Key Internal Barriers in Manufacturing Industry of Emerging Markets: Systematic Literature Review
Purpose: This study aims to identify internal barriers that undermine the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in emerging countries. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research model of this study is based on the root cause analysis performed using the adapted Ishikawa 8M identification technique. The systematic literature review of research articles published between 2020 and 2025 in scientific journals from the EBSCO database delivered analytical content. Findings: In the analysis, 35 internal barriers were determined and classified into six root cause categories. Money was identified as the key category of internal barriers in manufacturing companies of emerging economies. This group of barriers mainly includes: high costs of technologies and raw materials, lack of access to external funding, and expensive battle with multinationals. The lower priority was attributed to the three following category causes, i.e., Manpower, Method, and Management. Practical Implications: The findings of this study reveal a key category of internal barriers in the emerging market manufacturing industry between the years 2020 and 2025. According to the formulated managerial recommendations, the concepts of implementation of the world class manufacturing and circular economy could help companies to overcome their barriers. The results presented should also be considered by decision-makers responsible for designing a competitive environment and industrialisation of single countries. Originality/Value: The innovative approach of this research involves adopting the Ishikawa 8M analysis technique to segment root causes and determining internal barriers that affect manufacturing competitiveness in emerging markets. The application of systematic review of the literature to identify key internal barriers in the emerging market manufacturing industry is, presumably, to the best knowledge of the author, the first of this type. The main objective of the review was to extract research simultaneously referring to the manufacturing industry, emerging markets, and barriers.