A Qualitative Research Approach Adopted in an Egyptian Management Control Study

Abstract

This paper shows the details of how I adopted a qualitative research methodology to study the role of management control practices in global production networks (GPNs). The case study is of an Egyptian garment factory that acts as a supplier for a French retailer of sports clothes. The methodology adopted enabled me to trace the supplier-customer relationship, the customer’s requirements in terms of the product specification, quality and time of delivery, and the development of the factory along the production network as well as improving the visibility of the factory’s operations to achieve instant and continuous control. The paper highlights my reflections on the experience through which I realised an intellectual value of doing a case study.