June 16, 2020. Shanghai – In a report published in late-2019 in International Journal of Production Economics, Zhao Xiande, Professor of Operations & Supply Chain Management at CEIBS, was ranked either first or second in Asia according to multiple indicators regarding leadership in supply chain management (SCM) research. In addition, CEIBS was ranked between twelfth and nineteenth according to various indicators amongst leading institutions in SCM research in Asia, reflecting the school’s influence in this field.

The authority of this ranking
The article, entitled, “Charting leadership in SCM research from Asia and Europe”, is the first to reveal leading scholars and institutions in SCM research in Asia and Europe, and thus provide professional peers, researchers, and students with information helpful in gauging potential collaboration and education opportunities in these regions.

The article examined publications in a set of leading journals in the field, including the three dedicated SCM journals (Journal of Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Journal of Business Logistics) and SCM-related journals (including Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management) over a 15-year period between 2001 and 2015, focusing on 2,336 papers based on a set of 497 SCM keywords. Using these papers as a database, leading SCM authors and institutions were identified and ranked.

Prof. Zhao ranked first in Asia regarding “centrality”
Prof. Zhao ranked second in Asia in publication score (which accounts for the quality of the particular journals their papers appear in) with 10 papers and 307 citations appearing in Google Scholar. When looking into centrality-related indicators (which account for the nature and extent of relationships authors have developed and their potential to influence on SCM research), Prof. Zhao was ranked first in Asia, indicating that he has the most direct connections with other authors and therefore has access to ideas, thoughts, perspectives and expertise of many authors he has worked with. This ranking proves robust when looking at centrality measures. For either total degree centrality or Bonacich power centrality, Prof. Zhao was also ranked first.


Figure 1: The network of Prof. Zhao Xiande (Note: Includes only the 10 papers analysed in the IJPE article)

CEIBS sixth amongst institutions emerging in Asia in SCM research

The IJPE article also presented the top 25 institutions from Asia by composite publication score and centrality-related indicators. CEIBS ranked nineteenth in composite publication score, indicating its strength in the number and quality of SCM papers published in leading journals. For total degree centrality and Bonacich power centrality, CEIBS ranked twelfth and fourteenth, respectively, indicating its good connections with other institutions. These indicators, in general, reflect the influence of CEIBS in SCM research.

It is noteworthy that CEIBS also ranked sixth on the list of institutions the IJPE regards as “emerging in Asia”. From a data point of view, the number of SCM papers published by CEIBS scholars between 2011 and 2015 is five times that between 2006 and 2010, and further growth potential is promising.

Prof. Zhao is the JD.COM Chair in Operations & Supply Chain Management at CEIBS. For more on his teaching and research interests, please visit his faculty profile here.