Global factory structure: the role of leadership

Abstract

This paper examined the role of leadership in the global factory structure. The review was based on articles published by peer review ranging from 1984 to 2018 accessed from EBSCO Discovery, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The review was conducted within the context of one key research question. 28 studies were obtained on the global factory, out of which seven considered leadership in the context of global factory structure. The review indicated that scant empirical studies have been
conducted on the global factory structure and most data were gathered from manufacturing firms with little attention on the service firms. Firms from
emerging economies find it difficult to break into global factory structure due to insufficient resources, strategy and R&D investments. Firms implement the
global factory structure to maximise profit and provide tailor-made services to their customers. Findings and recommendations are discussed.