[en] The aim of this work is twofold. On the one hand, the main objective will be to describe, in a general way, which are the principal variables that determine firms FDI decisions, the effects arising from this decision and the effects of the FDI for both the companies and the countries that send and receive it. On the other hand, a second objective is to analyze, the extent to which the general theory applies to the Spanish case. In order to develop the analysis, a literature review will be carried out, and the main conclusions are that, in general, companies have several objectives and must have several capabilities to perform internationalization. Through FDI, companies seek, in general, advantages of location, ownership and internalization. The main factors that act as a claim of FDI for firms are the market, the cultural factors and the level of taxes; and the main consequences of FDI, are improving profitability and growth and worsening their financial position. While the consequences of FDI on both, origin and destination countries, are ambiguous. For the Spanish case, the primary goal of a firm is to improve results, and the main feature that a firm should have in order to internationalize, is the international experience of the directors and its technological capabilities. When companies carry out FDI, they seek location, internalization and property advantages; and the main determinants of FDI in Spain, are market and cultural factors. Finally, Spanish internationalized firms improve their economic profitability, but their financial position worsens. Furthermore, FDI does not have significant effects for Spain as a transmitter economy and it has positive effects as a receiving economy.

[gl] O obxetivo deste traballo é dobre, por unha parte, o obxetivo principal consistirá en describir dun xeito xeral cales son as principais variables que determinan as decisións de IDE das empresas, as capacidades que deben ter as empresas para realizar IDE, así como os efectos que se derivan de dita decisión, tanto para as empresas e países que realizan a IDE, como para os que a reciben. Por outra parte, un segundo obxetivo será analizar, para o caso español, en que medida a economía e axentes españois se comportan de xeito similar ó que predí a teoría xeral. Para tentar desenrolar estes obxetivos, farase unha revisión da literatura onde as principais conclusións son que, a nivel xeral, as empresas teñen varios obxetivos e deben posuír varias capacidades para realizar a internacionalización. As empresas buscan, en xeral, vantaxes de localización, propiedade e internalización na actividade. Os factores que actúan principalmente como reclamo da IDE son o mercado, factores culturais e as contías dos impostos; e en canto as consecuencias para a empresa, son a mellora da rendibilidade e crecemento e o empeoramento da súa posición financeira. Por último, as consecuencias para o país, tanto de orixe como de destino, son ambiguas. No caso español, o principal obxetivo é a busca de mellorar resultados, e a principal característica que debe posuír a empresa para internacionalizarse é a experiencia internacional dos directivos e as capacidades tecnolóxicas. Na realización de IDE, España busca vantaxes de localización, internalización e propiedade, e os principais determinantes da IDE recibida e enviada por España son o mercado e os factores culturais. Por último, as consecuencias para España como emisora de IDE, non teñen importancia, mellora a rendibilidade económica e empeora a posición financeira para as empresas internacionalizadas, e a IDE para España como economía receptora, ten efectos positivos.