Humanitarian Supply Chain Management Research Articles

A Decision Support Model for Barriers and Optimal Strategy Design in Sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chain Management

Sustainable humanitarian supply chain (SHSC) management enables effective and efficient responses to natural and human-made disasters. Existing literature falls short of offering decision support (DS) models to address the barriers and strategies to designing SHSC. To this end, this study develops a DS model that identifies and prioritizes the barriers to SHSC and determines optimal strategies for mitigating those barriers. This study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches. As part of the qualitative approach, a field study was applied using in-depth interviews to determine the barriers and corresponding strategies, while under the quantitative approach, a quality function deployment (QFD) integrated optimization technique was used to prioritize barriers and determine optimal strategies to mitigate the SHSC barriers. The study found that a lack of contingency planning, the prevalence of corruption and political interference, and a lack of social and environmental awareness are the most important barriers, while logistics outsourcing, supply chain (SC) performance management, and SC flexibility are the most essential strategies. We also found that our DS model is highly flexible and can be adapted under different scenarios, which makes the model applicable to different contexts. This study has a significant contribution to literature and practice. We developed a novel decision model that captured cost savings and leveraged both cost and time savings from interrelated strategies to determine the best optimal strategy while applying QFD-integrated optimization modeling. The paper’s findings will assist humanitarian SC managers in designing an effective, efficient, and sustainable humanitarian SC.

Design and management of humanitarian supply chains for pandemics: lessons from COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge for humanity, causing widespread disruptions to daily life and economies worldwide. However, amidst the challenges, it has also presented an opportunity to reflect on our competencies, capabilities, and objectives. One area that has gained significant attention during this time is the humanitarian supply chain management theories, which offered significant directions to the scholars engaged in operations and supply chain management, practitioners and policymakers. To further advance the theoretical boundaries of the humanitarian supply chain and expand the scope and boundaries of the discipline, a special issue has been organised. This issue includes 24 carefully selected articles that have gone through multiple rounds of review. The articles are all centred on the humanitarian crisis resulting from COVID-19 and offer a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by various stakeholders. Additionally, one relevant article from a previous issue has been included, which explores the potential use of drones in disaster relief operations. The articles included in this special issue have significant implications for theory, practice, and policy, providing valuable insights and direction for further research to expand the scope of the discipline. This particular issue is a crucial contribution to humanitarian supply chain management. It provides a deeper understanding of the complex challenges faced during a crisis and the best practices to overcome them.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Supply Chain Agility: A Perspective of Humanitarian Supply Chain

The present study aims to establish a link between digital and humanitarian supply chain management. This study has focused on using artificial intelligence-big data analytical capabilities and information alignment to develop and maintain supply chain collaboration to achieve supply chain agility in a dynamic environment like a disaster. The targeted population is humanitarian organizations in Pakistan. Simple random sampling method, data was collected from 242 respondents using an online questionnaire. The Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modelling technique has been used for analysis. Resource Based Theory and Contingency Theory in this study have provided foundations to develop and test the relationships among information alignment, supply chain agility, artificial intelligence – big data analytical capabilities, and supply chain collaboration in disaster management. Findings showed the use of artificial intelligence – big data analytical capabilities are beneficial for information alignment and supply chain agility.

Reverse Logistics Practices In Humanitarian Supply Chain Management: A Content Analysis

In recent years, natural disasters associated with human-induced factors and climate changes have increased. The humanitarian supply chain (HSC) provides a practical and rapid response to these disasters and deals with the destruction that may occur due to disasters. The use of reverse logistics, one of the key supply chain processes for successful supply chain management, is becoming widespread in the supply chain. Its use in HSC is limited. Considering the aim of HSC to create positive effects on the population affected by disasters, it is essential for the sustainability of resources and processes that they adopt reverse logistics practices. In this context, the study aims to analyze the usage area of reverse logistics in HSC operations and show where it can be applied in the future. In line with the purpose of the study, the annual reports and publications of aid organizations operating in Turkey were analyzed using the content analysis method, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in humanitarian aid organizations. It has been concluded that humanitarian aid organizations know reverse logistics processes and have areas of use in their applications.

Sustainable humanitarian supply chains: a systematic literature review and research propositions

The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesise the body of knowledge related to sustainable humanitarian supply chains across disaster relief as well as those of logistics of development aid. The output of this paper is a set of research propositions that will help advance theory building and validation for the management of sustainable humanitarian supply chains. This systematic review identifies and categorises sustainable humanitarian supply chain management (SHSCM) themes, with a particular emphasis on theoretical development based on a categorical analysis of research articles. The thematic analysis reveals that sustainability in humanitarian supply chains encompasses a wide range of aspects, such as supply network configuration, coordination, and partnership, as well as performance measurement. However, theoretical studies typically do not integrate all sustainability dimensions. In particular, social sustainability factors are largely absent from current models of SHSCM, despite their inherent significance in humanitarian contexts. The categorical analysis explains how aspects related to the identified themes impact and pose opportunities for SHSCM. Insights from this systematic review can support humanitarian supply chain sustainability knowledge with policy-driven research directions. These policies can help achieve a greater level of sustainability in humanitarian supply chain management. The originality of this study lies in the development of detailed categories of sustainability studies, in its analytical focus on SHSCM theories, and in the development of research propositions to provide insights to researchers on how to advance theory and conduct impactful research on the topic of SHSCM.

Developing a sustainable operation management system for food charity organizations

In this paper, we study the operation management model used in a non-profit organization operating in food waste management, particularly in slow-onset crisis settings. Then, we build an optimized model and suggest alternative solutions to this non-profit organization in order to ensure its sustainability and efficiency in redistributing the excess a food, which may help to reduce food waste in the country. To do this, we first, conducted a field study to understand the current operation management of this non-profit organization to collect and distribute food. Second, we identified the main challenges faced to perform efficiently. Third, we assess the effects of introducing volunteers on the processing times. Fourth, we built an optimized operation management model to study how operational decisions when introducing volunteers affects on-time distribution in steady conditions. The analysis of supply chain integration and its performance consequences in a slow-onset crisis situation makes this article a valuable contribution to the literature on humanitarian supply chain management.

Designing an efficient humanitarian supply chain network during an emergency: A scenario-based multi-objective model

Efficient humanitarian supply chain (HSC) management plays an underlying role in saving lives, reducing human torment, and contributing to sustainable development during a disaster. Accordingly, the issue of locating and allocating relief facilities in the first hours after the occurrence of a disaster has a great impact on providing timely service. This study addresses a sustainable location-allocation-inventory problem (LAIP) to design an efficient HSC through concurrently optimizing four objectives of fairness, timeliness, economic productivity, and social justice. To do so, a novel scenario-based multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed to formulate the problem under uncertainty. According to this model, the process of taking care of injured people is carried out in three stages of decision-making. Maximum facilities for sending relief supplies are used to supply the demand at each stage. In addition, the three factors of supply, demand, and communication routes between the centers and the affected areas are defined as fuzzy random parameters. Since the proposed model contains multiple objectives, goal programming (GP) is applied to provide a single-objective model. The validation of the developed methodology is made with the help of an illustrative example in the literature, and the results are obtained and evaluated using sensitivity analysis of the objective functions’ weights. As one of the main findings, sending the maximum available supplies in MDCs to the affected areas in three stages using surplus vehicles is the best solution to cover the shortage of products. Finally, it is revealed that the proposed methodology can be utilized by managers to tackle the complexity of the problem during natural disasters.

Are humanitarian supply chains sustainable? A systematic review and future research themes

PurposeTo address the challenges encountered in disaster responses, optimize resource utilization, minimize environmental and social impact, and ensure transparency and accountability, it is essential to review humanitarian supply chains and incorporate sustainability considerations. Humanitarian organizations can enhance their ability to deliver timely and effective assistance to those in need by continuously improving supply chain practices. Consequently, this work explores the convergence of two fast-growing domains: sustainability and humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM).Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles to identify the prominent research trends and themes from the two domains' interactions. The extant literature is represented under the theory, context, characteristics, and research method (TCCM) framework. The authors have utilized a stakeholder theory perspective to identify coordination and collaboration among the various stakeholders.FindingsThis study's review findings reveal five future research directions formulating this study's central themes: the role of environmental sustainability, coordination, and collaboration in building effective HSCs; the role of humanitarian aid for the responsive HSC; the influence of big data predictive analytics on the HSC performance; development and empirical validation of sustainable HSC performance framework; the role of HSC stakeholders in building effective and efficient HSCs.Originality/valueThere is no existing academic literature review available on sustainable HSCM. This review fills this void by fostering discussion about sustainable humanitarian supply chains where the authors notably propose the TCCM framework in the context of sustainable HSCM, followed by a stakeholder network.

Humanitarian supply chain management in the digital age: a hybrid review using published literature and social media data

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine various data sources to identify trends and themes in humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) in the digital age.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, various data sources such as published literature and social media content from Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and forums are used to identify trending topics and themes on HSCM using topic modelling.FindingsThe study examined 33 published literature and more than 94,000 documents, including tweets and expert opinions, and identified eight themes related to HSCM in the digital age namely “Digital technology enabled global partnerships”, “Digital tech enabled sustainability”, “Digital tech enabled risk reduction for climate changes and uncertainties”, “Digital tech enabled preparedness, response and resilience”, “Digital tech enabled health system enhancement”, “Digital tech enabled food system enhancement”, “Digital tech enabled ethical process and systems” and “Digital tech enabled humanitarian logistics”. The study also proposed a framework of drivers, processes and impacts for each theme and directions for future research.Originality/valuePrevious research has predominantly relied on published literature to identify emerging themes and trends on a particular topic. This study is unique because it examines the ability of social media sources such as blogs, websites, forums and published literature to reveal evolving patterns and trends in HSCM in the digital age.

The influence of information and communication technologies on disaster relief operations: a case of Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe

PurposeThere has been an avalanche of global natural disasters in recent times. In recent years approximately 210 million people were affected, an estimated economic cost of US$153bn was incurred and 68,000 deaths were recorded. This was a work up call that made it imperative for humanitarian actors to impetuously adopt information and communication technologies (ICTs) to timeously assist affected populations in disaster prevention, mitigation response and recovery However, the use of ICTs in the humanitarian field is still at its infancy in most third world countries. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the utilization of ICTs in humanitarian relief operations associated with Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe.Design/methodology/approachUsing a pragmatic approach, the study gathered data using semistructured questionnaires that were triangulated with interviews of humanitarian staff that were involved in Cyclone Idai relief efforts.FindingsAn observed suboptimal utilization of ICTs was further disadvantaged by the inequitable distribution of communication infrastructure. However, despite the suboptimal usage, there was a significant positive influence of ICT adoption on effectiveness, efficiency and flexibility in humanitarian relief operations.Originality/valueOptimal use of ICTs has the potential to revolutionize humanitarian supply chain management. A smooth transition to new technologies is recommended in which personnel are given professional development opportunities on a regular basis.

Risk management in humanitarian supply chain based on FMEA and grey relational analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) necessary for delivering emergency items during the disaster. The combined effects of climate change and the pandemic uncover the vulnerabilities of humanitarian supply chain operations and highlight the importance of risk management. This study aimed to identify priority risk factors and proposed mitigating risk strategies of a local government that is at the forefront of relief operations. It used Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) method to validate the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) approach in identifying priority issues relating to the supply chain risks. This paper reveals that the results of FMEA and GRA are almost similar.

Impact of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management on Disaster Response in Tanzania

Humanitarian Supply Chain is an emerging concept in Disaster Management and academic and practitioner interest in it is beginning to expand. Limited or no consensus is currently available among decision-makers, academicians, and practitioners as to the exact effect and extent of influence of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management on Disaster response. Therefore, this study tries to examine the relationship between Humanitarian Supply Chain Management and Disaster Response. The study formulated a hypothesis based on the identified study concepts. Stratified random sampling was used to sample 258 respondents from Dodoma Region in Tanzania. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to collect primary data from the study population. Data were confirmed by using validity and reliability tests, normality tests, and linearity tests. Data analysis was conducted through descriptive analysis, regression analysis, multiple regression analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis. In this study, it was revealed that Humanitarian Supply Chain Management is significant to Disaster Response. Further findings in the study also revealed that there is a positive correlation between Humanitarian Supply Chain Management and Disaster Response. It is therefore recommended that the practitioners, decision-makers, and academicians should move away from the basic understanding of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management which might pave the way for rapid assistance to disaster victims in salvaging restoration of human dignity during and after a disaster.

Logistic distribution in humanitarian supply chain management: a thematic literature review and future research

Logistic distribution in humanitarian supply chain management: a thematic literature review and future research

Innovation in humanitarian logistics and supply chain management: a systematic review.

The COVID-19 global health crisis forced border closings, strained resources and tightened funding, forcing humanitarian organisations to innovate. This paper aims to identify gaps in the literature on innovation in humanitarian supply chains, and to develop an appropriate framework for future research through a systematic literature review. We use a systematic literature review approach and synthesis the discussion of innovation in humanitarian supply chains after reviewing 43 papers. The synthesis identifies the different contexts for and outcomes of innovation in humanitarian supply chains. Our findings indicate that research on innovation in humanitarian supply chains is an underdeveloped topic. Gaps we identified in regards to the humanitarian context are: (1) a limited discussion of the contribution by the beneficiary to the supply chain; (2) a limited discussion of reconstruction innovations; (3) a lack of study on field application for complex innovations; (4) the lack of discussion of the role of individual knowledge in humanitarian supply chain innovation and finally (5) a lack of study of position innovations where humanitarian organisations use supply chains as a way to market effectively towards donors.

Assessing humanitarian supply chain operations in the aftermath of the Kermanshah earthquake

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to consider how to benefit efficiently from the significant potential of humanitarian operations by individuals. For this purpose, this study aims to assess failure factors in humanitarian supply chain operations after the Kermanshah earthquake considering the role of all parties, focusing on individuals who did not wish to work with formal organisations on the whole. In the aftermath of the Kermanshah earthquake, which occurred on 12 November 2017, improvised groups of Iranian civilians from all over the country played an important role in humanitarian supply chain operations as individuals. Although most of these groups sincerely intended to help the affected society, victims could not benefit properly from these significant potential humanitarian actions. On the contrary, these potential actions caused some issues during humanitarian operations, such as blocking roads, inappropriate last-mile distribution, wasting resources and so on.Design/methodology/approachThis research study considers mixed methods, including an on-site survey, semi-structured interviewing and a questionnaire designed for statistical analyses. The analysis included 140 responses to the questionnaire, semi-structured interviews with 32 affected families, interviews with 5 emergency managers from the Housing Foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran and on-site survey reports.FindingsThis study presents a framework for humanitarian supply chain management to deal with future disasters in the same area or areas with similar characteristics to the case study. In general, the results of this study demonstrate that the nature of humanitarian supply chain operations makes it impossible to consider that these operations are free of challenges. However, several influential factors, such as training humanitarian actors and integrated management, might considerably increase the efficiency of humanitarian operations by individuals.Originality/valueThis study highlights the influential factors of inappropriate humanitarian operations by individuals, derived from an analysis of the Kermanshah case and literature review. The authors suggest a framework to benefit from the significant potential of individuals with wide-ranging experiences and proficiency, for future cases similar to the case study.

Barriers to information and digital technology adoption in humanitarian supply chain management: a fuzzy AHP approach

PurposeThe humanitarian supply chain (HSC) area is rich with conceptual frameworks with a focus on the importance of information and digital technology (IDT) applications. These frameworks have a limited scope in investigating and prioritizing barriers to IDT adoption in HSCs. The present study thus identifies and prioritizes the barriers to IDT adoption in organizations involved in HSCs.Design/methodology/approachBy using a literature review allied with expert discussions and a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP), the study identifies and prioritizes a comprehensive set of barriers that organizations involved in HSCs may consider to improve IDT adoption.FindingsThe study investigates five main barriers (strategic, organizational, technological, financial and human) interlocked with 25 sub-barriers impacting the level of IDT adoption in organizations involved in HSCs. The findings indicate that strategic barriers (SBs) are of greatest importance, followed by organizational, technological, financial and human barriers. The findings indicate the difference in ranking barriers influencing the adoption of IDTs in HSCs compared to the commercial supply chain.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough a three-step method adopted for this study is rigorous in terms of the way this research is conducted, it is essential to report that prioritization is based on the subjective opinions of the experts.Practical implicationsThe findings aim to assist policymakers and practitioners in developing effective strategies to improve IDT adoption in organizations engaged in HSCs. Moreover, the prioritization of barriers provides a systematic way to overcome any barriers to improve HSC performance.Originality/valueThis study is first of its kind that investigates and prioritizes the barriers to IDT adoption in HSCs.

Peculiarities and threats of managing humanitarian supply chains under martial law

The logistics of humanitarian cargo under martial law is definitely new for Ukraine. As a result, many business representatives rallied in a single cluster with the aim of organizing the supply of humanitarian aid in extremely difficult conditions. At the same time, logisticians have faced many significant problems and challenges, which has caused an increase in attention to humanitarian logistics. The military aggression of the Russian Federation created a large number of humanitarian threats, in particular ecocide. The scale of the destruction exceeded the worst forecasts of world experts. An important factor in the organization of humanitarian supply chain management processes in the conditions of this war is the high threat to people's lives. Due to the fact that air transport is not possible for obvious reasons, all deliveries are long and at high risk of disruption or physical destruction. Therefore, it is critically important to analyze the peculiarities of the organization of humanitarian supply chains, the main problems and challenges that logistics companies of Ukraine had to face in the conditions of martial law. It is important to perform such an analysis in order to take into account the specifics of the structure of the logistics system of humanitarian aid delivery, as well as the efficiency of its key elements. The search for solutions to establish a regular supply of humanitarian aid to Ukrainians in difficult war conditions requires a thorough analysis not only of supply channels, but also of possible threats to their organization.

A bibliometric analysis of humanitarian logistics

Recent years have seen a surge in interest in humanitarian logistics (HL) research. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 894 HL-related studies. The publications were chosen using a combination of keywords from their titles, abstracts and author-supplied keywords from the leading database Scopus. The publications were classified according to their publication year, country of origin, type of publication, most relevant journals, and most influential authors. The review’s findings indicate that over a four-decade period, HL research progressed through three distinct stages. In terms of national contribution, the United States of America leads with the most studies published on HL. Additionally, the HL literature is advanced primarily through academic journal articles. The Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management is the leading journal in the field, with 148 articles published. The study makes a significant contribution by providing relevant analysis that may inform and guide scholars and researchers as they explore the evolution of HL research and foster networking and collaboration opportunities across multiple institutions.

HumOSCM for pandemic response

Purpose Humanitarian organizations have faced the unprecedented consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this article, the authors therefore discuss how epidemics and pandemics, specifically Ebola and COVID-19, have affected humanitarian operations and supply chain management (HumOSCM), and how HumOSCM has contributed to preparedness for and response to epidemics and pandemics. The authors present lessons learned from responses to Ebola and COVID-19.Design/methodology/approach For this study, the authors review the scholarly HumOSCM literature, use documentary evidence from practitioner literature and apply a theory synthesis approach to derive recommendations on how HumOSCM could strengthen future responses to epidemics and pandemics.Findings The conceptualizations highlight the importance of strengthening collaboration, capability and capacity for the response to epidemics and pandemics. Furthermore, the components that can enhance the degree of collaboration, and hence, response formation, are discussed.Research limitations/implications As a non-empirical article, it suffers from the limitations of conceptual research. Hence, empirical testing of the proposed framework is recommended. The framework and propositions can serve as a basis for future studies.Practical implications The conceptual framework can help humanitarian organizations and other actors in the humanitarian sector to better understand how to prepare for future responses to epidemics and pandemics, in particular by considering the components that enhance the degree of collaboration, as well as through capability development and capacity building.Originality/value This article begins a discussion of how HumOSCM should evolve to better respond to future epidemics and pandemics.

Exploring sustainability balanced scorecard for performance evaluation of humanitarian organizations

Performance measures are vital in assessing the disaster relief operations and mitigate the losses that occur during disaster. It is imperative to benchmark and monitor the growth of humanitarian organizations (HOs). The purpose of this research is to explore the performance measures for HOs based on a sustainability balanced scorecard (SBSC). This study identifies and finalizes 31 performance measures through literature and brainstorming session conducted with the experts. Finalized performance measures are classified into five humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) performance perspectives using SBSC. The best worst method (BWM) is applied to prioritize the performance measures, and the additive ratio assessment (ARAS) is applied to evaluate the performance of HOs. The outcome of this research reveals that “beneficiaries’ and donors’ perspectives” is the most significant HSCM performance perspectives. The findings help to identify the relative importance of each performance measure for performance evaluation of HOs. The proposed framework can help HOs on the aspects of performance improvement relevant to both donors and beneficiaries group that facilitates stakeholders in the benchmarking and network design of HOs. This study explores the SBSC in HSCM to analyze the performance measures and evaluate the performance of HOs that enable an integrated performance measurement system. HOs monitored their logistics performance effectively, which further lead to process improvement for betterment.