Assessing Logistics Maturation through Author Concentration
Department
Management and Entrepreneurship
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2009
Abstract
Purpose - While most researchers would generally agree that the field of logistics has been maturing over recent decades, this maturation has not yet been empirically established. The purpose of this paper is to assess the maturity of research in the field by measuring author concentration in logistics journals over a sixteen-year period. Design/methodology/approach - Research propositions of logistics author concentration are first developed from the extant literature. The propositions are then tested, by assessing author concentration across 1,796 articles from five scholarly, peer-reviewed logistics journals from 1992-2007. The results are compared to similar studies of other academic business disciplines, including accounting, finance, management, and marketing. We also apply regression analysis to the time series data to verify changing author concentration trends. Findings - The results indicate that logistics publications generally have higher author concentration than other business disciplines, suggesting that logistics research is less expansive and still maturing compared to these other disciplines. However, logistics author concentration has continued to decrease since 1992 relative to schools, countries, degree-granting schools, and individual authors. This suggests that the field has been expanding and will continue to do so at a consistent pace in the near future. Originality/value - This paper allows logistics researchers to better understand the recent research history of the field as well as its future research prospects. Additionally, The implication for is presented the international expansion of the field as well as the increasing acceptance of logistics journals by other academic disciplines. In addition, concerns about increased author competition and research proliferation are voiced.
Journal Title
International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management
Journal ISSN
0960-0035
Volume
39
Issue
3
First Page
250
Last Page
268
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1108/09600030910951728