Supply Chain Performance and Resilience of Japanese Firms

This paper proposes a causal model of the SCM implementation method and SCM performance by referring to several research investigations. This study shows that there are factors similar to those derived through our proposed causal model and questionnaire survey. Their influences on SCM also revealed performance metrics. In particular, the improvement of the practice of business-critical matter factor, which includes the capability of inventory management and flexibility to customer demand, is efficient in improving SCM performance. As a result of the analysis, we identified the existence of an undisclosed factor related to the ambiguous interpretation of the definition of SCM. A few firms experienced a reduction in SCM performance and a deterioration of the index of ability of inventory management, the reduction of lead time, and the level of on-time delivery. The Great East Japan Earthquake was thought to have had an adverse effect on SCM performance, thereby highlighting the importance of creating supply chain resiliency.