Supply chain management researchers have long acknowledged the importance of conceptualizing and analyzing a supply chain as a network. However, the bulk of supply chain management research remains at the level of buyer-supplier dyads. Although some have used network terminology to describe the key features of a supply chain, supply chain management researchers have only rarely employed network theory and analysis as the foundation for their research.
In contrast, network theorists build on a very well developed foundation of theory and analytical techniques for understanding complex social networks, but have only rarely applied it to supply chain management research questions. Rather, empirical network research tends to focus on areas where network data is readily available, such as interlocked directorates and strategic alliances. Yet, the relationships between buyers and suppliers in complex global supply networks is of critical managerial importance.
This professional development workshop seeks to bring these perspectives together, particularly in light of the archival supply network data that is now readily available through sources such as Bloomberg and FactSet Revere. It seeks to combine the deep theoretical and analytical expertise of network theorists with the important research questions raised by supply chain management researchers and the archival data sources that are now available, serving as a catalyst for critical supply network research. This workshop is designed to include tutorials, examples of research applications and opportunities for participants to interact to develop research ideas and potential research partnerships. The first part will be comprised of discussion of current and future research and tutorials by well-known experts in social network theory, social network analysis and applications of social network analysis in supply chain research. The second part of the workshop will kick off a session on archival sources of supply network data, presented by several young faculty members who have used them in their own research. They will describe the sources and how to use them, as well as highlight how they have used them in their own research.