Reports and studies
In this section, you will find reports by our economists on international investment trends in France and Europe.
Investment by major emerging countries in Europe and in France
The majority of foreign investment in Europe originates from developed countries. However, over the past few years, companies from emerging countries have been progressively entering the picture by acquiring European companies in specific sectors of activity, or by creating research centers and sales or logistics facilities. Until now, Europe mainly viewed these countries in terms of imports. These companies now aim to conquer European markets and acquire new technologies and expertise. Once they have been set up, they contribute to the development of employment and wealth. An analysis and anticipation of investment flows enables the investment agency to adapt its prospecting and promotional efforts according to the various investment source countries.
Major trends in international investment per type of business activity in Europe 2002-2005
Companies rely on different types of business activities and services in order to carry out their own business: production of goods and services of course, but also what is known as “support services” or “business services”: a wide range of activities including research, administrative services and company headquarters, logistics and distribution, call centers and remote-services, etc. As the company expands its activities abroad, the international dimension of each of these types of activity is increased. This leads to mobile investment projects that host countries and regions attempt to attract. […] A review of the major trends in the “business services” sector is followed by a detailed analysis of each type of service, which successively discusses deciding factors and history of globalization in the sector, company location strategy criteria (globally and per segment), and finally, current global and European market characteristics: evolution of investment flows, source and host countries, size and type of investment project, and sectors.
This document is available only in French.
Major trends of international investment in Europe 2002-2005.
IFA data are analyzed to establish a broad picture of the evolution of international investments in Europe. This study, published by the “Documentation Française”, discusses trends such as the expansion of the tertiary sector or the distribution of investments across the various countries of Europe. This document exists only in French.
Sorry, this document is available only in French.
Major trends in international investment per sector in Europe 2002-2005
International “greenfield” investment projects can be divided into two categories: those that are competed for by host countries and those that are not. For example, sales outlets or bank branches are by nature aimed at the local market and do not provide services that can be exported to other locations. They therefore belong to the second category, known as “non-mobile investment projects”. However, a car assembly plant can be located at a variety of different sites, leading to the possibility of competition between potential locations. This type of investment is considered as “mobile” or even “internationally mobile” if the potential sites are located in countries other than the investing company’s home country. The analyses in this article only concern the latter type of project […] A description of the global structure of investment flows per business activity and the major geographical trends, is followed by an in-depth analysis of the main sectors concerned. Sorry, this document is available only in French.
Foreign investment in call centers in Europe 2002-2005
A call center can be defined as all human, organizational and technical resources that are employed to remotely respond to the demands and requirements of each individual customer. The development of this type of activity is a relatively new trend, resulting from technological progress in IT and telecommunications. It has two objectives: firstly, to establish a more efficient and controlled relationship with the final customer at every stage (information, prospecting, sales, after-sales service, maintenance); secondly, to reduce costs, and make the service more professional and more rationalized by concentrating this activity at specialized sites. The location of call centers is, by definition, largely open, and a major flow of international investment projects has developed, which gives rise to competition between host countries and regions to attract this type of activity. […] A review of the global market trends is followed by a summary of the structure of “demand” (source countries and sectors) and “supply” (host countries).
Sorry, this document is available only in French.
Contact
Invest in France Agency Paris
Fabrice HATEM
Economist
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+33 1 40 74 73 82
Constance ARNAUD
Economic Analyst
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+33 1 40 74 73 12