Title: Supply chain management resilience: a theory building approach

Authors: Helena Carvalho; Susana G. Azevedo; V. Cruz-Machado

Addresses: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica e Industrial, UNIDEMI, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal ' Department of Business and Economics, University of Beira Interior, Polo IV – Estrada do Sineiro, 6200 – 209 Covilhã, Portugal ' Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica e Industrial, UNIDEMI, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal

Abstract: Interest in supply chain disruptions and respective negative consequences has been growing in the last years and the topic is becoming a main stream. This paper aims to propose a model for supply chain resilience management. An inductive theory building approach is used; being identified patterns of management across companies to build a theoretical and testable supply chain resilience model. To this end, content analysis of archival information on 77 companies affected by the Japan earthquake 2011 was used to identify the negative consequences of this event and the patterns of response practices used by companies to avoid or overcome those negative effects. The main conclusions of the study are that despite the earthquake provoked several negative effects, the companies failed to sustain their operations because capacity shortages and material shortages. These failures characterise the earthquake negative effects on supply chain.

Keywords: supply chain management; SCM; supply chain resilience; supply chain disturbances; natural disasters; content analysis; failure modes; supply chain disruptions; inductive theory building; Japan earthquake 2011; capacity shortages; material shortages.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSCOR.2014.065453

International Journal of Supply Chain and Operations Resilience, 2014 Vol.1 No.1, pp.3 - 27

Received: 14 Jul 2013
Accepted: 27 Jan 2014
Published online: 31 Oct 2014 *

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