Conceptual Model Design and Freshwater Supply Chain Structuring Using The Combined Approach of Soft Systems Methodology and Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract

Supplying fresh water is one of the issues of humanity today and among the concerns of the United Nations and the FAO. Due to sudden changes in freshwater supply and demand patterns in the current world, its supply management is followed as a challenge. The purpose of this research is to design a conceptual model and structuring of fresh water supply chain using the combined approach of soft systems methodology and structural equation modeling. By conducting an open interview and posing a single and comprehensive question to 20 active experts and experts in a snowball manner, and then the role of researchers in system placement, the model will be presented. Qualitative model extraction was done with the SSM method and then in the quantitative part, the factors involved and identified by this method were measured in the form of hypothesis generation by researchers and their testing in PLS-SMART software, the findings showed that if the fresh water supply chain is considered as a system, The input and supply of this high-quality water system, rain and flood; disruption in the processing and analysis of this stakeholder tapping system; control for culturalization as an influencing and modulating factor of this system; Multiple weather, policy instability, natural disasters as environmental and political factors; The policy of order and quantity consumption and quality control to shape the cultural control; disturbing demand and output in this logistics distribution system are water wastage and prediction of wrong consumption and tax evasion and finally the optimal achievements of the water footprint identification model, analysis of water sustainability issues and water shortage control.

Keywords

• conceptual model
• structuring
• freshwater supply chain
• soft systems methodology
• structural equation modeling