China's outward foreign direct investment

China's outward foreign direct investment (FDI) is steadily increasing. The United States is now a key target for China's outward FDI, and the response by the American public tends to fall at opposite ends of the spectrum: fever or fear. Chinese FDI in the United States faces challenges posed by its liability of foreignness in political, cultural, marketing, and technological aspects. Utilizing mini case studies, we herein examine the polarized responses to Chinese outward direct investment, its history, and the challenges faced by Chinese multinational corporations operating in or attempting to enter the U.S. market. Finally, strategy suggestions are proposed.     

Geographic clustering and outward foreign direct investment

This study addresses an important neglected question: To what extent do geographic clusters promote outward foreign direct investment (ODI)? We find evidence that clusters do promote ODI and so support Porter's argument that advantages gained in clusters can be the foundations of successful internationalisation. Digging deeper, we find that certain cluster incumbents promote more ODI than others, with more experienced firms and firms with stronger resource bases accounting for more ODI. We also find that firms located in clusters within major global nodes/cities engage in more ODI. Finally, we find that both localisation and urbanisation economies promote ODI. However, the former, within-industry effects, are more important. Overall, this study echoes Dunning's call for more focus on the ‘L’ component of the ownership, location, internalisation (OLI) paradigm and particularly on the advantages that reside in clusters that make them not only attractive destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI) but also fertile environments from which FDI can spring.     

Leader narcissism and outward foreign direct investment: Evidence from Chinese firms

Researchers use the upper echelons theory to establish how leaders’ attributes affect firms’ outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), a proxy for foreign operations. This extant literature has largely ignored the impact of leaders’ psychological attributes, particularly, narcissism. We use a narcissism index of leaders of Chinese listed companies to examine the relationship between leader narcissism and firm-level OFDI for the period 2007-2017. We show that leader narcissism has a positive and significant impact on firm-level OFDI. In addition, we find that firms with state ownership and political connections show a greater positive effect of leader narcissism on the firm’s OFDI. Our results suggest that leader narcissism appears to be a stimulus to corporate OFDI, and thus in recruiting top corporate executives who are responsible for managing the international investments of the corporation, this psychological trait should be given special consideration in addition to other qualifications.     

The determinants of China's outward foreign direct investment

Globalisation has led to a rapid increase in the growth of foreign direct investment (FDI) globally. Over the last decade China has become the largest recipient of FDI whilst simultaneously increasing its outward FDI dramatically. The growth in China's outward FDI has attracted little attention from scholars in mainstream research publications. The motivation behind this paper is to investigate the factors driving this growth from both economic and strategic backgrounds. The paper employs panel data analysis covering the period 2003–2009 where we quantify the main drivers of China's outward FDI across a range of variables including bi lateral and multi lateral trade, market size, GDP growth, openness and resource endowment.     

Heterogeneity of political connections and outward foreign direct investment

By examining the heterogeneity of political connections (PCs), this study reconceptualises the relationship between PCs and outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Drawing upon resource dependence theory, we hypothesise that firms with ascribed PCs benefit from top political privileges in their home market and have a low OFDI commitment. Firms without any PCs have a medium OFDI commitment because they have to avoid the discriminative competition associated with their inferior political status. Firms with acquired PCs possess relatively strong political and market resources and face exchange pressure; thus, they exhibit a high OFDI commitment. The aforementioned hypotheses are supported by empirical results from probit and Tobit models based on panel data of 482 listed Chinese firms with OFDI from 2003 to 2014.     

The impact of home business network attributes on Chinese outward foreign direct investment

Researchers who take a network perspective argue that insidership in foreign market networks is a necessary condition for internationalization. In this study, we argue that insidership in home market networks also matters. The effect of home network insidership on outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) depends on both individual and joint effects of structural and relational network attributes. Our study based on a survey of 194 Chinese firms shows that firms in a central network position are more likely to engage in OFDI than those in a brokerage position. Furthermore, we find the interaction between firms’ centrality and their connections to foreign-invested enterprises to be significantly and positively associated with OFDI, whereas a significantly negative effect is evidenced when a firm is connected more to domestic firms.     

Performance feedback and outward foreign direct investment by emerging economy firms

Integrating the behavioral theory of the firm (the BTF) and the self-enhancement motive of managers, this paper examines how performance feedback—the discrepancy between actual performance and aspiration levels—affects the international expansion of emerging economy firms (EEFs). Empirical results using panel data on 876 publicly-listed Chinese manufacturing companies over a 7-year period indicate that performance relative to social aspiration (i.e., peer performance) and relative to historical aspiration (i.e., firms’ own past performance) affects EEFs’ levels of subsequent outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Specifically, performance below social or historical aspiration enhances levels of OFDI, while the effect of performance below social aspiration is stronger than that of underperforming historical results. The results also show that performance above social aspiration enhances levels of OFDI, while performance above historical aspiration decreases levels of OFDI. Moreover, we uncover the importance of considering the joint effect of historical and social performance feedback, as receiving consistent or mixed signals about firm performance may result in risk-taking behaviors that differ from those triggered by just one performance signal on its own. These findings underscore the impact of performance feedback relative to social and historical aspirations on EEFs’ OFDI activities.     

China's outward foreign direct investment: Location choice and firm ownership

This article evaluates the international location decisions made by public listed Chinese firms during the period 2006-2008, using a Poisson count data regression model. Further, we categorize the firms into state-controlled and privately owned according to majority ownership. We find that the determinants of internationalization differ based on ownership. State-controlled firms are attracted to countries with large sources of natural resources and risky political environments. Private firms are more market seekers. Although all firms have strategic intent, the attraction is commercially viable technology rather than core research content. Our findings also show that existing theories can sufficiently explain the actions of private Chinese firms, but adjustments are needed to understand the behavior of state-controlled multinationals.     

Performance shortfalls and outward foreign direct investment by MNE subsidiaries: Evidence from China

Foreign subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs) have been conducting outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) into new overseas destinations. Drawing upon the behavioural theory of the firm, we explain that such OFDI can occur in response to performance shortfalls relative to aspirations. When performance shortfalls in subsidiaries are attributed to the institutional distance between them and the home country of the parent firm, these subsidiaries select institutionally closer destinations for their own OFDI. Our study goes beyond the direct investment of MNE headquarters and advances the internationalisation process model by investigating the underexplored, secondary and springboard-based internationalisation, and by underscoring the value of a subsidiary’s OFDI behaviour.     

An event study analysis of outward foreign direct investment: the case of Greece

The purpose of this article is twofold. Firstly, by applying the event study methodology, it provides detailed and updated evidence on the value generating effect of different modes of foreign direct investment (FDI) entry. Secondly, this is the first paper to empirically evaluate the impact of FDI on the stock returns of Greek firms participating in the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE). In the case of Greece, the cross‐section analysis revealed that successful outward FDI projects tend to be located in developed countries, performed in a high‐technology sector and linked to horizontal integration.     

The relationship between domestic and outward foreign direct investment: The role of industry-specific effects

Previous research has been inconclusive as regards the effect of outward foreign direct investment (FDI) on domestic investments. In this article, we show that this inconclusiveness can be explained at a disaggregated level as a function of the way industries are organized. Based on a simple theoretical framework including monitoring and trade costs, we argue that a complementary relationship can be expected to prevail in vertically integrated industries, whereas a substitutionary relationship can be expected in horizontally organized production. The empirical analysis confirms a significant difference between the two categories of industry as regards the impact of outward FDI on domestic investment. The results may thus have profound policy implications. JEL no. F12, F21, F23, G34.     

Religion and foreign direct investment

This study examines the effect of religion on foreign direct investment (FDI). Using a large sample of directional FDI flows and religious data between 1985 and 2019, we calculate the religious distance between home and host countries and find that FDI flows are smaller for country pairs with greater religious distance. This finding remains intact after a host of variables affecting FDI are controlled. Moreover, the negative effect of religious differences is less pronounced if the host country has higher religious diversity or both countries have a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) in force. Finally, we construct a country-level measure for religiosity and find an asymmetric effect of religiosity on FDI flows. Overall, our study suggests that both religious differences and the level of religiosity play important roles in explaining international FDI flows. (JEL F21, F41, Z12)     

Patent protection and foreign direct investment

The importance of development and use of products embodying intellectual property rights has increased dramatically. The growing share of knowledge‐intensive products in worldwide trade, together with the increase in international technological competition, has magnified the importance of patents and other forms of intellectual property. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of patent protection on inward foreign direct investment (FDI). It also examines the relative importance of other variables such as market size, trade orientation, unemployment rates, and so on. The findings are supportive of the fact that the level of patent protection is a strong determinant of investment flows. A proper understanding of this relationship will help firms and governments devise appropriate intellectual property policy to encourage the growth and expansion of FDI. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Industrial groupings and foreign direct investment

We explore worldwide foreign direct investment (FDI) location decisions by Japanese manufacturing firms from 1985 through 1991. Our conditional logit estimates provide evidence that firms' location decisions are affected by membership in either vertical or horizontal keiretsu. Consistent with previous studies that stress agglomeration effects on firms' location decisions, we find that the stock of investment in a region by a firm's vertical keiretsu partners increases the probability of location. Further, we find that the recent flow of investment into a region by a firm's horizontal keiretsu partners increases the probability of investment to the region, providing evidence of networking effects.     

Formal institutions and foreign direct investment

This study examines the impact of formal institutions on foreign direct investment. First, the quality (strength or weakness) of formal institutions in host countries is analyzed. Second, the absolute differences in the quality of formal institutions between the host and home countries are examined. The results show that (1) strong formal institutions in host countries positively influence FDI flows and (2) the larger the institutional distance between the home and host country, the lesser the FDI inflows. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Effects of direct foreign investment

There has been a considerable controversy in the Indian economic literature regarding the relative merits of direct foreign investment and official development assistance. No systematic study¹, however, is available on the effects of direct foreign investment in India. Therefore this article discusses this subject for the period 1951–66.     

The Chinese outward foreign direct investment motives in ASEAN countries through export performance: The role of competitive intensity among Chinese smartphone manufacturers

This study aims to examine the impact of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) objectives on the achievement of export performance under competitive intensity. We apply the diverse theoretical perspectives of the eclectic paradigm and institutional theory. Primary data were collected from 162 Chinese manufacturer–exporter companies. Specifically, this research shows that Chinese OFDI motives increase its export performance in ASEAN markets. Furthermore, we discover that competitive intensity moderates the relationship between strategic assets-seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) motive and export performance, but not the relationship between market-seeking FDI motive and export performance. Hence, this study presents a holistic assessment of Chinese smartphone manufacturers' export performance by accounting for the overlooked effect of firms seeking FDI motive through the moderating of competitive intensity.     

An information-based trade off between foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio investment

The paper develops a model of foreign direct investments (FDI) and foreign portfolio investments (FPI). FDI enables the owner to obtain refined information about the firm. This superiority, relative to FPI, comes with a cost: a firm owned by the FDI investor has a low resale price because of asymmetric information between the owner and potential buyers. The model can explain several stylized facts regarding foreign equity flows, such as the larger ratio of FDI to FPI inflows in developing countries relative to developed countries, and the greater volatility of FDI net inflows relative to FPI net inflows.     

Outward foreign direct investment and green innovation in Chinese multinational companies

This paper investigates the reverse green innovation spillovers of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) in Chinese multinational companies and how environmental regulation stringency in host countries moderates the relationship between OFDI and green innovation. The empirical analysis is based on an integrated dataset of publicly listed firms from 2008 to 2018. The findings demonstrate a significantly positive relationship between OFDI and the green innovation performance of multinational companies. It is also shown that environmental regulation stringency in host countries positively moderates the relationship between OFDI and green innovation. Further analysis reveals the variation of the findings across multinational companies in host countries at different development stages, with different ownership and in industries with different pollution intensities. The observations in this paper imply that the institutional environment of investment destinations matters for reverse technology spillovers, particularly reverse green technology spillovers from OFDI.     

Temporality and the first foreign direct investment

This study examines the timing of the first foreign direct investment (FDI). It explores how the conceptualization and, hence, the understanding of time affects our insights into major internationalization decisions in organizations; specifically, that of navigating into the unknown waters associated with making a first FDI. We introduce a multitemporal approach by drawing on the different temporalities prevalent in history and in business and management to build a platform for analysis that provides a suitable combination of richness and contrast. By examining the process toward making a major internationalization decision in terms of clock, event, stages, and cyclical concepts of time, we gain valuable but also varied insights about a complex process. We conclude that to understand any organization's process of international strategy formation at a certain point (or period) in time, its particularities need to be appreciated in some detail. While the details in this study are unique to the case of Harvard Business School's decision in 1971 to make its first FDI, we argue that the main features of the process are common to conceptualizing the internationalization decision process. As such, the findings should apply more generally.