Main determinants of Foreign Direct Investments in Romania - A quantitative view of the regional characteristics involved in the investment strategies of foreign companies

Several variables have been identified in the literature as important determinants of the foreign direct investments in a specific region. Identifying these characteristics (characteristics emphasized at regional level) that determined the foreign companies (from the manufacturing industry) to invest in Romania is extremely important in the current economic situation, when the foreign investments are considered to be one of the most important levers that can restore the balance in the Romanian economy and can serve as the base for sustainable economic growth. Shaping the profile of the foreign investor in Romania, based on the main factors taken into consideration by companies when building their investment strategies, is the main goal of this paper. The survey described in this study is conducted on a sample of 235 companies which met the defined criteria (having more than 100 employees, being a foreign investment, being active at least until 2009, activating in the manufacturing industry). The obtained data were analyzed with the SPSS software package and the results obtained were used to provide a map of the main factors used by a foreign entity when developing its investment strategy.