Citation
Ellinger, A.E. and Jr, R.G.R. (2013), "Celebrating IJPDLM’s scale and scope", International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 43 No. 10. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-08-2013-0219
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Celebrating IJPDLMs scale and scope
Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Volume 43, Issue 10
As co-editors of IJPDLM part of our job is to monitor and adjust the journals strategy to fit the field of inquiry. When we became co-editors in 2010, in addition to improving research quality, we initiated the goal of making IJPDLM a truly globally supported research publication. As outlined in the journals mission statement, our steadfast goal remains to offer “best in class service to authors through timeliness and fairness in the review process, inclusiveness, receptivity to different perspectives, and ultimately impact. The final editorial for 2013 reports on how this strategy is progressing and we will continue to do so annually.
One way to evaluate the success of our mission to be the “go to global journal for strategic supply chain management and business logistics research is to assess customer usage of IJPDLM. We receive quarterly usage updates from Emerald Publishing for IJPDLM. The numbers that follow are customer numbers and therefore exclude search engine crawler usage, usage by Emerald staff, LOCKSS crawler usage and free usage. Basically, the customer must be looking for IJPDLM or a specific article within the journal rather than just surfing.
One of the key customer usage variables is downloads. Looking back to 2005, IJPDLM had 1,361 unique users and 110,158 total downloads. Seven years later in 2012, the number of users more than doubled to 2,864 and 305,547 total downloads. As of June 2013, 2,470 unique users have accessed IJPDLM publications. These are tremendous growth numbers for a journal that is 44 years old and well established. These numbers also strongly suggest that the global supply chain management/logistics community is taking notice of IJPDLMs relevance and research quality. Now let us take a look at who is doing all this downloading.
It is no surprise that the UK was responsible for nearly a quarter (24 percent) of IJPDLM manuscript downloads in 2012. Researchers from the UK have been strong supporters of the journal from its introduction and continue to author and review a significant number of manuscripts published in the journal. Thus, we have endeavored to further strengthen these ties by appointing Professor Mark Johnson of Warwick Business School as Systems Editor for the journal. The heavy user group for downloads also includes 2. China (7 percent), 3. Malaysia (7 percent), 4. Australia (7 percent), 5. Germany (7 percent), and 6. the USA (7 percent). The remainder of the top 20 countries who download IJPDLM articles includes: Sweden (3 percent), India (3 percent), The Netherlands (3 percent), Thailand (2 percent), South Africa (2 percent), Finland (2 percent), Canada (2 percent), Pakistan (1 percent), Kenya (1 percent), Indonesia (1 percent), Hong Kong (1 percent), Iran (1 percent), Brazil (1 percent), and Turkey (1 percent). Thus, all continents are represented – with the exception of Antarctica!
Another interesting statistic to examine is who is accessing the journal, but perhaps not making direct downloads. This is typically done via a group/university agreement. For this metric, the country with the most research universities comes out on top – the USA (16 percent), followed by China (10 percent), the UK (8 percent), Germany (6 percent), and India (6 percent). Rounding out the top 20 are Brazil (3 percent), Australia (3 percent), Republic of Korea (2 percent), Canada (2 percent), Turkey (2 percent), Taiwan (2 percent), Thailand (2 percent), Malaysia (2 percent), Spain (2 percent), Italy (1 percent), Kenya (1 percent), Greece (1 percent), Pakistan (1 percent), Japan (1 percent), France (1 percent). Thus, during the first six months of 2013, IJPDLM was accessed more than 3,000 times by scholars from 29 different countries. These results indicate that the journal is demonstrating growing economies of scale via downloads and economies of scope via global coverage.
We are very proud of these usage numbers. However, we view them as a promising starting point and fully appreciate that we have plenty of hard work to do to further incorporate more global scholars into the SCML research dialog. This is especially true for Latin America where logistics is complicated and growing rapidly – the forthcoming special issue on Latin American logistics edited by Professors Edgar Blanco and Ely Pavia represents a major initiative to that end. Similarly, our new Regional Editor for Asia, Professor Shong-lee Ivan Su from Soochow University, Taiwan will shortly be launching a special issue on strategic SCML in Asia that is intended to provide an opportunity for leading scholars from that region to showcase their research talents. We also wish to encourage more submissions from African scholars that highlight divergent levels of industrialization and political risk considerations that are unique to SCML strategy on that continent. In summary, our editorial policy will be to endeavor to make sure colleagues are aware of IJPDLMs mission and opportunities as we continue to reach out to the global SCML community.
Also included in the mid-year statistics we receive from Emerald are the most influential manuscripts so far this year. We will follow up with the authors of the final top 20 at years end, but here is a quick look at some of the top papers for 2013.
Top five articles through end June, 2013 (downloads):
1. Carter, C.R. and Rogers, D.S. (2008), “A framework of sustainable supply chain management: moving toward new theory, Vol. 38 No. 5, pp. 360-387 (2998).
2. Manuj, I. and Mentzer, J.T. (2008), “Global supply chain risk management strategies, Vol. 38 No. 3, pp. 192-223 (1739).
3. Carter, C.R. and Easton, P.L. (2011), “Sustainable supply chain management: evolution and future directions, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 46-62 (1698).
4. Norrman, A. and Jansson, U. (2004), “Ericssons proactive supply chain risk management approach after a serious sub-supplier accident, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 434-456 (1272).
5. Mangan, J., Lalwani, C. and Gardner, B. (2004), “Combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies in logistics research, Vol. 34 No. 7, pp. 565-578 (1233).
5½. Mollenkopf, D., Stolze, H., Tate, W.L. and Ueltschy, M. (2010), “Green, lean, and global supply chains, Vol. 40 No. 1/2, pp. 14-41 (1151).
Another important category is how quickly a manuscript is downloaded. This shows how strongly the research fits current interests and if the questions being asked are relevant and timely. IJPDLM has long been considered a top target for emerging issues and 2011 appears to have been a banner year for immediacy concerning IJPDLM since 14 manuscripts published in that year are now in the top 20 all time.
Top ten articles downloaded the most during the six months immediately following the month of publication (downloads):
1. Carter, C.R. and Easton, P.L. (2011), “Sustainable supply chain management: evolution and future directions, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 46-62 (3107).
2. Christopher, M. and Holweg, M. (2011), “‘Supply chain 2.0’: managing supply chains in the era of turbulence, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 63-82 (2851).
3. Pålsson, H. and Johansson, O. (2009), “Supply chain integration obtained through uniquely labelled goods: a survey of Swedish manufacturing industries, Vol. 39 No. 1, pp. 28-46 (2428).
4. Daugherty, P.J. (2011), “Review of logistics and supply chain relationship literature and suggested research agenda, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 16-31 (2205).
5. Sachan, A. and Datta, S. (2005), “Review of supply chain management and logistics research, Vol. 35 No. 9, pp. 664-705 (1903).
6. Mollenkopf, D., Stolze, H., Tate, W.L. and Ueltschy, M. (2010), “Green, lean, and global supply chains Vol. 40 No. 1/2, pp. 14-41 (1487).
7. Johnson, M. and Templar, S. (2011), “The relationships between supply chain and firm performance: the development and testing of a unified proxy, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 88-103 (1423).
8. Lin, Y. and Zhou, L. (2011), “The impacts of product design changes on supply chain risk: a case study, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 162-186 (1418).
9. Manuj, I. and Sahin, F. (2011), “A model of supply chain and supply chain decision-making complexity, Vol. 41 No. 5, pp. 511-549 (1392).
10. Kovács, G. and Spens, K.M. (2011), “Trends and developments in humanitarian logistics – a gap analysis, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 32-45 (1312).
10½. Busse, C. and Wallenburg, C.M. (2011), “Innovation management of logistics service providers: foundations, review, and research agenda, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 187-218 (1310).
Many of our editorial advisory board (EAB) members are represented on this list of influential articles that includes many of the top world wide SCML researchers. The top ten includes Drs Gyongyi Kovàcs, Karen Spens and Mark Johnson who serve as European regional editors and systems editor for IJPDLM, Dr Craig Carter, Co-editor of our peer journal, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Dr Chandra Lalwani, Editor of our sister journal at Emerald, International Journal of Logistics Management, Dr Patricia Daugherty, previous Editor of Journal of Business Logistics, and Dr Martin Christopher, Emeritus Editor of IJPDLM.
We would also like to take this opportunity to recognize members of IJPDLMs “300 Club. “300 Club members are the 27 authors of 16 IJPDLM manuscripts that have been cited 300 times or more according to http://www.harzings.com (metrics accessed 8 August 2013):
Number of cites:
1098: Stevens, G.C. (1989), “Integrating the supply chain, Vol. 19 No. 8, pp. 3-8.
578: Houlihan, J.B. (1987), “International supply chain management, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 51-66.
519: Christopher, M. and Denis, T. (2001), “An integrated model for the design of agile supply chains, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 235-246.
509: Ellram, L.M. (1991), “Supply-chain management: the industrial organisation perspective, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 13-22.
451: Carter, C.R. and Dale, S.R. (2008), “A framework of sustainable supply chain management: moving toward new theory, Vol. 38 No. 5, pp. 360-387.
407: Christopher, M. and Hau, L. (2004), “Mitigating supply chain risk through improved confidence, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 388-396.
405: Fawcett, S.E. and Gregory, M.M. (2002), “The rhetoric and reality of supply chain integration, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 339-361.
401: Wu, H.-J. and Steven, C.D. (1995), “Environmentally responsible logistics systems, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 20-38.
375: Razzaque, M.A. and Chang, C.S. (1998), “Outsourcing of logistics functions: a literature survey, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 89-107.
370: Norrman, A. and Ulf, J. (2004), “Ericssons proactive supply chain risk management approach after a serious sub-supplier accident, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 434-456.
364: Holmberg, S. (2000), “A systems perspective on supply chain measurements, Vol. 30 No. 10, pp. 847-868.
351: Scott, C. and Roy, W. (1991), “New strategic tools for supply chain management, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 23-33.
350: Ellram, L.M. (1995), “Total cost of ownership: an analysis approach for purchasing, Vol. 25 No. 8, pp. 4-23.
344: Barratt, M. and Alexander, O. (2001), “Exploring the experiences of collaborative planning initiatives, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 266-289.
314: Kroon, L. and Gaby, V. (1995), “Returnable containers: an example of reverse logistics, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 56-68.
312: Towill, D.R., Mohamed, M.N. and Joakim, W. (1992), “Industrial dynamics simulation models in the design of supply chains, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 3-13.
We believe that it is important to highlight and celebrate the best research published in IJPDLM and these metrics are indicative of IJPDLM authors whose outstanding manuscripts have significantly influenced strategic SCML research. Each year, we will continue to update and recognize new members of the “300 Club.
As we consistently mention in our editorials, much of IJPDLMs ongoing success and research quality can be attributed to the voluntary efforts of those who serve the journal – especially as reviewers. We are fortunate to have an extensive pool of more than 800 diversely skilled reviewers who are collectively on top of the most relevant and up to date SCML research. You make IJPDLM what it is today and what it can be in the future. Please continue to work with us as we endeavor to further expand IJPDLMs scale and scope.
Manuscripts in this issue
Next, we briefly highlight the four articles in this final issue of Volume 43, 2013. The lead article, “On the measurement and benchmarking of research impact among active logistics scholars, Co-authored by Rao, Iyengar and Goldsby presents bibliometric data on the impact of research for 702 logistics scholars. This paper builds on a number of manuscripts recently published in SCML journals that benchmark and report on the output of scholars in our field. Such research helps to quantify the contributions of scholars in our field – a very necessary endeavor according to McKinnons thought-provoking lead article in the first issue of this volume. We therefore view this manuscript as a significant contribution to SCML research and anticipate that it will be widely read and referenced.
The second article “Exploring the use of 25 leading business practices in transitioning market supply chains, Co-authored by Dabic´, Potocan, Nedelko and Morgan focuses on organizational factors that influence the use of supply chain management tools by firms in Croatia and Slovenia and compares the study findings with those reported in a recent Bain & Company survey. The findings are interesting in that they somewhat counter-intuitively indicate that firms in the two Eastern European countries under examination employ relatively similar SCM tools to firms in more developed countries in Europe and North America.
The third paper, “Customer segmentation based on buying and returning behaviour Co-authored by Hjoort, Lantz, Ericsson and Gattorna examines the important issue of the handling of returns. The manuscript focuses on the fashion industry and assesses customer segmentation based on buying and returns behavior. This paper was selected as the best supply chain strategy paper from the 17th International Symposium on Logistics (ISL) held in Cape Town, South Africa in July 2012. The aim of ISL is to provide a forum for discussion between leading academics, researchers and practitioners who specialize in the area of logistics and supply chain management and to promote excellence in this field. The conference theme was “New horizons in logistics and supply chain management. This theme reflects the changes taking place across the world today in terms of shifting supply and demand for both goods and services. These changes have big implications for logistics and supply chain planning, representing a dynamic and interesting area of research and practice for both academics and practitioners alike. Hjort et al.s paper was selected by the track chairs and members of the ISL International Advisory Committee to be the best contribution in the area of SC strategy from a total of 62 papers. The authors were then invited to submit to IJPDLM for review by members of the EAB. Following satisfactory reviews, revisions and final acceptance by the IJPDLM editor, the paper was included in this issue. We would like to thank Dr Helen Rogers, Chair of supply chain management at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg for her invaluable assistance.
The final paper, “Understanding the purchase intention towards remanufactured product in closed-loop supply chains: an empirical study in China, Co-authored by Wang, Wiegernick, Krikke and Zhang theoretically develops and empirically validates a research model that examines Chinese consumers purchase intentions for remanufactured products and identifies underlying reasons for low consumer purchase intentions for remanufactured products in China. Such research contributes towards a better understanding of SCML strategies that can promote commerce in Chinas rapidly developing consumer marketplace. After two rounds and review by five referees, the Wang et al. paper was unanimously selected as the best paper in the logistics management track of the 2nd International Conference on Logistics, Informatics and Service Science (LISS 2012) conference and was submitted to IJPDLM for publication after further review by EAB members. LISS is a prime international forum for both researchers and industry practitioners to exchange the latest fundamental advances in the state of the art and practice of logistics, informatics, service operations and service science. The 2012 LISS conference received more than 400 papers from 12 countries and regions and we would like to thank Dr Guowei Hua from Jiaotong University in Beijing for his invaluable assistance.
Respectfully yours,
Alexander E. Ellinger, R. Glenn Richey Jr