Finland has been hit hard by the downturn in the fortunes of phone firm Nokia, but the wealth of expertise and the spirit of enterprise that made the company such a success has been channelled into a fertile nursery of start-ups.

While some IT hotspots in central and eastern Europe are overheating, with rising demand leading to a hike in wage expectations, Macedonia is positioning itself to take advantage, investing in developing the IT expertise of its graduates and establishing a business incubator to assist new businesses.

With its good business climate, highly educated workforce and large neighbouring countries, Finland should be easily marketable to investors but, according to the country's president Sauli Niinisto, the country needs to work harder at promoting its merits and pushing for more inward FDI.

As animosity between North America and China grows, North America is being increasingly protectionist in its FDI policies, which Chinese investors are rebuffing with claims that they lack clarity and transparency.

Regional neighbours are looking to Latvia for their outsourcing projects, drawn to the country's low wage costs and skilled workforce.

Antigua and Barbuda was a pioneering player in the online gaming industry, and can list a host of successes among its homegrown tech businesses. Now the launch of the country's Government Assisted Technology Endeavour looks set to enhance its reputation in the information and communications technology sector.