A large-scale disaster striking a fundamental infrastructure can disrupt the entire business area. Hence, Area Business Continuity Management (Area-BCM) is proposed to bring together stakeholders in the same area who aim to minimize economic losses and impacts due to a disaster. Its distinctive features consider public–private partnerships, critical external resources, and scalability of risk management. However, Area-BCM is still a long way from being successful as many challenges are found. This study aimed to build a model of success factors and analyze relationships among factors for Area-BCM implementation. The total interpretive structural modeling technique was utilized to construct a hierarchical model. Interviews and questionnaire surveys were performed for data collection. A process-automated tool was used to ensure accuracy and eliminate complicated calculations. The results indicate the foundation factors and critical suggestions to be grounded for success. The outstanding findings are the interpreted interrelationships in the final model. Moreover, cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification approach categorizes factors into four groups based on driving and dependence powers. The outcomes provide strong implications for Area-BCM practitioners or executors, helping them prioritize attention and prepare suitable strategies for successful implementation.

1. [1] F. Ranghieri and M. Ishiwatari, “Learning from megadisasters: Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake,” The World Bank, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0153-2
2. [2] AHA Centre, Japan International Cooperation Agency, OYO International Corporation, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc., and CTI Engineering International Co., Ltd., “Planning guide for area business continuity – Area BCM toolkits – Version 2, Main volume,” 2015. https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/1000023389.pdf [Accessed February 10, 2022]
3. [3] The World Bank, “Resilient industries: Competitiveness in the face of disasters,” 2020.
4. [4] H. Baba, T. Watanabe, M. Nagaishi, and H. Matsumoto, “Area business continuity management, a new opportunity for building economic resilience,” Procedia Econ. Finance, Vol.18, pp. 296-303, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(14)00943-5
5. [5] Z. A. Bakar, N. A. Yaacob, Z. M. Udin, J. R. Hanaysha, and L. K. Loon, “Business continuity management implementation in the Malaysian public sector,” Int. J. Bus. Technol. Manag., Vol.1, No.1, pp. 18-27, 2019.
6. [6] M. D. A. Nasiren, M. N. Abdullah, and M. Asmoni, “Critical success factors on the BCM implementation in SMEs,” J. Adv. Res. Bus. Manag. Stud., Vol.3, No.1, pp. 105-122, 2016.
7. [7] S. Sapapthai, N. Leelawat, J. Tang, A. Kodaka, and E. Ino, “Success factors of business continuity management implementation using analytic hierarchy process—A case study of an automotive part company in Ayutthaya province, Thailand,” 2021 3rd Int. Conf. Manag. Sci. Ind. Eng. (MSIE 2021), pp. 132-138, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1145/3460824.3460845
8. [8] T.-V. Vinh and D. Grewal, “Critical success factors of effective security management: A survey of Vietnamese maritime transport service providers,” Maritime Security and MET (Proc. of the 6th Annual General Assembly), pp. 87-96, 2005.
9. [9] A. Montshiwa, “Optimizing diamond structured automobile supply chain network towards a robust business continuity management,” Int. J. Supply Oper. Manag., Vol.2, No.4, pp. 947-981, 2016. https://doi.org/10.22034/2015.4.01
10. [10] The World Bank, “Resilient industries in Japan: Lessons learned in Japan on enhancing competitive industries in the face of disasters caused by natural hazards,” 2020.
11. [11] Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, “Area BCP Bangkadi Industrial Park Area, Pathumthani Province, Thailand,” 2017.
12. [12] K. Meechang and K. Watanabe, “The critical success factors of area-business continuity management: A systematic review and outlooks from the public and private sectors,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.17, No.6, pp. 923-932, 2022. https://doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2022.p0923
13. [13] A. Al Hour, “Business continuity management: Choosing to survive,” IT Governance Ltd., 2012.
14. [14] L. L. Hoong and G. Marthandan, “Factors influencing the success of the disaster recovery planning process: A conceptual paper,” 2011 Int. Conf. Res. Innov. Inf. Syst., 2011. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRIIS.2011.6125683
15. [15] I. H. Sawalha, “Business continuity management and strategic planning: The case of Jordan,” Ph.D. Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2011.
16. [16] J. Järveläinen, “Understanding the stakeholder roles in business continuity management practices – A study in public sector,” Proc. 53rd Hawaii Int. Conf. Syst. Sci., 2020.
17. [17] M. Thiga, “The extent of development of business continuity management in Kenya,” Master Thesis, University of Nairobi, 2009.
18. [18] H. Maruya, “Proposal for improvement of business continuity management (BCM) based on lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake,” J. JSCE, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 12-21, 2013. https://doi.org/10.2208/journalofjsce.1.1_12
19. [19] D. Botchie, I. S. Damoah, and I. Tingbani, “From preparedness to coordination: Operational excellence in post-disaster supply chain management in Africa,” Prod. Plan. Control, Vol.32, No.1, pp. 1-18, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2019.1680862
20. [20] N. A. Chowdhury, S. M. Ali, S. K. Paul, Z. Mahtab, and G. Kabir, “A hierarchical model for critical success factors in apparel supply chain,” Bus. Process Manag. J., Vol.26, No.7, pp. 1761-1788, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-08-2019-0323
21. [21] M. S. Ab Talib, A. B. A. Hamid, and A. C. Thoo, “Critical success factors of supply chain management: A literature survey and Pareto analysis,” EuroMed. J. Bus., Vol.10, No.2, pp. 234-263, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-09-2014-0028
22. [22] D. K. Yadav and A. Barve, “Analysis of critical success factors of humanitarian supply chain: An application of Interpretive Structural Modeling,” Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct., Vol.12, pp. 213-225, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.01.008
23. [23] J. Botha and R. Von Solms, “A cyclic approach to business continuity planning,” Inf. Manag. Comput. Secur., Vol.12, No.4, pp. 328-337, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1108/09685220410553541
24. [24] Q. Zhou, W. Huang, and Y. Zhang, “Identifying critical success factors in emergency management using a fuzzy DEMATEL method,” Saf. Sci., Vol.49, No.2, pp. 243-252, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2010.08.005
25. [25] S. K. Patil and R. Kant, “Knowledge management adoption in supply chain: Identifying critical success factors using fuzzy DEMATEL approach,” J. Model. Manag., Vol.9, No.2, pp. 160-178, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1108/JM2-08-2012-0025
26. [26] A. Kodaka, N. Leelawat, K. Watanabe, J. Park, J. Tang, E. Ino, and N. Kohtake, “Industrial area business continuity management exercise: An experimental validation for flood in Thailand,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.17, No.6, pp. 853-860, 2022. https://doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2022.p0853
27. [27] K. Ono, K. Kumagai, Y. Akakura, and F. Caselli, “Business continuity management system for the risk governance in port sub-sector,” 3rd Int. Conf. Earthq. Eng. Disaster Mitig. (ICEEDM-III 2016), 2016.
28. [28] S. A. Torabi, H. R. Soufi, and N. Sahebjamnia, “A new framework for business impact analysis in business continuity management (with a case study),” Saf. Sci., Vol.68, pp. 309-323, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2014.04.017
29. [29] B. N. L. Geelen-Baass and J. M. K. Johnstone, “Building resiliency: Ensuring business continuity is on the health care agenda,” Aust. Health Rev., Vol.32, No.1, pp. 161-173, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH080161
30. [30] D. Smith, “Business continuity and crisis management,” Manag. Q., Vol.44, No.1, pp. 27-33, 2003.
31. [31] Kyoto Prefecture, “Survey on Business Continuity and disaster prevention efforts of companies in Kyoto,” 2021 (in Japanese). https://www.pref.kyoto.jp/kikikanri/documents/bcpjissekityousagaiyou.pdf [Accessed April 1, 2022]
32. [32] M. Gallagher, “The road to effective business continuity management,” Account. Irel., Vol.37, No.2, pp. 66-68, 2005.
33. [33] M. Haraguchi and U. Lall, “Flood risks and impacts: A case study of Thailand’s floods in 2011 and research questions for supply chain decision making,” Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct., Vol.14, Part 3, pp. 256-272, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2014.09.005
34. [34] R. B. Dilmaghani and R. R. Rao, “Hybrid communication infrastructure and social implications for disaster management,” 2007 40th Annu. Hawaii Int. Conf. Syst. Sci. (HICSS’07), p. 22, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2007.253
35. [35] J. N. Warfield, “On arranging elements of a hierarchy in graphic form,” IEEE Trans. Syst. Man. Cybern., Vol.SMC-3, No.2, pp. 121-132, 1973. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSMC.1973.5408493
36. [36] Sushil, “Interpreting the interpretive structural model,” Glob. J. Flex. Syst. Manag., Vol.13, No.2, pp. 87-106, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-012-0008-3
37. [37] M. N. Faisal, D. K. Banwet, and R. Shankar, “Supply chain risk mitigation: Modeling the enablers,” Bus. Process Manag. J., Vol.12, No.4, pp. 535-552, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1108/14637150610678113
38. [38] A. Saurikhia, S. Ahmed, A. Haleem, S. Gangopadhyay, and M. I. Khan, “Evaluating technology management factors for fly-ash utilization in the road sector using an ISM approach,” Int. J. Manag. Sci. Eng. Manag., Vol.13, No.2, pp. 108-117, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/17509653.2017.1314202
39. [39] K. Govindan, S. G. Azevedo, H. Carvalho, and V. Cruz-Machado, “Lean, green and resilient practices influence on supply chain performance: Interpretive structural modeling approach,” Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol., Vol.12, No.1, pp. 15-34, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-013-0409-7
40. [40] S. Azevedo, H. Carvalho, and V. Cruz-Machado, “Using interpretive structural modelling to identify and rank performance measures: An application in the automotive supply chain,” Balt. J. Manag., Vol.8, No.2, pp. 208-230, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465261311310027
41. [41] N. Ahmad and A. Qahmash, “SmartISM: Implementation and assessment of interpretive structural modeling,” Sustainability, Vol.13, No.16, 8801, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168801
42. [42] S. Warshall, “A theorem on Boolean matrices,” J. ACM, Vol.9, No.1, pp. 11-12, 1962. https://doi.org/10.1145/321105.321107
43. [43] J. N. Warfield, “Toward interpretation of complex structural models,” IEEE Trans. Syst. Man. Cybern., Vol.SMC-4, No.5, pp. 405-417, 1974. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSMC.1974.4309336
44. [44] K. Meechang, N. Leelawat, J. Tang, E. Ino, A. Kodaka, C. Chintanapakdee, and K. Watanabe, “Affecting factors on perceived usefulness of area-business continuity management: A perspective from employees in industrial areas in Thailand,” IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., Vol.630, 012016, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/630/1/012016