Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Primary entity of analysis <s> Proposes that the discipline of logistics can benefit from borrowing theories from other areas of study. Presents examples of theories from other disciplines that have already been applied to logistics issues. Offers potential applications from a variety of non‐logistics disciplines, including accounting, anthropology and sociology, computing, economics, marketing, philosophy, political science, and psychology. Discusses examples from various disciplines in some detail and identifies some possible applications of the theory. Concludes with a discussion of the benefits of “borrowing” non‐logistics theories to logistics research, practice and theory development. <s> BIB001 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Primary entity of analysis <s> Logistics and supply chain management (SCM) are broad disciplines in which many different, cross‐functional tasks are investigated. In Scandinavia, research in logistics and SCM experienced a significant boom during the 1990s; the steadily increasing interest in participation in the annual NOFOMA Nordic Logistics Conference and the steadily growing number of PhD students enrolled in the Scandinavian research environments emphasizing the study of logistics and SCM bear witness to this intensification. In addition, a great number of doctoral dissertations in this field are completed in Scandinavia, adding greatly to the existent store of knowledge concerning a wide range of logistics and SCM phenomena. However, to date, precious little effort has been devoted to providing an overview of these dissertations. This paper is designed to fill that void. To that end, 75 doctoral dissertations published from 1990 to 2001 are identified. The framework classifies the dissertations into a series of main themes indicative of the state of Nordic research in logistics and SCM. Suggestions for future research based on this survey are likewise provided. <s> BIB002 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Primary entity of analysis <s> Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of international differences in supply chain management (SCM) perspectives and practices, by comparing perceptions of Scandinavian and American supply chain managers.Design/methodology/approach – The survey focused on the definition of SCM, along with facilitators of and barriers to SCM implementation. A four‐page questionnaire was designed and sent by mail. After follow‐ups, 23 Scandinavians and 104 Americans returned completed questionnaires.Findings – While many similarities were found between Scandinavians and Americans, several differences were also identified. Both groups have adopted broad, multiple function perspectives on SCM; and both groups perceive SCM implementation to be slower and more difficult than expected. Two differences are the Americans' greater concern about incompatible systems and implementation costs as barriers to SCM, compared to the Scandinavians.Research limitations/implications – The study is based on relatively... <s> BIB003 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Primary entity of analysis <s> The aim of the project was to enhance product quality management in fresh fish supply chains through improved logistics management and ensured traceability effectiveness. The study provides insights into seafood companies’ perspectives on the benefits of implementing traceability. Knowledge on the net benefits of implementing traceability and the distribution of costs and benefits among actors can support decision making. Comprehensive literature review on the necessary components to ensure traceability and a framework developed to assess traceability system effectiveness enable researchers and practitioners in the food/seafood sector to locate problems and take necessary actions to ensure effective traceability. In addition, more efficient use of recorded data provides an approach to enhance quality management. Data on ambient temperatures during logistics steps can be used to calculate the product warm up time. The results on temperature profiling pinpointed several hazardous steps in air transportation related to handling, storage and transport operations. Pros and cons of two transport modes, air vs. sea, were analysed. Several factors were found to influence product temperature and shelf life during logistics processes, namely, presence/absence of precooling, mode of transport, product location and logistics length. These findings help to improve logistics management as well as to make decisions on transport alternatives so as to improve quality management. The new photochromic time-temperature indicator (TTI) was found to give reproducible responses and reflect well the temperature conditions of fresh fish supply chains. The results show that a right charging time could be defined to suit the shelf life of the fresh fish product concerned. The TTI of a right charging level placed on the bottom surfaces of fresh cod retail packs was found to reflect well the temperature conditions of the product and the shelf life declared by sensory evaluation, except for the case of severely superchilled conditions, and other methods of quality control. The results indicate the potential of using the new TTI to continuously monitor product temperature history, quality and shelf life in fresh fish supply chains. <s> BIB004 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Primary entity of analysis <s> Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the logistical transformation of British retailing over the last three decades and to discuss likely challenges that face logistics managers in the future.Design/methodology/approach – Reviews the key works on retail logistics, including the research undertaken by the authors over the last 20 years.Findings – Illustrates how retailers have control of the supply chain in the UK, drawing upon examples from both the grocery and fashion sectors. Challenges for the future include macro‐environment issues such as climate change and recession in addition to improvements in existing in operations with regard to e‐fulfilment and implementation of technologies such as RFID.Originality/value – This paper provides one of the few contributions to appraise the research undertaken on retail logistics in the UK over the last 20‐30 years. <s> BIB005 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Primary entity of analysis <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> BIB006 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Primary entity of analysis <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> BIB007 </s> Doctoral dissertations in logistics and supply chain management: a review of Nordic contributions from 2009 to 2014 <s> Primary entity of analysis <s> Purpose – This is a polemical paper challenging both the principle and practice of journal ranking. In recent years academics and their institutions have become obsessive about the star‐ratings of the journals in which they publish. In the UK this is partly attributed to quinquennial reviews of university research performance though preoccupation with journal ratings has become an international phenomenon. The purpose of this paper is to examine the arguments for and against these ratings and argue that, on balance, they are having a damaging effect on the development of logistics as an academic discipline.Design/methodology/approach – The arguments advanced in the paper are partly substantiated by references to the literature on the ranking of journals and development of scientific research. A comparison is made of the rating of logistics publications in different journal ranking systems. The views expressed in the paper are also based on informal discussions with numerous academics in logistics and othe... <s> BIB008
In Table 2 , all 150 dissertations are classified according to their entity of analysis; the classifications are also compared to previous results reported in BIB002 BIB003 . The study of the primary entity of analysis in the dissertations shows strong differences. First, the category others has increased to about one-third of the dissertations in the last reported period. This group consists of a variety of dissertations without a specific supply chain actors' perspective-such as fresh fish supply chains BIB004 and healthcare logistics  . Second, in absolute numbers, the manufacturer as the primary entity of analysis has increased when compared to the previous studies; but, if we measure the number as a percentage of the reviewed dissertations, there is a fall from 57 % in the dissertations from 2002 to 2008 to 33 % in the recent study. Thus, it shows the more classical actors such as wholesalers, retailers and inventory hotels have obtained lesser research focus. Additionally, a remarkably low number of dissertations have focused on retail SCM within the Nordic countries. This is intriguing given the fact that the retail sector is well known for supply chain innovations such as quick response systems, efficient consumer response, distribution centers, reverse logistics, as well as collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment BIB005 . Table 3 shows the analysis of the dissertations level of analysis arranged by the year of publication. An interesting development evidenced in the above table is an increased focus on functional themes within dissertations (in the present analysis, this is about 26 % of the dissertations compared with 11 and 10 % in previous analyses). This development is primarily driven by Finnish dissertations and can indicate an emphasis on building stronger knowledge bases in certain sub-disciplines along the supply chain. Examples of such dissertations are   . Another interesting development is the reduced focus on firm-level analysis and a subsequent increased focus on the supply chain or the network as the level of analysis, with the network level experiencing the highest increase. This increase is strongly evident within Swedish dissertations. Table 4 shows the classification of the dissertations according to research design, time frame and philosophy of science. The recent analysis reveals a decrease in share of dissertations that are purely theoretical in nature. Also, the share of dissertations founded on purely qualitative methods has also decreased compared with dissertations published in the period 2002-2008. The drop in share of these two categories has attributed to increases in shares of dissertations based on quantitative methods and on triangulations of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The increase in quantitative research methods can be explained by the increased pressure to publish, thereby favoring quantitative methods over time-consuming qualitative studies (see, e.g., BIB008 ). While quantitative data collection can be automated, it is not possible for qualitative data collection. Qualitative data collection is, in general, more time-consuming and expensive when compared Icelandic reviewed to quantitative research studies. Thus, it might be more cost-effective to slice one questionnaire survey into a number of articles than doing the same number of articles based on qualitative methodologies. This trend will undoubtedly improve numerical performance metrics. At the same time, this trend need not necessarily deliver new knowledge that could move the discipline significantly forward. Particularly, quantitative surveys are exposed to Manufacture  9  9  2  11 11 20 ---6  9  8  10 11 20 36 40  50   Carrier  5  1  2  3  4  5  ---3  1  14 10 3  15 21  9  36 Wholesaler Others  1  1  13 3  3  16 --1 2  5  2  7  5  16 13 14  48 Total 15 11 17 17 22 45 0 0 1 11 17 27 28 20 60 71 70 the phenomenon of ''salami-slicing'' where the data from a particular project are disseminated in a number of articles that in fact are ''sliced'' so thinly that there might be overlap of the papers (e.g., text recycling in literature review sections, key findings and discussions (   ). We refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)  for a discussion on different forms of text recycling. Table 4 also shows an increased share of dissertations that apply a longitudinal perspective. Additionally, the share of snapshot time frames has decreased and the share of the category time frame not specified has increased. Examples of dissertations without any specific time frame are by (1) Mortensen  , who investigate the concept of attraction and explain its role in initiation and development of buyer-seller relations, and (2) Tynjälä  , who conceptually examines the methods and tools for supply chain decision making during new product development. A final remarkable finding from Table 4 is the continued decline of dissertations containing philosophy of science issues. The present analysis identifies 73 % of the dissertations not including such philosophical considerations in comparison with 71 and 45 % in the two previous periods of analysis. Twentynine percent of dissertations that are monographs do contain philosophy of science considerations, whereas 25 % have this content among the article-based dissertations. Zachariassen and Arlbjørn BIB006 provided four possible reasons for this decline: BIB007 There are no mandatory requirements for PhD students to attend philosophy of science courses, (2) article-based dissertations do not rely on philosophy of science argumentations to the same degree as the monographs that typically require more in-depth interaction of this issues and method considerations, (3) there is a lower prioritization of philosophy of science due to higher pressure from external funded projects that do not demand this theme, and (4) logistics and SCM are closely connected with industry that could lead to a perception that philosophy of science is less relevant. To this list, we add four more potential reasons. First, there are no requirements mentioned in Nordic countries' ministerial orders granting degrees of PhD about unfolding philosophical of science perspectives. Second, few, if any, journals within logistics and SCM demand such discussions. Third, philosophy of science has disappeared from PhD candidates' syllabi. Finally, only a few PhD advisors have the knowledge to join in such discussions with their PhD students; therefore, they do not send signals for offering such courses. Overall, this development is inexpedient if the discipline really has to move toward theory development  BIB001 .