Supply chain management as the key to a firm's strategy in the global marketplace: trends and research agenda
Date
2015Source Title
International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management
Print ISSN
0960-0035
Publisher
Emerald
Volume
45
Issue
2
Pages
159 - 181
Language
English
Type
ArticleItem Usage Stats
205
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163
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Abstract
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.
Keywords
StrategySupply chain management
Strategic management
Literature review, Multiple correspondence analysis