International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

Michael R. Crum; Richard F. Poist

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111101394

Purpose – The purpose is threefold: to assess International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management's ( IJPDLM's ) reputation for quality and impact; to identify leading articles and authors during the journal's 40‐year history; and to report on the international diversity of the journal's author base and the diversity of its subject matter over the last five years. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the following: literature review of recent journal articles that assessed the quality of logistics and supply chain management (SCM) journals; IJPDLM article download counts and article counts per author over last 40 years; and assessment of subject matter content and geographical base of authors for articles published in IJPDLM over the last five years. Findings – IJPDLM consistently ranks among the top logistics and supply chain journals on the basis of research quality and usefulness. IJPDLM is quite diverse both with respect to logistics subject matter and to the location of its authors. The most popular topics over the last five years are: purchasing and supply management; inter‐organizational relationships; customer service and demand management; and logistics outsourcing/3PL. A key emerging research area for logistics and SCM is the discipline's contributions to addressing important societal issues. Practical implications – The findings pertaining to current and emerging research areas will be of interest and value to all logistics and SCM researchers. Originality/value – The analysis of IJPDLM 's reputation and the assessment of the subject matter it covers are both original and of interest to prospective authors.

Patricia J. Daugherty

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111101402

Purpose – The paper aims to provide an overview of the evolution of relationship‐related research in the areas of logistics and supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach – Suggestions are offered for future research on logistics and supply chain relationships. Findings – While the literature related to logistics and supply chain relationships have become increasingly sophisticated over the years, there still remain many opportunities for extending the literature base. Considering the significant implications for business practice, this should be a research priority. Research limitations/implications – Questions have been raised regarding the long‐term success of many partnership or alliance‐type relationships. Further research is warranted examining success to date, implications for future collaborative‐type relationships, and guidelines for establishing relationships. Other topics include managing relationships and power imbalances, developing appropriate metrics to monitor relationship performance, leveraging the synergy of cross‐firm relationships to develop innovative approaches, and examining the co‐creation of services. Originality/value – The review of previous literature provided in this paper is intended to provide somewhat of a chronological ordering of research topics and to identify important areas that have contributed to our knowledge base.

Gyöngyi Kovács; Karen M. Spens

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111101411

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present current trends and developments in humanitarian logistics (HL) practice, research, and education, and analyze the gaps between these. The article serves as an update on previous literature reviews in HL. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is primarily conceptual and develops a framework for analyzing trends and gaps between HL research, education, and practice. Data are compiled through keyword searches, publicly available bibliographies, and web sites of educational institutions, as well as drawing on material from practitioner workshops, tutorials, conference presentations, and personal communication with practitioners and educators. Findings – Gaps are revealed in HL practice, research, education, as well as between these. Few education programs to date consider the skill needs of humanitarian logisticians, but future trends in practice and research can be used to develop them further. More empirical and practice‐near research is called for at the same time as there is a need for comparative analyses, generic models, and theory building in HL. Research limitations/implications – Any attempt to grasp current trends in a field is delimited by a lack of overview of the activities of an abundance of HL and fragmented research communities. The article advocates a broader view and openness across organizations and disciplines. Practical implications – The gap analysis indicates not only trends but also gaps in HL practice and highlights the need to consider new societal pressures such as climate change and urbanization. Social implications – HL is concerned with serving beneficiaries; thus, their welfare is at the core of the discipline. Originality/value – Several articles have reviewed HL research before, but gaps between practice, research, and education have not yet been addressed.

Craig R. Carter; P. Liane Easton

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111101420

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) literature in the principal logistics and supply chain management journals, across a 20‐year time frame. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a systematic literature review methodology. This methodology allows for the minimization of researcher bias and the maximization of reliability and replicability. The study's empirical validity is further enhanced by demonstrating high levels of inter‐coder reliability across families of codes. Findings – The field of SSCM has evolved from a perspective and investigation of standalone research in social and environmental areas; through a corporate social responsibility perspective; to the beginnings of the convergence of perspectives of sustainability as the triple bottom line and the emergence of SSCM as a theoretical framework. While the SSCM research has become more theoretically rich and methodologically rigorous, there are numerous opportunities for further advancing theory, methodology, and the managerial relevance of future inquiries. Research limitations/implications – The trends and gaps identified through our analysis allow us to develop a cogent agenda to guide future SSCM research. Practical implications – The current perspectives of SSCM hold important implications for managers, by directing limited resources toward projects which intersect environmental and/or social performance, and economic performance. Originality/value – The paper provides a systematic, rigorous, and methodologically valid review of the evolution of empirical SSCM research across a 20‐year time period.

Martin Christopher; Matthias Holweg

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111101439

Purpose – An underlying principle of supply chain management is to establish control of the end‐to‐end process in order to create a seamless flow of goods. The basic idea is that variability is detrimental to performance as it causes cost in the form of stock‐outs, poor capacity utilisation, and costly buffers. This paper questions this approach and argues that in the light of increasing turbulence a different approach to supply chain management is needed. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports on the authors' work on a Supply Chain Volatility Index and shows how current supply chain practices may no longer fit the context most businesses now operate in – primarily because these practices were developed under assumptions of stability that no longer hold true. The paper illustrates the findings with case study evidence of firms that have had to adjust to various aspects of turbulence. Findings – The paper is able to show that most current supply chain management models emanate from a period of relative stability, and second, that there is considerable evidence that we will experience increasing turbulence in the future. This calls into question whether current supply chain models that feature some dynamic flexibility, yet are built on the general premise of control, will be suitable to meet the challenge of increased turbulence. Practical implications – It is argued that what is needed to master the era of turbulence is structural flexibility which builds flexible options into the design of supply chains. This marks a major departure from current thinking and will require revisiting the management accounting procedures that are used to evaluate different supply chain decisions. The paper presents guidelines on how to manage supply chains in the age of turbulence: by embracing volatility as an opportunity rather than viewing it as a risk, by understanding its nature and impact, and finally by shifting the exposure to risk by building hedges into the supply chain design. Originality/value – The paper questions the fundamental premise upon which current supply chain models are built and proposes an alternative approach to build structural flexibility into supply chain decision making, which would create the level of adaptability needed to remain competitive in the face of turbulence.