Foreign Direct Investments : Swedish Corporations Investments in Brazil 1990-2005

Abstract: Foreign direct investments are easier today then in the past owing to lower communication costs, improved and new information technology systems. In 1990, Brazil opened up for the global econ-omy and is today one of the tenth largest economies in the world, furthermore one of the largest recipients of foreign direct investments. Many different aspects need to be taken into consideration when investing in a foreign country such as motives, risks, entry modes and financing alternatives. The purpose with this thesis is to describe Swedish corporations’ es-tablishment in Brazil, during 1990-2005. The authors aim to illus-trate the motives behind the establishment, choice of entry mode, the perceived risks of operating in Brazil and if these risks affect the financing decisions. To answer the purpose of this thesis both quantitative- and qualitative methods have been applied. A quantitative method has been employed when performing the preliminary study, by sending a standardized questionnaire by email to the entire population to as-semble those corporations who established in Brazil during 1990-2005. When designing the interview questionnaire and accomplishing the telephone interviews a combination of qualitative- and quantitative methods have been utilized. The most common motives to invest in Brazil are expanding markets and following already existing customers. When deciding upon how to enter the market, the majority of the respondents choose to start up from the ground, a Greenfield investment. The risks which had the largest impact of the corporation during the establishment were the political risk and protectionism. Intercompany financing has been the main financing alternative, though it is very expensive to borrow in Brazil. The risks affecting the financing decisions are the exchange rate, inflation and the interest rate.