Corporate Internationalization: The effects of the exchange rate on Brazilian outward foreign direct investment

• Autor(a) principal: Turolla, Frederico
• Data de Publicação: 2008
• Outros Autores: Concer, Ronald de Oliveira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng; por
• Título da fonte: BBR. Brazilian Business Review (English edition. Online)
• Texto Completo: http://www.bbronline.com.br/index.php/bbr/article/view/449
• topic: international business; Brazilian foreign direct investment; exchange rate; corporate internationalization; negócios internacionais; investimento direto brasileiro; taxa de câmbio; internacionalização de empresas

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of corporate internationalization in Brazil and tests the hypothesis that the country’s strengthening currency prompted companies to expand abroad. We start with a review of the literature on the main international business approaches and theories, aiming to present the drivers behind the behavior of firms that have followed an internationalization path. We worked with the variables Exchange Rate (FX) and Brazilian Foreign Direct Investment (BFDI). We carried out Granger causality tests using the mentioned variables and found no evidence of the importance of the FX factor as a driver of corporate internationalization in Brazil. We also performed a regression analysis, which showed low significance of the FX variable’s coefficient in explaining BFDI as well. Thus, although the strong exchange rate in Brazil is often blamed for forcing companies to look abroad for investment opportunities, the evidence found in the aggregate data does not validate the initial hypothesis.