Supply Chain Management Journals Research Articles

Practice theories and supply chain sustainability: a systematic literature review and a research agenda

PurposeThis paper presents an investigation into the ways the term “practice” is commonly referenced in supply chain management academic papers. Scholars have not yet developed a common understanding of the meaning and do not use practice theories when examining practices related to sustainability management in supply chains. Hence, the authors highlight theoretical gaps and make recommendations for future research.Design/methodology/approachGrounded in a systematic literature review of 232 peer-reviewed papers published in operations and supply chain management journals, a qualitative content analysis was conducted using both a deductive and an inductive approach.FindingsResults show that supply chain sustainability (SCS) scholars seem barely interested in increasing the understanding of the term “practice,” widely used in the literature to refer to a practical context. Moreover, a clear distinction between being practical and using practice theories to study SCS practices is needed. A descriptive and critical analysis revealed eight key supply chain practices connected to sustainability, with a clear reflection on their meaning. As awareness of practice theories for research on SCS is limited, few recommendations for researchers and practitioners were identified.Originality/valueUnlike prior literature reviews, the authors reinforce the need to increase the maturity of the SCS field by going beyond superficial theoretical building. Practice theories pathways are provided to enlighten scholars on how to avoid using the term “practice” as taken-for-granted and on how to deal with SCS research and practice.

ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Companies around the world need to reconcile the need to differentiate their offerings and remain entrepreneurial in a competitive environment while also running extremely efficient and effective operations. Surprisingly, however, limited studies have provided a synthesis and overview of existing research exploring important links between the entrepreneurship and supply chain management (SCM) fields. In this paper, we aim to address this issue by developing a systematic review of research exploring the link between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and SCM, while synthesizing the most relevant findings in this intersection. We also aim to promote the development of this topic by providing relevant future research directions. To do so, we conducted a systematic review on the topic of EO published in SCM journals from 1989 to April 2020. We summarize 14 relevant articles on EO in SCM and conclude that research joining these fields is surprisingly scant despite the development of both EO and SCM literature over extended periods of time. We find that although existing research recognizes that entrepreneurial behavior is key for a successful supply chain orientation and to develop more efficient and value-creating supply chains, theoretical development and empirical examination in specific supply chains and multiple industries is required. We uncover and propose specific opportunities to advance this research effort.

The following is a rating of supply chain management journals based on departmental recommendations

The subject of journal rankings has generated considerable debate, most likely as a result of the impact rankings can have on academic careers. While numerous rankings have been published throughout the years, few, if any, consider what matters most to academic careers: how their own departments judge their research. This analysis compiled department journal rankings from the world's most prestigious supply chain programs. The resulting data, which is around 70% US and 30% international, provides a diverse view of the journals used to analyze research productivity. We conduct a cluster analysis and compare the results to the impact factors of selected journals; we also explore the disparities in perceived rankings amongst departments based on their geographic location. The findings indicate that the field retains certain divisions.

A Review of the Existing and Emerging Topics in the Supply Chain Risk Management Literature.

ABSTRACTThis review examines supply chain risk publications across nine prestigious management, operations, and supply chain journals with respect to exploring trends and emerging topics. Using a refined set of keywords, we extract and filter the most relevant supply chain risk management (SCRM) articles from Scopus between 2001 and 2019. Unlike previous reviews of the SCRM literature, our methodology utilizes both bibliometric and cocitation analyses of publications in selective management and operations and supply chain management journals. In addition to analyzing the current state of the SCRM literature via bibliometric analysis, we delve deeply into the clusters of literature informing SCRM studies through a cocitation analysis. By conducting a text analysis on these clusters, we identify the main themes and provide insights regarding article relevance, theoretical frameworks, and methodologies for each cluster. In addition, we categorize the themes within each cluster into three main groups of matured, developing, and emerging. Based on the identified categories, we provide detailed discussions on the promising avenues for research and practice in three main areas of sustainable SCRM, behavioral SCRM, and nascent methodologies and theories in SCRM studies. Finally, we dedicate a section in our review to discussing the direction of SCRM research during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 era.

Sustainable supply chain management: continuing evolution and future directions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to update the work of Carter and Easton (2011), by conducting a systematic review of the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) literature in the primary logistics and supply chain management journals, during the 2010–2018 timeframe.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology which follows the methodology employed by Carter and Easton (2011). An evaluation of this methodology, using the Modified AMSTAR criteria, demonstrates a high level of empirical validity.FindingsThe field of SSCM continues to evolve with changes in substantive focus, theoretical lenses, unit of analysis, methodology and type of analysis. However, there are still abundant future research opportunities, including investigating under-researched topics such as diversity and human rights/working conditions, employing the group as the unit of analysis and better addressing empirical validity and social desirability bias.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings result in prescriptions and a broad agenda to guide future research in the SSCM arena. The final section of the paper provides additional avenues for future research surrounding theory development and decision making.Originality/valueThis SLR provides a rigorous, methodologically valid review of the continuing evolution of empirical SSCM research over a 28-year time period.

Behavioral Operations and Supply Chain Management–A Review and Literature Mapping

ABSTRACTBehavioral operations research has proliferated greatly over the decade since its first formal review in 2006. The growth of the field warrants an objective mapping of contributions to the literature and the identification of trends. We conduct a systematic review of the literature of behavioral operations and supply chain management (BOSCM) across eight key operations and supply chain management journals, with publication dates through the end of June 2018. Collected articles are categorized into 12 operations contexts as well as emerging topic considerations. Key research trends, theoretical foundations, and methodological choices are discussed in each context. The results show that supply chain management, inventory management, and procurement/auctions have been the most popular operations contexts for BOSCM researchers. The results of our co‐citation analysis shows that the fundamental research areas that have informed and shaped the field include supply chain risk management, marketing, cognitive psychology, and social psychology. Based on these findings and a survey of the most prolific authors in the field, we discuss possible avenues for future research.

Implementing Government Policy in Supply Chains: An International Coproduction Study of Public Procurement

Public procurement is the commercial arm of governments, contracting for goods, and services to feed public sector service provision. However, mainstream operations and supply chain management journals have published little on supply chains to governments, public procurement, and the significance of engaging small businesses in government supply chains. Policy feedback theory and thirteen coproduced international case studies of public procurement and small business agency dyadic relationships are used to explore this space. The research highlights the importance of both public procurement and small business as areas of policy and supply chain management research. Policy feedback theory is introduced as a means to understand relationships and is applied to a coproduction study to understand how supply chain management research can both explore and change policy.

Sustainable procurement: a critical analysis of the research trend in supply chain management journals

Since the dawn of new millennium, sustainable procurement (SP) has captivated the attention of scholars worldwide. In this context, this paper provides a critical analysis of SP research trend in supply chain management (SCM) journals. The analysis has been carried out using existing literature of SP research contributed by the authors and institutions from assorted countries. Specifically, the research tendency of SP in SCM is identified through a systematic analysis of sustainable procurement research articles published in ten selected SCM journals from 1990 to 2016. The analysis revealed that SP research has an increasing trend in recent times, indicating its widely growing significance. The research topics covered in this paper to focus on the sustainability issues of procurement practices are sustainability issues on the network of supply chain, foundation, SP process, and enablers as well as the determinant of SP. This comprehensive study provides practical insights to researchers and industrialists on the nature and scope of SP in SCM.

Sustainable procurement: a critical analysis of the research trend in supply chain management journals

Since the dawn of new millennium, sustainable procurement (SP) has captivated the attention of scholars worldwide. In this context, this paper provides a critical analysis of SP research trend in supply chain management (SCM) journals. The analysis has been carried out using existing literature of SP research contributed by the authors and institutions from assorted countries. Specifically, the research tendency of SP in SCM is identified through a systematic analysis of sustainable procurement research articles published in ten selected SCM journals from 1990 to 2016. The analysis revealed that SP research has an increasing trend in recent times, indicating its widely growing significance. The research topics covered in this paper to focus on the sustainability issues of procurement practices are sustainability issues on the network of supply chain, foundation, SP process, and enablers as well as the determinant of SP. This comprehensive study provides practical insights to researchers and industrialists on the nature and scope of SP in SCM.

A look into the past and future: theories within supply chain management, marketing and management

PurposeAlthough supply chain scholars have acknowledged the fundamental disruptive changes experienced by today’s supply chains and the ensuing novelty of the research problems worthy of investigation, they have primarily relied on a limited number of theories to help explain the phenomena of interest. The purpose of this paper is to use a systematic literature review to address this gap and propose additional theories that supply chain researchers can use to help address novel supply chain phenomena, such as those caused by technological disruptions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a systematic literature review to examine the studies published over the last 10 years in six of the top supply chain management journals (411 articles) and six of the top marketing and management journals (1,214 articles).FindingsFirst, the findings show that 15 theories have been relied upon by over 95 per cent of the studies within supply chain management that use formal theories. Second, the authors identify the most frequently used theories within marketing and management (217 theories). Third, as space limitations make it impossible to offer a rich description of each of the 217 theories, the authors identify 30 theories that they considered to be the most salient to supply chain research and suggest areas where supply chain scholars can apply these theoretical lenses.Originality/valueThe research effort allowed the authors to map the current use of theories within the field to gain a better understanding of what other theories could augment the body of theories used within supply chain management. Thus, the current study is a “one stop shop” that supply chain scholars can consult when in a quandary about what theoretical lens to utilize.

Humanitarian supply chain management: a thematic literature review and future directions of research

The field of supply chain management has been extensively studied, while its role in disaster relief operations has received limited contributions. Recent dedicated special issues on Humanitarian Operations and Supply Chain Management (HOSCM) and a dedicated Journal focusing on humanitarian logistics and supply chain management clearly indicate the growing popularity of the HOSCM literature. The purpose of our current study is to undertake an extensive review of extant literature published in operations and supply chain management journals as well as popular interdisciplinary journals. A review of 362 papers published between 2011 and 2017 provides a thematic outline of the study. The study pivots around nine key themes, which have gained prominent attention from HOSCM scholars, and draws a roadmap from reviewing earlier review papers to performance evaluation of HOSCM related studies. Some of the key themes include humanitarian logistics, theory focused research, case studies, mathematical models, humanitarian supply chain properties and resources needed for efficient and effective management of humanitarian operations. Finally, our study offers several research directions which may take the existing debates to a next level.

Publication Productivity in the SCM Discipline: 2014–2016

AbstractGiven the relatively young age of the supply chain management (SCM) discipline, SCM academic programs must be able to validate their effectiveness to compete for university resources. The research herein supports this by extending a longstanding series that evaluates publication productivity across six major SCM journals. This edition ranks the top 25 most productive SCM schools between 2014 and 2016. With the series now celebrating 50 years, the results therefore allow evaluation of a half century of SCM research. The series also evaluates authorship concentration to assess the continued growth of the SCM discipline. Like previous editions, the results reveal that a core set of schools continue to lead SCM research with some holding strong performance throughout the entire 50 years. However, a moderately large portion of the top-25 schools continues to change as new SCM programs emerge globally. The author concentration analysis confirms these results as the growth of new scholars and new SCM programs continue to consistently expand. As a point of concern, however, the global diffusion of SCM authorship and schools graduating new SCM scholars are slowing.

Setting Standards for Single Respondent Survey Design

We propose that single respondent surveys continue to be a viable supply chain management research tool. However, necessary care must be taken in research design and implementation. Articles published in leading supply chain management journals in the past 10 years were reviewed to identify patterns and trends in the use of single respondent surveys. Based on that analysis, several recommendations such as using multimethod research design, careful informant selection, and better documentation are presented for survey researchers to ensure and enhance the validity of single respondent survey research.

Social network analysis in supply chain management research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate when and how to best use social network analysis (SNA) in the supply chain management (SCM) discipline. In doing so, the study identifies SCM phenomena that have been examined from a social network perspective (SNA approach) in the SCM literature and highlights additional SCM phenomena that would be worth investigating using social network research. Then, the study critically investigates the application of SNA as a methodology (SNA method), with the goal of assessing and mitigating methodological risks in future studies. Design/methodology/approach This study carries out a systematic literature review of articles published in 11 top-tier SCM journals over a 20-year period. Findings First, while social network research has gained momentum especially since 2010, scholars are not yet entirely aware of the many possibilities the SNA approach offers to the SCM field. Second, expanded possibilities also hold for the development of SNA as a method. Originality/value The paper guides future SCM research by investigating when SNA is the right approach to use and how SNA as a method should be performed. Theoretically richer and practically more relevant research should result.

A commentary on agility in humanitarian aid supply chains

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a commentary and an overview of developments in the field of humanitarianism that could impact theoretical understanding of agility in humanitarian aid supply chains over the past decade. Design/methodology/approach – Authors review papers published on agility in humanitarian aid supply chains from 2006 to 2015 in the four leading Emerald-published logistics and supply chain management journals. These are: Supply Chain Management: An International Journal (SCMIJ); International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management (IJPDLM); International Journal of Operations and Production Management (IJOPM); and Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management (JHLSCM). This paper presents an overview and update of developments that have the potential to influence current thinking and understanding about agility in humanitarian aid supply chains, and humanitarian aid supply chains in general. Findings – Humanitarianism and the environment of Humanitarian organisations are evolving. Such evolution has potential impacts on theoretical discussions and understanding of agility in humanitarian aid supply chains and humanitarian aid supply chains in general. Research limitations/implications – This is not a critical literature review but an overview. The paper is based on four logistics and supply chain management journals only. However, the paper is based on the work published over a decade. Practical implications – Points scholars and practitioners to the impacts of Humanitarian Organisations using the relief-development continuum on supply chain design decisions including the pursuit of agility. Social implications – It may be the time to consider the relief-development continuum in fresh light and its implications for agility in humanitarian aid supply chains. Originality/value – This paper seems to be the first paper that highlights the influence of the relief-development continuum model on humanitarian aid supply chain design strategies.

Collaborative academic–industry SCM research and knowledge building

This empirical study represents the first attempt to explore how academics and practitioners engage each other in the Supply Chain Management (SCM) discipline, and provides a better understanding of collaborative SCM research between both parties. A two-pronged approach, involving a content analysis and an e-mail survey, is employed to explore the issues on collaborative SCM research. We examine 131 articles co-authored by both scholars and practitioners of 6 SCM journals from 2003 to 2013. Specifically, we analyse the motivations, expectations, and communication involved in the process of collaborative research. Our findings suggest that academics and practitioners can partner as co-investigators in research collaboration to better explore an array of SCM phenomena embedded in SCM practice. Further, building collaborative SCM knowledge relationships expedites collaboration and benefits SCM knowledge learning, transfer, and co-production. The development of practice-based scientific SCM knowledge is useful for SCM theory building and serves to bridge the gap between rigour and relevance.

Literature reviews in supply chain management: a tertiary study

This paper systematically analyzes the state-of-the-art of literature reviews on supply chain management (SCM) published in academic journals. First, we develop the methodology of this study and introduce a classification scheme for grouping and evaluating literature reviews. A systematic analysis of previously published reviews of literature reviews substantiates our methodology. We then outline the literature review process of this survey and descriptively evaluate the sample. Subsequently, literature reviews that appeared in renowned SCM journals are classified and evaluated, both with respect to their methodology and content. Finally, a substantiated research agenda for future literature reviews is presented. The findings of this study show that the methodological quality of the identified 121 literature reviews varies significantly. For this reason, we provide research propositions that may assist researchers in conducting high-quality, methodologically sound systematic literature reviews in SCM research. Although we found some evidence that the reviews under study covered a broad range of different topics, we also found that certain areas in SCM have not been reviewed systematically to date, and that some areas are still fragmented. Therefore, we provide a unique compendium of research directions for the field of SCM. Our comprehensive overview may also be used as a managerial panacea to identify best practice guidelines from existing reviews.

A structured review of partial least squares in supply chain management research

The application of structural equation modeling (SEM) in the supply chain management (SCM) context has experienced increasing popularity in recent years. Although most researchers are well equipped with a basic understanding of the traditional covariance-based SEM (CBSEM) techniques, they are less familiar with the appropriate use of partial least squares (PLS) SEM. To fill this gap, the current paper critically reviews the use of PLS in 75 articles published in leading SCM journals from 2002 until 2013. The review indicates the potential of PLS, but also its limitations. A comparison across PLS reviews from various disciplines suggests that SCM research applies the same or even higher reporting standards in performing a PLS analysis and reporting the results than other disciplines (e.g., marketing or strategic management) that use PLS. However, SCM researchers often do not fully exploit the method's capabilities, and sometimes they even misapply it. This review thus offers guidelines for the appropriate application of PLS for future SCM research.

Supply chain management as the key to a firm’s strategy in the global marketplace

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the intersection of two literature streams: that of strategy and supply chain management (SCM). This review should create a better understanding of “strategic SCM” by focussing on relevant theories in the strategic management field and their intersection with SCM to develop a joint research agenda.Design/methodology/approach– The authors conducted a correspondence analysis on the content of 3,402 articles from the top SCM journals. This analysis provides a map of the intellectual structure of content in this field to date. The key trends and changes were identified in strategic SCM research from 1990-2014 as well as the intersection with the key schools of strategic management.Findings– The results suggest that SCM is key to a successful deployment of strategy for competing in the global marketplace. The main theoretical foundations for research in this field were identified and discussed. Gaps were detected and combinations of theoretical foundations of strategic management and SCM suggest four poles for future research: agents and focal firm; distributions and logistics strategic models; SCM competitive requirements; SCM relational governance.Research limitations/implications– Scholars in both the strategy and the SCM fields continue to search for competitive advantages. Much recent research indicates that strategic SCM can be a critical source for that advantage. One of the limitations of the research is that the analysis does not include every journal that published an article mentioning SCM. However, the 34 journals selected are reputed to be the most influential on SCM and focussed primarily on SCM.Practical implications– The map of the intellectual structure of research to strategic SCM highlights the need to combine different theoretical approaches to the complex phenomenon of SCM. Practitioners should consider the supply chain as an informal organization and should devote time and resources to build a shared advantage across the supply chain. They should also consider the inherent benefits and risks that sharing.Originality/value– The paper demonstrates that strategic SCM needs a balanced and rigorous combination of theoretical approaches to deliver more theory-driven evidences. The research combines both a qualitative analysis and a quantitative methodology that summarizes gaps and then outlines future research from a large sample of articles. This methodology is an original contribution to this field and offers some assistance for enlarging the sample of future literature reviews.

Capturing food logistics: a literature review and research agenda

How to feed the world is a vital question and likewise the importance of food logistics. This paper presents a literature review of the food aspects in logistics research. A total of 159 published papers were identified from 9 logistics and supply chain management journals, whereof 104 focused on food logistics. The papers were categorised into the type of logistics activities studied from the perspective of different food supply chain actors and actor constellations. The papers were also grouped according to which food product characteristics they had highlighted as impacting logistics activities. It was noticed that food products have unique characteristics and that food supply chain actors work in a specific context. Thus, this paper puts forward a comprehensive definition of food logistics: Food logistics analyses logistics activities within a food supply chain context by problematising food product characteristics and by examining the constellation of food supply chain actors.