Mapping the Research Landscape of Buyer-Supplier Relationships: Insights and Trends from Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

We conducted a bibliometric analysis of existing published articles on Buyer-Supplier Relationships (BSR) by extracting the data from the Scopus database. This analysis covered the period (1983 to 2023), using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny R for data analysis and visualization. The findings of this research reveal insights. For example, research on BSR was conducted in 63 countries, with the United States having the highest number of articles, followed by the United Kingdom and China, respectively. The study provides information regarding the top journals for BSR publications and highlights influential authors and institutions. In this way, we performed a co-occurrence analysis of indexed keywords, which emerged as five distinct clusters: operations and quality management, sustainable and innovative supply chain, digital transformation, supply chain economics and strategic advantage. Furthermore, we discovered potential research areas during thematic mapping, such as strategic planning, sustainable development, and information sharing in BSR. This study provides valuable insights and information into the current status and future sustainability of BSR research for different communities, such as buyers, suppliers, managers and research scholars.