Journal of Business Logistics最新文献

Supply chain adaptability is the least explored of the three revered Triple-A qualities (agility and alignment being the other two) and in the greatest need of a deeper understanding in the unpredictably evolving contemporary business environment. This study critically reviews the literature and makes three contributions. First, it outlines the different ways supply chain adaptability has been understood and describes the epistemological basis of this knowledge. Second, it synthesizes the findings into a theoretical model linking supply chain adaptability to its antecedents and outcomes. Third, despite its origins in a practitioner-focused journal, supply chain adaptability has largely been explored like a black box, with few insights into its workings or actionable recommendations for its creation. To this end, the study outlines an agenda for future research to deepen our understanding along the extant lines of inquiry and to broaden our investigation to cover new empirical foci to open the black box of supply chain adaptability.

The growing popularity of “Supply Chain Transparency” (SCT) as an idea has motivated its use as a “buzzword,” leading to a lack of terminological clarity. Terms like visibility, transparency, and traceability are used colloquially or as synonyms for one another, yet often without a proper conceptual basis. We argue that the absence of a clear understanding of SCT limits the ability of scholars and practitioners to fully understand the role played by transparency in supply chains and to study its antecedents, technologies, types, and outcomes. Therefore, transparency research is at the point where a scoping review of literature on SCT is particularly useful. Our review first provides a formal conceptualization of SCT, allowing us to identify how transparency has been understood, the building blocks of SCT, and what distinguishes SCT from other concepts. In the review, we initially identify relevant concepts underlying SCT with a view to establish a unifying and nuanced framework for SCT. Second, using that unified conceptualization as a basis, primary outcomes such as the benefits and risks of SCT are determined. Third, we systematically detect and classify future research opportunities arising from the building blocks of SCT.

The escalating complexity of supply networks is undeniable, and organizations grapple with myriad globally dispersed suppliers spanning diverse industries and operating amid volatility and uncertainty while having multifaceted interactions. In line with this, scholars have been investigating supply network complexity (SNC) for over two decades, yet the domain is not converging; definitions and operationalizations are varied, a multiplicity of theoretical perspectives exists, performance implications are inconclusive, and supply chain managers are certainly still struggling with the complexity of their supply networks. To address this critical gap, we conducted a rigorous systematic review of 116 articles and synthesized the extant research in a comprehensive nomological network of SNC. Our synthesis encompasses the following key aspects: (i) defining (sub)dimensions of SNC by reconciling diverse conceptualizations, (ii) elaborating on the direct and contingent effects of SNC by highlighting underlying mechanisms and relevant theories, (iii) identifying antecedents of SNC, and (iv) introducing a detailed categorization of SNC management practices and illustrating SNC management capability as an antecedent of such practices. We conclude by presenting an extensive research agenda illustrating the gaps in the literature and charting a path forward in relation to different themes, theories, and methods.

Efficient management of inventories is essential for both retailers and wholesalers. Two disciplines which have extensively studied retail and wholesale (R&W) inventories are supply chain management (SCM) and economics. Each discipline is affected by R&W inventories but has taken different approaches to investigating these inventories, presenting an opportunity for learning between disciplines. In this manuscript, we aim to advance the study of R&W inventories in the SCM discipline. We accomplish this goal by reviewing and synthesizing SCM and economics research set in the R&W sectors that studies inventories or inventory performance as the outcome of interest. To synthesize the literature and develop research suggestions, we develop a framework along which to classify the existing literature to identify gaps and opportunities, grouping the literature based on (1) the level at which inventory is studied (sector/industry level, firm level, or SKU/product/category level) and (2) the type of predictors that are studied (internal or external). Based on the literature review, we identify opportunities for future research to enhance our understanding of R&W inventories, with research falling within four topics: (1) resolving inconsistencies across studies; (2) expanding the study of R&W inventories within the developed framework; (3) cross-level theorizing; and (4) theorizing across time.

Existing literature offers multiple interpretations of how managers might develop and deploy supply chain visibility (SCV). However, current visibility research lacks rigorous definitions of visibility types and their relationships to contextual factors. Our systematic literature review and analysis extends previous studies by identifying visibility objects, potentially important contextual characteristics, and their interrelationships. We highlight research trends and develop a framework that links types of visibility to relational, environmental, and operational characteristics that either support visibility development or moderate its value for a firm. In addition, we offer a synthesis and critique of research questions, theoretical perspectives, and methods researchers have used to address SCV concepts and relationships. The review findings suggest rich opportunities for future research.

The logistics industry in the United States has faced significant labor shortages for the last couple of decades. Women are a source of labor that has been traditionally underrepresented in the major logistics sectors, transportation, and warehousing. We study the workforce composition and potential gender wage gap across these sectors. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau from 2003 to 2020, we show that women comprise about 4% of the workforce for truck drivers and 21% for warehouse workers. As traditionally measured by economists, there is a 17% gender wage gap among truck drivers and an 11% wage gap among warehouse workers. A regression analysis suggests that the gap is smaller for warehouse workers, which is consistent with theory that an occupation's stability and predictability can reduce or eliminate wage gaps. Further analysis is carried out on specific occupations within the logistics industry and measures the variation across truck transportation and warehousing industries. There is evidence for a declining gender wage gap across both over time, although the gap remains sizable. This paper provides insight on the trends and status of gender differences in labor outcomes in the logistics industry.