本文首度透過淨最小平方法(Partial Least Squares;簡稱 PLS)路徑模型的建構來研究影響台商赴中國進行海外直接投資(Foreign Direct Investment; FDI)的因素,以及母國政府投資上限規定的影響力,文中經由六個假設檢定的模型進行檢驗。根據1998-2007年台灣半導體(Integrated Circuit; IC)廠商的資料進行實證分析後發現,在六個影響因素中,廠商的特定因素影響力最大,其次爲地主國政經環境因素。過去研究FDI的文獻中,較少關注母國角度或納入母國因素的分析;本文的貢獻正好可以在此予以補充。同時,本文提供了一個包括地主國、母國和廠商等不同角度之整合性觀點來研究台商進行FDI考量因素,此研究結果可供產、官、學界之參考。
In this paper, we for the first time present a partial least squares (PLS) path model developed to investigate the determinants on foreign direct investment (FDI) by Taiwan in China. The main purpose of the study is to examine whether the parent country-Taiwanese government's upper limit on investments interfered with Taiwanese firms' decisions to make FDI in China. The question was answered by testing six hypotheses derived from the model. Using data on Taiwanese manufacturing firms from the Integrated Circuit industry for the years 1998 to 2007, we found that the most influential of the model's five determinants of Taiwan's FDI in China are factors specific to individual firms. The second most influential is the macroeconomic environment of the host country. Previous studies have paid little attention to the parent country when analyzing FDI, a deficiency we remedied in the present study. Our study reflects an integrated perspective on the FDI literature by including the host country, the parent country, and firm-specific factors as determinants of FDI. The result provides a reference for the related authority, firms and academic field.