Title: Postponement: bibliometric analysis and systematic review of the literature

Authors: Karine Araújo Ferreira; Larissa Almeida Flávio; Lasara Fabrícia Rodrigues

Addresses: Department of Production Engineering, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Escola de Minas, Campus Universitário, CEP 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil ' Department of Production Engineering, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Escola de Minas, Campus Universitário, CEP 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil ' Department of Production Engineering, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), Escola de Minas, Campus Universitário, CEP 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil

Abstract: Postponement, which refers to the delay of the final configuration and/or forward movement of goods until the consumer requests are received, is an important strategy to increase agility and flexibility of production and logistics systems. This study aims to carry out a bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of relevant literature on postponement strategy. Bibliometrics was applied as a quantitative technique using the Web of Science database and the CiteSpace software. As for the qualitative analysis, a systematic review of selected publications was carried out. In the first search in the Web of Science, 1,670 publications were identified, and after successive refinements, a dataset of 53 articles was selected. The bibliometric analysis allowed the selection of journals, authors, and prominent publications in the area, which enabled the construction of citation and co-citation maps. The systematic review allowed the identification of topics, main contributions, and methods used in the selected articles.

Keywords: postponement; mass customisation; supply chain management; SCM; bibliometric analysis; systematic review.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2018.091445

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2018 Vol.30 No.1, pp.69 - 94

Received: 27 Jul 2016
Accepted: 14 Nov 2016
Published online: 01 May 2018 *

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