Supply Chain Integration: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Supply chain integration has been widely identified as a key research topic by both practitioners and academicians. In such environment, it is essential to vividly illustrate the publications contribution during the period of time and recognize research area and interests as well as the direction of research trend for future studies. With the availability of bibliometric data and variety of analytical tools for evaluation purposes, disregarding bibliometric analysis would be a missed opportunity for this area. Therefore, the current research attempts to deliver a comprehensive comparison thorough using rigorous bibliometric tools that provides a better understanding not previously fully grasped or evaluated by prior studies in the area of supply chain integration. The objective of this research is to recognize the global scientific production; the most productive authors, journals, articles and countries as well as to extract the most influential articles. The analysis begins by identifying over 500 published studies during the period of 1980 to 24th February 2016, which are then purified to works of proven influence and those authored by influential investigators. Web of Science Core Collection (formerly known as ISI), category of management was utilized to identify the relevant articles. Gaps are also discussed in knowledge about literature and bibliometrics analysis. The findings provide wisdom and a vigorous roadmap for further investigation in this field.