Disadvantages of Fdi Essay

Disadvantages of Foreign Direct Investment The disadvantages of foreign direct investment occur mostly in case of matters related to operation, distribution of the profits made on the investment and the personnel. One of the most indirect disadvantages of foreign direct investment is that the economically backward section of the host country is always inconvenienced when the stream of foreign direct investment is negatively affected. The situations in countries like Ireland, Singapore, Chile and China corroborate such an opinion. It is normally the responsibility of the host country to limit the extent of impact that may be made by the foreign direct investment. They should be making sure that the entities that are making the foreign direct investment in their country adhere to the environmental, governance and social regulations that have been laid down in the country. The various disadvantages of foreign direct investment are understood where the host country has some sort of national secret – something that is not meant to be disclosed to the rest of the world. It has been observed that the defense of a country has faced risks as a result of the foreign direct investment in the country. At times it has been observed that certain foreign policies are adopted that are not appreciated by the workers of the recipient country. Foreign direct investment, at times, is also disadvantageous for the ones who are making the investment themselves. Foreign direct investment may entail high travel and communications expenses. The differences of language and culture that exist between the country of the investor and the host country could also pose problems in case of foreign direct investment. Yet another major disadvantage of foreign direct investment is that there is a chance that a company may lose out on its ownership to an overseas company. This has often caused many companies to approach foreign direct investment with a certain amount of caution. At times it has been observed that there is considerable instability in a particular geographical region. This causes a lot of inconvenience to the investor. The size of the market, as well as, the condition of the host country could be important factors in the case of the foreign direct investment. In case the host country is not well connected with their more advanced neighbors, it poses a lot of challenge for the investors. At times it has been observed that the governments of the host country are facing problems with foreign direct investment. It has less control over the functioning of the company that is functioning as the wholly owned subsidiary of an overseas company. This leads to serious issues. The investor does not have to be completely obedient to the economic policies of the country where they have invested the money. At times there have been adverse effects of foreign direct investment on the balance of payments of a country. Even in view of the various disadvantages of foreign direct investment it may be said that foreign direct investment has played an important role in shaping the economic fortunes of a number of countries around the world.