International Business and FDI

When firms expand across borders, they face not only market competition but also the challenge of operating under foreign legal systems, political norms, and informal rules — a reality that shapes how and where they invest. Research on international business and foreign direct investment examines how multinational firms make location choices, structure their operations abroad, and adapt their strategies to institutional environments that may differ sharply from those at home, with particular attention now turning to enterprises from emerging economies that are themselves becoming significant global investors. Understanding these dynamics matters because FDI patterns influence technology transfer, employment, and economic development in both host and home countries. Active debates center on how firms from institutionally weak or rapidly changing home contexts build competitive advantages internationally, and how the rise of such firms is forcing a rethink of theories built largely on the experience of Western multinationals.

Works

113,293

Total citations

1,427,259

Keywords

Foreign Direct InvestmentInstitutional EnvironmentInternationalization ProcessEmerging Market EnterprisesMultinational FirmsInnovation and Entrepreneurship