Logistics is critical in every company's supply chain (SC), and outsourcing helps businesses concentrate on their core competencies. Third-party logistics (3 PL) or logistics service providers (LSPs) assist businesses in cutting costs while improving performance, sustainability, and revenue. Logistics evaluation and LSPs choice are complicated and critical components of value delivery. This study aims to review logistics outsourcing literature to understand the trends, prospects, factors, and strategies used in logistics companies' outsourcing choices. This work examines the literature on LSPs selection published between 2010 and 2023. This paper uses VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) to visualize the relationships. Pricing, timely shipment, service quality, reliability, agility, technology, and consumer feedback are the most commonly utilized, whereas societal and environmental factors are seldom used. The study comprises journal publications, the year, selection criteria, and assessment methodologies. Numerous scholars have discovered and employed many critical selection criteria. Many investigators have also embraced multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies, and their fuzzy form is widely used. In conclusion, recommendations for theorists and managers, limits, and future directions for research are offered.

With the high impetus in global digitization, online shopping (OS) is anticipated to increase further in the near future. Contrary to this anticipation, however, recent studies have emphasized a certain amount of drop in a considerable number of online purchasing transactions in 2022. One of the reasons might be customer dissatisfaction. To analyze online customer reviews, manual sentiment analysis was conducted to detect which quality criteria cause the dissatisfaction of online shoppers. The quality parameters are categorized into product, delivery service, and aftersales service quality (SQ). These main quality criteria are then divided into sub-factors. Eight health category products, including personal care products, wellness products, and household cleaners, were ranked to the importance of the sub-quality parameters using the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. In this study, a new hybrid MCDM method was also proposed, which combines the triangular fuzzy logarithm methodology of additive weights (F-LMAW) and the Fermatean fuzzy weighted aggregated sum product assessment method (FF-WASPAS). The study reveals that the most important criteria were products’ performance, as well as their side effects, pay-back, and change possibility, while the products’ reasonable price was the least important criterion. Aftersales service was more significant than delivery service. Furthermore, moisturizing creams and medical pillows were the most popular products bought in OS compared with hair conditioners and washing liquids. The study’s multifold contributions and managerial implications were elaborately discussed.

The integration of sustainable indicators into supply-chain management (SCM), including cost, innovation capability, quality, service capability, long-term cooperation, environmental management system, pollution reduction, green image, social responsibility, and employment practices, has become essential for conducting strategic analyses of the entire supply-chain process competitive advantage. This study proposes a fuzzy integration multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method to solve SCM issues. To navigate this complexity, a multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) framework is employed, integrating MCDM methods with fuzzy logic to effectively address subjective environmental criteria. This innovative approach not only enhances supply-chain management (SCM) but also emphasizes the necessity for ongoing innovation in tackling contemporary supply-chain challenges. It serves as a cornerstone for sustainable supplier selection practices and optimizing SCM processes. In this study, a hybrid fuzzy MCDM method is proposed for supplier selection. The method addresses supplier selection by utilizing evaluations from expert decision-makers based on predetermined criteria. This comprehensive approach ensures that all relevant factors are considered, promoting sustainable and efficient supply-chain management.

A bibliometric analysis is presented in this paper to examine the use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in the domain of Supply Chain Management (SCM). The research trends on DEA in SCM from 2000 to 2023 are explored, using data obtained from the Web of Science database (WoS) and VOS viewer software for detailed mapping of the articles. The numerous articles that use DEA in SCM worldwide are analyzed and summarized in this bibliometric study, producing a complete assessment of DEA in the field from 352 academic papers published in high-ranking publications. The articles are classified according to the year of publication, countries of the author(s), working areas, journals, and content of studies. Based on the findings of this research, tremendous potential is shown for DEA as a suitable evaluation instrument for future studies on sustainability concerns in SCM.

Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation