A meta-analysis of reshoring case studies - the influence of contingency factors on the relocation decision

This study is built on a quantitative meta-analysis of already existing reshoring case studies. Case studies have been popular in this research stream, given its still exploratory stage. They usually provide rich insights through qualitative data, but in this study, they have been codified into quantitative data, thus allowing to make statistical inferences. In total, 36 cases from 14 research papers were analysed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of contingency factors on the factors influencing the offshoring and reshoring decision processes. The results show that many factors become contingencies for reshoring, namely company size, industry, market, home country, host country, as well as the previous offshoring decision. The research lays the foundation for the accumulation of results achieved from case studies. It highlights the importance for researchers to build on each other’s efforts to make empirical evidences comparable and advance the knowledge within this emerging field.