Title: Beyond the surface: a computational exploration of latent topics in the multi-tier sustainable supply chain management literature

Authors: Axel Zehendner; Iryna Malacina; Jaan-Pauli Kimpimäki

Addresses: Business School, LUT University, Lappeenranta, Finland ' Business School, LUT University, Lappeenranta, Finland ' Business School, LUT University, Lappeenranta, Finland

Abstract: As the literature on multi-tier sustainable supply chain management (MT-SSCM) has grown significantly in recent years, this study aims to advance MT-SSCM research by capturing the latent (or hidden) topics found within the relevant body of literature. We conducted a computational literature review that analysed the abstracts of 776 peer-reviewed articles. Our paper presents six thematic clusters, each consisting of multiple topics. It also provides insights into the long-term trends of each latent topic and suggests promising research directions for future studies. Thus, our study may assist researchers in planning impactful MT-SSCM studies and familiarising themselves with the larger discourse in the research field. The study also contributes to general operations and supply chain research by offering a blueprint for analysing larger sets of text-based data using topic modelling.

Keywords: multi-tier sustainable supply chain management; computational literature review; topic modelling; sustainability; supply networks; lower-tier suppliers; sub-suppliers; sustainable purchasing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPM.2025.145114

International Journal of Procurement Management, 2025 Vol.22 No.4, pp.486 - 516

Received: 03 Jan 2024
Accepted: 13 Jan 2024
Published online: 19 Mar 2025 *

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