From the Editors: Introduction to the Emerging Discourse Incubator on the Topic of Emerging Approaches for Developing Supply Chain Management Theory

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12227
• Author: Brian Fugate,Mark Pagell,Barbara Flynn
• Published date: 01 April 2020
• Date: 01 April 2020

FROM THE EDITORS: INTRODUCTION TO THE

EMERGING DISCOURSE INCUBATOR ON THE TOPIC OF

EMERGING APPROACHES FOR DEVELOPING SUPPLY

CHAIN MANAGEMENT THEORY

BARBARA FLYNN

Indiana University

MARK PAGELL

University College Dublin

mark.pagell@ucd.ie

BRIAN FUGATE

University of Arkansas

The Journal of Supply Chain Management’s 2020 Emerging Discourse Incu-

bator hopes to stimulate the development of supply chain specific theory.

Well-executed case-based research will always be an appropriate means for

developing supply chain theory. However, this EDI seeks to highlight

emerging approaches to theory building that provide alternatives to case-

based research or can be used as a source of triangulation with it. To start

that discourse, this issue offers three emergent approaches. In “Theorizing

Supply Chains with Qualitative Big Data and Topic Modeling,”Tima Ban-

sal, Jury Gualandris, and Nahyun Kim explore the application of topic

modeling to develop supply chain theory from qualitative textual big data

evidence. Anne Touboulic, Lucy McCarthy, and Lee Matthews illustrate the

use of critical engaged research to develop supply chain theory in “Re-

Imagining Supply Chain Challenges Through Critical Engaged Research.”

In “A New Methodology for Supply Chain Management: Discourse Analy-

sis and its Potential for Theoretical Advancement,”Cynthia Hardy, Vikram

Bhakoo, and Steve Maguire describe the potential for discourse analysis

for developing supply chain management theory. These are but a few

examples of potential approaches to developing supply chain theory. We

welcome submissions on additional approaches and sources of data that

are used in other disciplines, but have yet to be applied in the context of

developing supply chain theory, and submissions on approaches that are

emergent in the social sciences, in general. JSCM welcomes submissions

for this EDI through the end of 2020.

Keywords: theory building; Qualitative Big Data; critical engaged research;

discourse analysis

INTRODUCTION

We agree with Van de Ven (1989) seemingly para-

doxical statement that “nothing is as practical as good

theory.” Although theory may seem esoteric, it can be

very practical in that theory describes a specific area of

knowledge and explains how it works (Huff, 2009). It

provides a foundation that fosters the systematic accu-

mulation of knowledge that informs both research

and practice and guides future research.

Imagine a research world without theory. We would

conduct some research by digging through empirical

data in search of statistically significant relationships.

April 2020

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Journal of Supply Chain Management

2020, 56(2), 3–6

©2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC