A framework for service supply chain management literature

The overall shift in emphasis in the economy from manufacturing to service industries has also received research attention in the last decades. Not surprisingly, there is a burgeoning literature on Service Supply Chains attempting to understand, explain, and model Service Supply Chains (SSC). This study conducts a systematic review of literature on SSC in order to gain better insight into the current body of knowledge and identify gaps in it. Consequently, the objectives of this paper is to identify the existing scientific journal articles, and conference papers within the research area of service supply chain management and to structure those studies by their characteristics and contents. A framework to be used for structuring the studies has been suggested in this paper. The framework deals with type of service, the unit of analysis (scope), direction (e.g. upstream, downstream, internal), the supply chain process, as well as the methodologies, concepts and models specific to SSC. Finally, based on the reviewed articles the paper provides an agenda for future research.