Supply chain resilience, firm performance, and management policies in the liner shipping industry Chiung-Lin Liu a , Kuo-Chung Shang b , Taih-Cherng Lirn a,⇑ , Kee-Hung Lai c , Y.H. Venus Lun c,d a Department of Shipping and Transportation Management, National Taiwan Ocean University, No.2, Beining Rd., Jhongjheng District, Keelung City, Taiwan b Department of Transportation Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, No.2, Beining Rd., Jhongjheng District, Keelung City, Taiwan c Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong d Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, Australia article info Article history: Available online xxxx Keywords: Supply chain resilience Firm performance Liner shipping industry abstract This study empirically examines a model that describes the relationship between supply chain resilience (SCR) and firm performance by using survey data collected from the Taiwanese liner shipping industry. In the model, the theoretical constructs of SCR consist of a risk management culture, agility, integration, and supply chain (re-)engineering. The results from testing the model show that the positive direct effects of a risk management culture on agility, integration, and supply chain (re-)engineering are significant and that risk management performance contributes to firm performance. The findings also suggest that risk management performance plays a crucial role in the positive effects of the three types of SCR (i.e., agility, integration, and supply chain (re-)engineering) on firm perfor- mance. Managers are advised to focus on the role of risk management performance to real- ize the performance value of SCR. Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Businesses compete no longer on an individual basis but as a member of a supply chain (SC) (Christopher, 2000). A well- managed SC is thus one of the enduring resources to enhance a firm’s competitive strength. Determining how to lower inven- tory levels, reduce lead times, increase SC efficiency, and enhance profit is a formidable challenge confronting many man- agers. Further, specialization in industry and the globalization of materials and markets encourage manufacturers to outsource their productive activities to nations with lower wages to reduce costs. On the other hand, manufacturers market their products to emerging countries with strong purchasing power such as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) to increase their potential revenue. It is natural for SC members to transform themselves from local to regional or global operations. As an SC expands to include members from different cultures, locations, and time zones, SC management (SCM) becomes a complicated and challenging task. The liner shipping industry is the cornerstone of the semi-manufactured and manufactured goods market with the objec- tive of increasing the goods’ availability and generating higher profits. To achieve this objective, shipping lines need to con- stantly increase their number of container ships in order to provide broader geographical coverage for their shipping service. Many liner shipping companies began their operations by providing shipping service for a single nation and subsequently http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.02.004 0965-8564/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: tedlirn@email.ntou.edu.tw (T.-C. Lirn). Transportation Research Part A xxx (2017) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Transportation Research Part A journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tra Please cite this article in press as: Liu, C.-L., et al. Supply chain resilience, firm performance, and management policies in the liner shipping industry. Transport. Res. Part A (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.02.004