Rural supply chain management: A literature review and research agenda

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the state-of-the-art of the existing body of knowledge concerning the concept of rural supply chain management (RSCM). The adoption of a systematic approach allows to provide a relevant classification of the main studies published on this topic and to draw a number of research implications. Research Approach: In order to achieve the above purpose, a systematic literature review has been conducted using a set of keywords that has been applied in Scopus and Web of Science databases. This allowed identifying relevant research materials published. A literature classification framework is proposed and the results achieved through the content analysis allow identifying an agenda for future research. Findings and Originality: A set of 207 documents has been retrieved and 38 of them have been included in the final sample. The analysis on these papers indicates that RSCM has not been widely investigated in the past. The main geographical areas investigated are the rural zones of China and India, whereas only few studies have been conducted in the context of the European Union. Three different topic areas have been identified in which the selected papers have been clustered that are all relevant for managing rural logistics and supply chain. The first topic area relates to rural retail and distribution with a focus on the physical distribution and transport of goods, possible retail strategies and purchasing behavior. The second area concerns digitalization and ICT with a focus on e-commerce, the use of ICT and platforms. The third topic area deals with supply chain models and capabilities in rural areas. These specific themes have been addressed according with the geographical region where the study has been conducted. In Europe some of the studies are focused on retailing strategy, whereas in non-European countries, most of the studies are focused on different issues such as the integration of rural and urban distribution networks, optimisation of distribution networks in rural areas, and factors affecting the development of rural logistics in comparison with urban logistics. Finally, a working definition of RSCM is proposed based on the existing literature. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to collect, analyse and classify scientific papers related to the RSCM concept. Research Impact: The results of this paper show that further investigations are needed to increase the knowledge on RSCM concept and applications. Such results allow providing a schematic and comprehensive classification framework of the various issues covered by existing RSCM studies. It is expected that it will stimulate future research in this field. The research results allow identifying a number of research avenues that scholars may use to further develop research in this area. In addition, the results of this study could help practitioners in planning business strategies in rural areas.