Title: The determinants of services FDI location in the UK regions

Authors: Mark Cook; Grahame Fallon

Addresses: Business School, The University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1AD, UK ' Brunel University, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, UK

Abstract: This paper contributes to scholarly knowledge and understanding of the way in which economic conditions and government policy affect foreign direct investment (FDI) location in the United Kingdom (UK) regions. It does so by exploring their impact on inbound services FDI location in a sample of one of the UK's core (South East England) and four non-core (West Midlands; Wales; Scotland and the North West) regions. Use is made of multiple regression techniques to analyse a set of official, longitudinal data gathered for the period from 1980 to 2015 as a means to this end. The findings offer new insights into the relative influence of the search for markets, efficiencies and strategic assets and government policy over the location of services FDI in all five regions. The resultant implications for future inward investment policy development after the UK leaves the EU are also considered, including the potential benefits of increasing policy variations from region to region.

Keywords: inbound FDI location determinants; core and non-core regions; multiple regression analysis; economic and government policy influences; implications for future government policy; UK.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMP.2020.110695

International Journal of Management Practice, 2020 Vol.13 No.6, pp.627 - 649

Received: 30 Apr 2019
Accepted: 25 Oct 2019
Published online: 28 Oct 2020 *

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