What is foreign direct investment? What social factors in the external environment might affect FDI?
Answer: In foreign direct investment (FDI), sometimes referred to simply as direct investment, the investor takes a controlling interest in a foreign company. Control need not be a 100 percent or even a 50 percent interest; if a foreign investor holds a minority stake and the remaining ownership is widely dispersed, no other owner may effectively counter the investor's decisions. A nation's political policies of course affect how international business is conducted within its borders. In particular, political disputes can disrupt the flow of international business. Domestic law, which includes both home- and host-country regulations on issues such as taxation and employment, affects how a company can operate internationally. International law—the legal agreements between countries—also obviously affects FDI.