Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Potential topics for inclusion in the dissertations <s> Purpose ::: ::: ::: ::: – The purpose of this paper is to identify Nordic doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management (SCM) published from the years 2002 to 2008. The paper then seeks to analyze the identified dissertations by categorizing them in various dimensions, including but not limited to subject, methodology, and type of contribution. Subsequently, the paper compares the analysis of the dissertations with results obtained in a previous study that also concerned Nordic dissertations only published from 1990 to 2001, effectively opening up for longitudinal interpretations. ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: Design/methodology/approach ::: ::: ::: ::: – The paper is based on reviews of 70 Nordic doctoral dissertations within logistics and SCM published at relevant Nordic research institutions. All dissertations were reviewed according to a priori determined categories adopted from a similar, previous study in order to strengthen the validity of the longitudinal comparison. ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: Findings ::: ::: ::: ::: – This paper identifies a clear and significant trend towards: more dissertations based on a collection of articles than monographs; more dissertations focusing on manufacturing companies and fewer on carriers; a shift from a focal company perspective to more dyadic and supply chain‐related research and finally; and a decreasing focus on the philosophy in science. ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: Research limitations/implications ::: ::: ::: ::: – Despite the thorough method applied, there is possibility that a few dissertations might not have been identified in this paper. ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: Originality/value ::: ::: ::: ::: – This paper is a continuation of documenting the progress of doctoral work in logistics and SCM within the Nordic countries from the years 2002 to 2008. <s> BIB001 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Potential topics for inclusion in the dissertations <s> Supply chain management promises competitive advantages for industrial organizations. The introduction of new products and services, or entry into new markets, is likely to be more successful if accompanied by innovative supply chain designs, innovative supply chain management practices, and enabling technology. This is a widely accepted premise in business practice today. However, systematic research and knowledge about supply chain innovation (SCI) is little developed. There is a lack of common terminology, of agreement about the conceptual understanding, and of related empirical work. This paper presents an exploratory study that aims to provide a better understanding of SCI, mirroring leading edge practice, and providing a sound terminological and conceptual basis for advanced academic work in the field. The research is based on an in-depth literature review and the analysis of a set of secondary data sources: 36 SCI cases, drawn from applications for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP) Supply Chain Innovation Award. As results of the research, a new SCI definition, the construction of a descriptive model of its key elements, and discussion of implications are presented. <s> BIB002 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Potential topics for inclusion in the dissertations <s> The global value chain (GVC) concept has gained popularity as a way to analyze the international expansion and geographical fragmentation of contemporary supply chains and value creation and capture therein. It has been used broadly in academic publications that examine a wide range of global industries, and by many of the international organizations concerned with economic development. This note highlights some of the main features of GVC analysis and discusses the relationship between the core concepts of governance and upgrading. The key dynamics of contemporary global supply chains and their implications for global production and trade are illustrated by: (1) the consolidation of global value chains and the new geography of value creation and capture, with an emphasis on China; (2) the key roles of global supermarkets and private standards in agri-food supply chains; and (3) how the recent economic crisis contributes to shifting end markets and the regionalization of value chains. It concludes with a discussion of the future direction of GVC analysis and a potential collaboration with supply chain researchers. <s> BIB003 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Potential topics for inclusion in the dissertations <s> We illuminate the myriad of opportunities for research where supply chain management intersects with data science, predictive analytics, and big data, collectively referred to as DPB. We show that these terms are not only becoming popular but are also relevant to supply chain research and education. Data science requires both domain knowledge and a broad set of quantitative skills, but there is a dearth of literature on the topic and many questions. We call for research on skills that are needed by SCM data scientists and discuss how such skills and domain knowledge affect the effectiveness of a SCM data scientist. Such knowledge is crucial to developing future supply chain leaders. We propose definitions of data science and predictive analytics as applied to supply chain management. We examine possible applications of DPB in practice and provide examples of research questions from these applications, as well as examples of research questions employing DPB that stem from management theories. Finally, we propose specific steps interested researchers can take to respond to our call for research on the intersection of supply chain management and DPB. <s> BIB004 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Potential topics for inclusion in the dissertations <s> Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and the selection of ERP vendors on supply management performance for Fortune 500. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts the supply chain maturity model adopted by Gupta and Handfield (2011) and used publicly available information such as articles, research report, newspapers to develop objective maturity ratings for four key indicators – strategic sourcing, category management, and supplier relationship management. Findings – The analysis results suggest ERP users are more mature than non-ERP users in three key indicators: strategic sourcing, category management, and supplier relationship management. Moreover, SAP ERP users are more mature than non-ERP users in strategic sourcing, category management, and supplier relationship management. Research limitations/implications – This study does not account for the longitudinal performance of ERP systems, nor does it account for... <s> BIB005
The review process of the 150 dissertations reveals that five research areas seem to be under-prioritized among Nordic scholars within logistics and SCM. The topics are as follows (not prioritized): (1) Cloud technology Although there is a focus on maximizing the effectiveness of shared resources  , the increased availability of high-capacity network, low-cost computers and storage devices as well as the widespread adoption of hardware virtualization, service-oriented architecture, and autonomic and utility computing have led to a growth in the use of cloud technology. In spite of its increased importance, it is distinct that this subject has not received more attention in the dissertations reviewed. (2) Globalization of SC As mentioned previously, this topic was still largely ignored in the dissertation reviewed. With the natural outcome of expanding growing market and sustaining competitive advantage, companies have to make key decisions about managing costs and complexity through globalized supply chain (see, e.g., BIB003 ). (3) Supply chain innovation (SCI) The discipline of innovations has branched out into the supply chain context and should be regarded as an important topic. While firms are applying their assets, operating resources and capabilities to develop new ways of improve performance, they cannot ignore the importance of their supply chain partners in enabling product and process innovations (see, e.g., BIB002 ). Accordingly, more attention needs to be paid to this topic. (4) Security This topic was also mentioned in the previous study by Zachariassen and Arlbjørn BIB001 . Yet, this topic has only received limited attention among the 112 dissertations published between 2009 and 2014. Security is increasingly becoming a major concern to both private and public sector organizations. Security searches for cooperative arrangements between businesses as well as identifies risks before the goods move. It is also concerned with controlling theft and reducing illegal import and export of stolen goods. There are many areas of research within the topic of security from formal aspects to empirical research (see, e.g.,   ). Hence, it is essential that researchers start focusing on the different aspects of this topic in the future. This is one of the key topics of research within supply chain now as well as in the distant future.  Big data This is currently drowning the world. The huge amount of data is an invaluable asset in the context of supply chains. The quality of the evidence extracted significantly benefits from the availability of broad datasets. On the one hand, extensive vision is more promising when extra data are available. And, on the other hand, it is a big challenge. The current approach is not appropriate to handle large data, and therefore, there is a need for new solutions to handle large datasets. This research field is new and rapidly evolving BIB004 , and there is also a leadtime issue before we see the first dissertations within this area. As a result, any initial effort taken will be a strong contribution from both experimental and theoretical perspective (see, e.g., BIB005 ).