FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS: THEIR EVOLUTION AND IMPORTANCE IN ROMANIA.

Investments are seen as the engine in any economic activity, regardless of its size. Starting from the objective started by the economic entity, it also contributes through the investments made to the harmonious development of the national economy, materialized in the growth of jobs, connection to international production networks, diversification and modernization of production capacities, increase of business environment sophistication etc. Globally, the economy has been increasingly unpredictable in recent decades, a period characterized by sudden changes, by the impact that the evolution of technology has had in certain sectors, rapid technological progress and by major economic disparities between highly developed, developing and underdeveloped states. Technological progress has a strong impact on the development of a country's economy. Foreign direct investment brings the "knowhow" needed for technological progress. The companies, together with the society's members, are the connecting factors through which this process of economic development propagates. This paper aims to assess the net impact of the presence of foreign companies in Romania in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]