Research Gaps in Supply Chain Risk Management: A Systematic Literature Review

Despite growth of research publications, various meaning of knowledge and interpretations of supply chain risk management (SCRM) have evolved and considerable differences between its theory and practice, hence necessitating thorough review in SCRM by concentrating on the research gaps. The main objective of this study paper was to determine the main themes and gaps in literature in the field of SCRM. The study employed a systematic literature methodology on peer reviewed articles in SCRM on five major publishing sites, Emerald, Science Direct, Springer, Taylor & Francis and JSTOR from the period 2006 to 2020. Studies were mined and explored using the keyword “supply chain risk management” in the titles and abstracts with a view to consider all journal articles. A total of 135 articles in 48 journals from the period 2006–2020 were mined revealing SCRM gaps in research. A simple affinity diagram grouped research gaps into themes. Analysis was carried out by an excel database. Interpretivism research philosophy was used to guide the study. Exploratory design was further adopted in the study. Gaps were identified in literature in the field of SCRM and relevant themes revealed. The review was based on only 5 journal publishers. Excluded articles, but which focused on SCRM practices is also a limitation of the present systematic review. Further scholarly work can adopt findings of this study in contributing to the existing body of knowledge. The study diverts from the previous scholarly works by presenting research gaps systematically and thematically.