The Intellectual Structure of Supply Chain Management: A Bibliometric Approach

Abstract

By studying the intellectual structure of the supply chain management (SCM) literature, insights should be available concerning the status of supply chain theory, the cross-disciplinary nature of the area of study, and identification of emerging trends. One approach to assessing the state of development of supply chain management theory is to examine a large body of academic literature quantitatively. The bibliometric approach to intellectual structure is possible now that the concept has passed the 20 th anniversary of its original appearance in the literature (Houlihan 1985). SCM touches many traditional disciplines and functional areas. This research does not use a specific definition of supply chain management as the focal point for this article. Instead, the focus is on the term "supply chain management" and its use in the academic literature. While definitions of SCM vary significantly, understanding the range of its use and the structure of related concepts is worthwhile.By identifying the intellectual structure of SCM literature at a single point in time, a baseline is established for tracking the evolution of supply chain thought. As bibliometric snapshots are replicated in the future, a view of changes within the intellectual structure will be recognized early.Additionally, by examining SCM publication trends across journals and across time the growing diversity of interest in supply chain concepts and theory becomes more obvious. Recently a banker appeared at a Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) presentation on supply chain research. He wanted to learn about supply chain developments so he could more readily assess opportunities in international trade related to supply chains. This broadening interest calls for a better understanding of how the various streams of research are developing.The specific research questions to be addressed in this research include:1. Which journals are publishing SCM related academic papers? This is a fairly simple question to answer, but the results should clarify the breadth of interest and the potential for emerging, alternative perspectives on SCM. 48ChARVET, COOPER, ANd GARdNER 2. What are the broad trends in growth of SCM interest? Across disciplines and journals, where is the interest growing fastest? If there are shifts in the disciplines that are focusing on SCM, researchers need to take notice.3. Is there a quantitatively identifiable intellectual structure within the supply chain literature? At some point in the evolution of supply chain management as a field of study, sub-specialties may emerge, competing schools of thought could emerge, or the intellectual structure could evolve. Can the revealed structure be characterized usefully? If there are clear groupings of core articles, can the groupings be analyzed in a way that helps future research efforts?4. Is there quantitative evidence of convergence in supply chain thought? If the revealed structures have a clear set of common elements, then there would be evidence of convergence in academi...

Three decades of strategic management research on M&As: Citations, co-citations, and topics

“…We analyzed the co-citation data of the -23 -articles in the sample with a cluster analysis to detect patterns in the extant research. Figure were acceptable and did not improve substantially with a higher number of dimensions (Charvet et al, 2008). The clusters identified (and confirmed with a Dendogram of hierarchical cluster analysis) were superimposed in the MDS map for a better visualization of the proximity between works.…”

“…Using this data we constructed the co-citation matrix and replaced the undefined diagonal cells by the sum of the three highest co-citation scores divided by two (cfr. Charvet et al, 2008). Using the raw co-citation matrix we computed the Pearson correlation matrix which standardizes the data and prevents distortions from differences between older and more recent works (Acedo et al, 2006;Charvet et al, 2008).…”

“…Charvet et al, 2008). Using the raw co-citation matrix we computed the Pearson correlation matrix which standardizes the data and prevents distortions from differences between older and more recent works (Acedo et al, 2006;Charvet et al, 2008). Using the correlation matrix we then conducted a cluster analysis with a twodimensional MDS map depicting the clusters to identify bundles of works that are somehow related (White & McCain, 1998).…”

“…We were able to identify five clusters. The rationale in this analysis is that works (articles, books) that are conceptually similar tend to cluster together and shorter linkage distances between works and clusters denote stronger relationships (Charvet et al, 2008). Cluster 1 includes 5 works delving on value creation, and specifically shareholder value outcomes from strategic relatedness between the firms involved in the M&A (Lubatkin, 1987;Singh & Montgomery, 1987;Seth, 1990a;Chatterjee et al, 1992).…”

Brazil Moving up in the Semiconductor Global Chain

“…Chen and Paulraj (2004) propose a model where buyer-supplier relationship is the central operation accomplished in an environment of uncertainties and leveraged by strategic purpose to seek higher performance. Charvet, Cooper and Gardner (2008) focus on the term supply chain management and its use in the academic literature. While definitions of SCM vary significantly, an understanding of the range of its use and the structure of related concepts is worthwhile.…”