Companies attempt to improve the performance of their supply chain (SC) by distinguishing and presenting feasible sustainable development practices (SDP). Considering SDP without focusing on sustainability risks may disturb the company’s future. Very few studies in the extant literature have dealt with the impact of (SDP) on the supply chain risk management (SCRM). In fact, the aim of this paper is to classify and prioritize SDPs according to their priority for better risk management and effective SC performance. The proposed approach comprises two phases. First, 14 SDPs are identified and selected from the literature. Second, MICMAC (Matrice d’impacts croisés multiplication appliquée à un classement) method as a structural analysis method applies to identify and assess sustainable supply chain risk management (SSCRM) practices which reduce risk in the SC. The input data for each phase are based on Delphi technique, which is a process group used to collect the opinions of experts in the field. The aim of the proposed approach is to prioritize SSCRM practices and classify them into influential, non-influential, independent and dependent practices and their mutual relationships. The six key findings SSCRM practices from direct and indirect classification include the following elements: (1) Delayed differentiation, (2) Information sharing with upstream and/or downstream partners, (3) Simplification of product dismantling/anticipation of product end of life, (4) Supplier/subcontractor’s performance assessment, (5) establishing shared supply management and (6) establishment of contracts with transporters.

Seaports are important infrastructures to support international trade. Therefore, it is vital that port efficiency and productivity are continuously evaluated and improved. In this context, the objective of this article is to evaluate both the technical efficiency and the change in productivity of the six most important Tunisian commercial seaports, Bizerte, Rades, Sousse, Sfax, Gabes, and Zarzis, over a period of twelve years from 2005 to 2016. To achieve this objective, the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method is applied. The first output-oriented DEA application is about efficiency evaluation, which, for each seaport, allows the estimation of overall technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency, and scale efficiency. The second application concerns the evolution of the productivity of Tunisian seaports during the study period using the Malmquist DEA-based productivity index. The productivity analysis is performed according to the year (period) and according to each studied seaport. The first output-oriented DEA method provides that the overall technical efficiency in the above-mentioned ports is 69.4% while the pure technical efficiency is 83.3%. Furthermore, the average scale efficiency is about 82.6%, which implies that the decreasing type of returns to scale dominates in this study. Regarding the second DEA application for productivity evolution, the obtained results from the data analysis revealed that it fell by 6.7%, mainly due to the degradation of the technological change (8.3%). The results obtained provide useful basic criteria for establishing efficiency improvement strategies for each studied seaport.

Port risk management (PRM) during port operations is a current problem that can negatively affect the environment, people, and economic issues. In the literature, there is an enormous amount of research related to supply chain risk management (SCRM) in various areas and with various objectives. However, PRM has not received the same degree of attention. In fact, port terminals are crucial links in most supply chain networks and an important pillar of international trade. Therefore, for better risk mitigation efficiency, a risk assessment and prioritization step are vital. Recently in the literature, researchers have applied prospective methods such as structural analysis methods to risk prioritization in SCRM. The aim of this research is to prioritize various man-made risk variables in PRM using a qualitative structural modeling-based approach, specifically, the MICMAC method (referring to its French acronym: Matrice d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement). An empirical study was conducted to assesses and prioritize risk variables of the seaport terminals of Sfax (Tunisia). The main contributions of the empirical research are twofold. First, to prioritize the key risk variables to define the most critical ones that require immediate intervention. Second, to analyze the structure of the influences between all identified risk variables. The results for the port terminals of Sfax show that the highest-priority risk variables are the manual handling (Ph3), disregard for safety aspects (Ph4), unsafe storage of goods (Inc1), absence of a prevention system and a rescue organization (Inc2), neglect of the regulatory aspects of handling equipment (M1), ignorance of good handling practices during the operation of loading and unloading (Cho2), and inadequate lifting accessories (Cho3). These risk variables must be the subject of urgent risk reduction strategies.

The supply chain risk management (SCRM) is very critical to strategically support the firms to continuous success. There are, at least, three basic steps in this SCRM process: risk identification, risk evaluation, and risk mitigation (treatment). Whatever happens, the main step is risk mitigation (RM) and mainly sustainable RM. In fact, every risk must be eliminated or controlled as much as possible. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate and evaluate various RM scenarios from an initial risk identification and prioritization solution. The proposed scenario modeling technique is based on morphological analysis (MA) as an explorative scenario tool for RM. MA is used to develop a framework to proactively assess critical risk variables. Firstly, MA is employed to exhaustively create possible RM scenarios and, secondly, to assess the likelihood of each scenario. The proposed approach addresses the need for a basic rubric to help identify and choose RM approaches. A real case study is provided from the food industry to illustrate the application of the proposed approach. To handle all possible MA strategies, a dedicated MORPHOL software package is used. In addition, RM strategies are selected based on sustainability indicators. The case study results prove that MA has a considerable value for SCRM. It shows that firms can adopt multiple robust strategies in the form of a scenario describing all stages of SCRM in an integrated representation.

Although numerous risk mitigation strategies have been developed for specific types of risks in supply chain risk management (SCRM), there is a lack of concrete and generic frameworks for an integrated network SCRM process. Consequently, it is often challenging to trace the process by which conclusions are drawn from previous research studies. The main goal is to create a framework that includes articulating SCRM issues, ranking risk variables, and creating mitigation strategies. Using the “scenario method” offers a comprehensive perspective that is displayed in a single table and helps identify different options. The extended supply chain's potential tools are used to create a unique framework for scenario building in risk mitigation plans in this research. The research demonstrates the importance of the framework and how it may help organizations implement strong strategies based on compelling scenarios through a thorough case study. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.