DOCTORAL RESEARCH IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND/OR LOGISTICS-RELATED AREAS: 1999-2004

Journal of Business Logistics, 2006 by Stock, James R, Broadus, C Jared

A total of 410 entries from Dissertation Abstracts have been identified and annotated in this fourth compendium of supply chain management (SCM) and logistics-related dissertations. Findings relating to this latest study period (1999-2004) are presented and comparisons made to previous compendiums covering 1970-1986, 1987-1991, and 1992-1998. A larger number of colleges and universities are granting degrees in SCM and logistics-related areas and some "new players" have entered the marketplace, resulting in an upward growth trend in the absolute number of dissertations being published since the early-1990's. Some traditionally strong institutions have maintained their position in terms of the number of SCM and logistics-related dissertations published, while others have reduced their outputs. Areas of SCM, decision support systems, inventory management and miscellaneous transportation (models, networks, policy issues, routing & scheduling) topics are the most popular dissertation areas, while traditional transportation, warehousing and storage, DRP, JIT, Kanban, and MRP topics are being researched to a much lesser degree. Engineering logistics, human resources, location analysis, order processing and information systems, packaging, and TQM remain areas with low research interest at the doctoral level.

Key Words: compendium; dissertations; logistics; supply chain management

Happy is the person that findeth wisdom, and the person that getteth understanding; for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.

Proverbs 3:13-14, The Bible (King James Version)

As the fourth in a continuing series of articles that overview and summarize supply chain management (SCM) and logistics-related doctoral dissertations, the period of 1999-2004 is examined in this compendium. In review, the first article examined 684 dissertations published between 1970 and 1986 (Stock 1987/1988), the second included 422 dissertations published between 1987-1991 (Stock & Luhrsen 1993), and the most recent installment covered the period of 1992-1998 (Stock 2001) with a total of 317 dissertations identified. In this latest period of study, 1999-2004, a total of 410 dissertations were compiled and analyzed. Over the entire 35 year period, 1,833 SCM and logistics-related dissertations have been identified, annotated and included in these compendiums (Stock 1987/1988; Stock & Luhrsen 1993; Stock 2001).

As recognized in the 2001 compendium, the number of colleges and universities offering doctoral training in SCM and logistics has continued to increase. In other words, the dispersion of dissertations has become increasingly varied across degree-granting institutions, both in North America and internationally.

Detailed information on each of the 410 SCM and logistics-related dissertations is presented in the Appendix. Formatting of the entries remains the same for reasons of continuity and ease of comparison within and across study periods (e.g., 1970-1986, 1987-1991, 1992-1998, and 1999-2004).

METHODOLOGY

The most widely disseminated source of dissertations is Dissertation Abstracts maintained by the University of Michigan. The database, which is available online, contains more than a million doctoral dissertations and master's theses from around the globe. More than 1,000 graduate schools in North America and Europe are represented. An online search of the Dissertation Abstracts database using the key words employed in the previous studies was conducted and yielded the 410 dissertations of interest. Similar to the previous compendiums, doctoral candidates from many different business and non-business colleges (e.g., agriculture, arts & sciences, engineering) have completed dissertations related to the field of SCM and logistics.

As in the most recent article, this examination identified a total of 24 topic area categories (see Table 1). Some of the categories are composed of several sub-classifications that are identified in Table 1 to assist readers in understanding and interpreting the breadth and scope of the various topics under investigation in the present study.

As in previous examinations of SCM and logistics-related dissertations, classification of the accumulated dissertations into the most appropriate subject areas was a significant issue. This is due in large part to the multidisciplinary nature of many dissertations and the multiple issues often incorporated within SCM and logistics. The decision rule for placing dissertations into a particular category was based on the most dominant or prevalent theme addressed in the dissertation as determined by a content analysis of the abstract published in Dissertation Abstracts.

In the Appendix, relevant information concerning the 410 dissertations is presented including the following: (1) subject area, (2) author's name, (3) title of the dissertation, (4) name of the degree-granting institution, (5) year of publication, (6) Dissertation Abstracts identification number, and (7) abbreviated version of the abstract as written by the author of the dissertation and published in Dissertation Abstracts. Copies of the dissertations contained in Dissertation Abstracts can be ordered from UMI via the Internet at (http://www.umi.com).