Modeling resilient supplier selection criteria in desalination supply chain based on fuzzy DEMATEL and ISM

This paper aims to identify resilient supplier selection criteria in the desalination supply chain and analyze the interactions between them. We identify 89 criteria from the literature. In the second step, nineteen main criteria were identified based on the literature. Two different multi-criteria decision-making techniques, i.e. interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and fuzzy decision-making testing and evaluation laboratory (fuzzy-DEMATEL), were used to identify driving criteria. Furthermore, standard criteria from each technique, their hierarchies and inter-relationships have been established. The criteria modeling using ISM and Fuzzy-DEMATEL shows that the most influential/driving criteria are management, financial status, and culture. On the other hand, five criteria viz. service, quality, relationship building, adaptive capacity, and responsiveness were commonly identified as the most dependent resilient supplier selection criteria in the desalination supply chain across two different modeling techniques. The findings allow decision-makers to select the desired and drop undesired criteria to select resilient suppliers in desalination. The most common driving criteria can be given high priority over others and can significantly improve the resilient supplier selection. MCDM-based hierarchical models and a causal diagram for resilient supplier selection criteria depicting contextual inter-relationships have been proposed. The main novelty of this research is to identify and modeling resilient supplier selection criteria. Also, multi-criteria decision-making techniques have not been used in desalination supply chain.

Automated summary

This research aims to identify and model resilient supplier selection criteria in the desalination supply chain, using two different multi-criteria decision-making techniques. The most influential criteria were found to be management, financial status, and culture, while the most dependent criteria were identified as service, quality, relationship building, adaptive capacity, and responsiveness. The findings of this study can help decision-makers prioritize criteria and improve resilient supplier selection in desalination.