and specialized training according to their specific objectives. It is hoped that this flexibility will not only help students attain their career objectives but also prepare and inspire them to expand their knowledge even after graduation and throughout their professional life.

Most of the courses are offered in Chinese and some are in English. The department allows some courses given in official languages of the Southeast Asian countries, based on the number of students registered in these courses. Students in junior or senior years must undertake at least one full-year course of special topic on industrial and business management related to one of the Southeast Asian countries.