Wholesale and retail trade affiliates owned by parent firms in manufacturing account for a considerable fraction of overall affiliate sales. Although quantitatively important, this Export-Supporting FDI (ESFDI) activity has received little attention in the literature. This paper includes ESFDI...

The theories of internalization and internationalization provide general factors of international market entry but are not precise about its timing. A model of waiting and growth options seizes the importance of flexibility to FDI decisions and centers the impact of uncertainty. The results of a...