Suchergebnisse

This article examines the nature and role of foreign direct investment in Bulgaria. Set in the context of the transitional economies of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the article serves to illustrate the importance of foreign direct investment in bolstering the market system, rebuilding the economy and underpinning the success of the privatisation process. An account of the pattern of foreign direct investment in terms of time period, sector and nationality of the investor is presented from official data sources. Since the collapse of communism the Bulgarian economic and political climate has been one of the least conducive in Central and Eastern Europe to the attraction of foreign businesses; however, recent reforms, and in particular the election of a new government, provide the beginning of a more favourable environment for foreign direct investment in Bulgaria.

Expects that the entry of Turkey into the customs union with Europe in January 1996 will spur the flow of European foreign direct investment (FDI) to Turkey with European companies being attracted by the relatively fast‐growing Turkish market. With Turkey likely to become an ever‐more important location for European FDI, provides a timely account of European equity venture formation in Turkey. Explains that, since 1980, the trend of European FDI in Turkey has been commensurate with the legal and institutional reforms which have been undertaken to encourage FDI. Drawing on a Turkish Government database, examines several dimensions of European FDI: trends in FDI over time; country of origin of investment; sector of investment; capital size of investment; geographical location and company type. Claims that this set of characteristics provides a more detailed account than previously has been made of European FDI in Turkey.

PurposeThe aim of this study is to identify potentially significant differences in perception of export motives based on the variations in the firm‐specific advantages (FSAs) and the firm's export strategy. It proposes that Rugman's (1981) (FSA/country‐specific advantage (CSA)) framework provides a sound theoretical base for integrating findings from different studies.Design/methodology/approachA set of export motives are identified as key initiation stimuli and their significance is tested on an original data set of 356 British exporters. The factor analysis produced four conceptually meaningful groups of motives. Propositions were developed to test the discriminating effect of the firm‐specific resources and capabilities on export stimulation and the potential variations in critical export motivators when executing different export strategies.FindingsFindings endorse the study's main propositions: internal proactive motives are the most significant export initiation factors; distinct firm‐specific resources and capabilities play a significant differentiating role in the firm's perception of specific export stimuli; and the spread and scope of the firm's export strategy was found to have significant impact on the firm's sensitivity to specific export stimuli.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's findings contribute to the body of knowledge of export initiation motives by: endorsing the FSA/CSA matrix as an integrative approach in studying export stimuli; producing novel empirical evidence of the differentiating effect of particular FSAs on export stimulation; and investigating the potential variations in critical export motives according to the number and distance of export markets entered and the number of export market entry modes adopted. The nature and characteristics of the sample present limitations.Originality/valueThe study provides a guideline that may help sporadic and non‐exporters to develop a strategy to migrate their activities from a passive response to unsolicited orders and customer followership to an active pursuit of international opportunities.