Investigating current paradigms in supply chain risk management – a bibliometric study

What is it about?

This paper aims at analysing the intellectual structure and research fronts of supply chain risk management (SCRM), in order to identify the knowledge groups in the research area to date, as well as to reveal any relationships between these subfields and the central, influential trends. By means of a bibliometric study, the 32 most co-cited articles on SCRM published in 16 top business-related academic journals are analysed using multivariate statistical techniques, i.e. multidimensional scaling (MDS), cluster analysis, and correspondence factor analysis.

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Why is it important?

The results demonstrate a clearly identifiable structure as a result of the performed co-citation analysis. The conducted cluster and factor analysis bring forward that the research field is arranged in five different areas of interest: 1) explaining supply chain risk phenomena, concepts, frameworks and insights into SCRM; 2) modelling risks for supply chains; 3) inventory risks affecting supply efficiency; 4) supply chain and product design methods; and 5) supply chain risk mitigating strategies. Overall, the intellectual structure of SCRM is first examined through a bibliometric approach using quantitative techniques — for improved understanding of its origins and to identify the state of the science — as well as to offer suggestions for future studies that could cover current gaps.