“Trends and future directions in purchasing decisions in supply chain management”: a systematic review and bibliometric analysis from pre-to post-pandemic

Abstract

This study uses the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology to critically examine and review existing research on supplier selection in supply chain (SC) management before and after the onset of the pandemic. The study explores the nuanced dynamics that influence purchasing decisions, with a particular focus on the evolving role of sustainability considerations. A total of 358 peer-reviewed English-language articles from the Scopus database from 2005 to 2020 were analyzed for the pre-pandemic period. Additionally, 79 articles from 2021 to 2024 were analyzed for the post-pandemic period. A combination of bibliometric and network analyses, including co-citation, co-word and cluster analyses, was applied. This review provides valuable insights into key contributors, publication outlets and important themes. Before the pandemic, themes such as sustainability integration, SC disruption risks and fuzzy logic approaches emerged. Following the pandemic, new topics have emerged, including firms' reactive capacity, digital and analytical support and sustainable, supplier-driven resilience and fair, circular purchasing. The findings further underscore the pivotal role of the purchasing function as a dynamic, meso-level mechanism that links micro-level supplier selection practices to macro-level sustainability and resilience objectives amid disruptive SC conditions. The findings of this study demonstrate how research themes related to purchasing decisions in the SC changed before and after the health crisis. This demonstrates the significant influence that periods of upheaval can have on research topics. Through an original integrative framework, the article illuminates knowledge gaps associated with purchasing decisions in the SC, particularly the connection between sustainability and resilience, as well as the growing importance of purchasing and supplier selection in post-crisis contexts. The article also highlights the capabilities and strategies that firms need to effectively carry out and optimize this process.