International strategy

: foreign direct investment opportunities for German firms in Portugal

Abstract

This dissertation’s purpose is to study the attractiveness of the Portuguese automobile industry as a destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), particularly of German companies. In order to analyze this, both the perspective of the Portuguese authorities and of German companies already operating in Portugal were considered and interviews were conducted to representatives of these German companies, who shared their experience and perspective on this matter. The results suggest that the automobile sector in Portugal is one of the most dynamic and innovative in the national economy, having a significant contribution in the GDP and export level. Further, it’s the most appellative sector to German FDI in Portugal. From the interviews we can also conclude, that Portugal gathers all the necessary conditions to be a successful FDI destination, in terms of physical, technological and human resources. However, this fact has not been adequately promoted. Some measures and reforms must be taken at an industry and national level in order to restore the trust of foreign investors in the Portuguese economy and to improve the level of FDI in Portugal.

Date of Award	17 Jul 2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nuno Cardeal (Supervisor)