Humanitarian Supply Chain Performance Research Articles

Leveraging technology in humanitarian supply chains: impacts on collaboration, agility and sustainable outcomes

Purpose This study aims to understand the role of technology adoption (TA) in improving the efficiency and environmental sustainability (ENS) of humanitarian supply chains through collaboration and supply chain agility. This study made an attempt to explore how technological resources can be used strategically to achieve operational efficiency and contribute to sustainable humanitarian logistics. Design/methodology/approach The data collected from 274 respondents involved in humanitarian logistics is analyzed using the confirmatory factor analysis and the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. These respondents include logistics managers, coordinators as well as other relevant personnel from different non-governmental organizations, international aid agencies and relief operations. Findings The results of this study show that TA plays a critical role in improving both collaboration and supply chain agility in humanitarian operations. It is evidenced that both collaboration and agility significantly moderate the relationship between TA and supply chain outcomes, respectively, improving the effectiveness and ENS of aid delivery. In particular, technology-facilitated collaboration and agility cut down operational costs, reduce the response time and minimize the environmental impact. Originality/value This study extends the application of dynamic capabilities view in humanitarian operations and supply chain and elaborates on how technological capability improves humanitarian supply chain performance. This study also highlights the mediation role of agility and collaboration to achieve aid delivery efficiency and ENS.

Impact of artificial intelligence-driven big data analytics culture on agility and resilience in humanitarian supply chain: A practice-based view

This study attempts to understand the role of artificial intelligence-driven big data analytics capability in humanitarian relief operations. These disasters play an important role in mobilizing several organizations to counteract them, but the organizations often find it hard to strike a fine balance between agility and resilience. Operations Management Scholars’ opinion remains divided between responsiveness and efficiency. However, to manage unexpected events like disasters, organizations need to be agile and resilient. In previous studies, scholars have adopted the resource-based view or dynamic capability view to explain the combination of resources and capabilities (i.e., technology, agility, and resilience) to explain their performance. However, following some recent scholarly debates, we argue that organizational theories like the resource-based view or dynamic capability view are not suitable enough to explain humanitarian supply chain performance. As the underlying assumptions of the commercial supply chain do not hold true in the case of the humanitarian supply chain. We note this as a potential research gap in the existing literature. Moreover, humanitarian organizations remain sceptical regarding the adoption of artificial intelligence-driven big data analytics capability (AI-BDAC) in the decision-making process. To address these potential gaps, we grounded our theoretical model in the practice-based view which is proposed as an appropriate lens to examine the role of practices that are not rare and are easy to imitate in performance. We used Partial Least Squares (PLS) to test our theoretical model and research hypotheses, using 171 useable responses gathered through a web survey of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The findings of our study suggest that AI-BDAC is a significant determinant of agility, resilience, and performance of the humanitarian supply chain. Furthermore, the reduction of the level of information complexity (IC) on the paths joining agility, resilience, and performance in the humanitarian supply chain. These results offer some useful theoretical contributions to the contingent view of the practice-based view. In a way, we have tried to establish empirically that the humanitarian supply chain designs are quite different from their commercial counterparts. Hence, the use of a resource-based view or dynamic capability view as theoretical lenses may not help capture true perspectives. Thus, the use of a practice-based view as an alternative theoretical lens provides a better understanding of humanitarian supply chains. We have further outlined the limitations and the future research directions of the study.

Can intercluster coordination mediate the relationship between supply chain flexibility and humanitarian supply chain performance?

PurposeThe occurrence of disaster and crisis is increasing. They are complex as well as challenging for humanitarian organizations (HOs) and societies involved in disaster relief operations. This study examined the nexus between supply chain flexibility (SCF) and humanitarian supply chain performance (HSCP) among HOs with empirical evidence from HOs in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed the quantitative method to explore the interdependencies among the variables. In congruence with this, the study employed the purposive and convenience sampling technique to obtain information from 168 respondents. The analysis was done using SPSS version 23 and Smart PLS version 3.FindingsThe outcome indicates that intercluster coordination (ICC) plays a significant mediating role between SCF and HSCP.Practical implicationsThe outcome of the study indicates that a closer and stronger relationship ensures proper channel use among the HOs. This will improve the performance of the supply chain of HOs and their ability to deal with supply chain uncertainties.Originality/valueThe discovery of this study provides empirical support to the resource-based view theory. Thus, practitioners in the humanitarian setting give priority to factors that could enhance flexibility in their supply chain as well as implement coordination strategies to achieve a responsive humanitarian supply chain (HSC) system in the quest to minimize the outcome of disasters.

The Humanitarian Supply Chain Practices in Malaysia

Humanitarian supply chain performance (HSCP) derived supportive actions Ensure the implementation of supply chain strategies that help achieve supply chain management objectives. Despite the frequent occurrence of disasters and their huge impact, humanitarian organizations today are still under constant pressure to improve their performance. Based on this need, this research aims to test humanitarian supply chain practices applicable to humanitarian supply chain performance. By adopting humanitarian supply chain practices, it will enable humanitarian supply chain organizations to evaluate and improve humanitarian supply chain performance. This concept paper will discuss the impact of humanitarian supply chain practices, namely the visibility, agility, and utilization of information technology (IT), which in turn attracts a series of improvements to improve humanitarian supply chain performance. Furthermore, the proposed framework is practical in any setting because it is an integral result of previous literature and research. Quantitative survey methods will be used. Research in these areas will provide insights for humanitarian supply chain organizations facing similar problems in other settings.

A Bayesian Network Method for Humanitarian Supply Chain Performance Evaluation

The increasing risk of natural disasters has a direct impact on the survival of the affected people and further seriously jeopardizes the sustainability of the country's economic growth and development. The high volatility of disasters and the skyrocketing demand for relief operations pose enormous challenges to the humanitarian supply chain (HSC). At present, most developing countries lack resilient and effective HSCs. Therefore, in this work, by qualitatively tapping into HSC risk factors, a Bayesian Network (BN) model is developed for quantitatively evaluating the performance of HSC in the context of the rising threat of tropical cyclones in Zimbabwe. The BN model would also further help humanitarian relief organizations to gain some management insights.

MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES AND SUPPLY CHAIN PERFORMANCE OF RELIEF AID ORGANIZATIONS IN WESTERN UGANDA

Purpose-The paper presents the influence of managerial competencies on supply chain performance of relief aid organizations in western Uganda.Methods-The study employed a cross-sectional and quantitative research design comprising 105 relief aid organizations operating in western Uganda. Data was analyzed using SPSSv22, to generate descriptive statistics, run correlation and hierarchical regression analysis.Findings-The findings showed a positive significant influence of managerial competencies on supply chain performance of relief aid organizations in western Uganda. Limitations-The study did not examine the influence of other factors such as the other supply chain enablers which include infrastructure on humanitarian supply chain performance. The focus was on the influence of managerial competencies on supply chain performance.Unique contribution to practice and policy- relief aid organizations should emphasize attracting, training and retaining staff with professional, social and personal competencies to ensure efficient delivery of relief supplies.

The Evaluation of Humanitarian Supply Chain Performance Based On Balanced Scorecard-DEMATEL Approach

Measuring the performance of the humanitarian supply chain (HSC) becomes a necessary nowadays regarding to the increasing wars around the world. This study aims to propose an integrated performance evaluation approach for the HSC in the context of war. The proposed framework includes two main stages. The first stage implicates determining the performance indicators by the literature review and classifies the indicators based on the Balanced Scorecard dimensions. The second stage involves prioritizing the Balanced Scorecard dimensions and performance indicators by DEMATEL. According to results of the study, the most important dimension in the performance measurement for the HSC in the context of war is the customer. Moreover, service quality has the highest impact in the HSC performance measurement. This study extends the current state of knowledge, which provides a novel combined method to measure the performance HSC in context of war disaster.

Influence of Supply Risk Assessment of Third Party Logistics Providers on Performance of Humanitarian Supply Chains: A Case of International Red Cross, Somalia

The logistics service industry has evolved quickly to deliver a variety of services including frequently outsourced warehousing, logistics, and freight forwarding, as well as value-added services which include; order management and fulfillment as well as consultancy in the supply chain. The current study sought to establish the influence of supply risk assessment on the performance of humanitarian supply chains in Somalia with a keen focus on the International Red Cross. The study used a descriptive research design. 102 ICR employees operating in Somalia were the target population. The research adopted a technique of census while using a questionnaire to gather primary data. To guarantee validity and reliability, the questionnaire was pre-tested. Using descriptive and inferential statistics data was analyzed and displayed in tables. Key findings of the study included IRC had developed better dispute resolution mechanisms arising from their strategic partnership with their 3PL providers, the organization had enhanced its procurement processes due to its effective assessment of 3PL providers' capacities resulting in minimal supply risk exposure. From correlation analysis, it was established that there existed a strong and positive correlation between supply risk assessment of 3PL Providers and the performance of the ICR supply chain (r = 0.708**, p=.000). The study concluded that for enhanced performance of the supply chain 3PL providers should deliver requisitions on time and at desired locations as per orders. It is expected the study findings will find use among logistic practitioners and researchers.

Influence of big data and predictive analytics and social capital on performance of humanitarian supply chain

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to investigate the role of big data and predictive analytics (BDPA) and social capital on the performance of humanitarian supply chains (HSCs); second, to explore the different performance measurement frameworks and develop a conceptual model for an HSC context that can be used by humanitarian organizations; and third, to provide insights for future research direction.Design/methodology/approachAfter a detailed review of relevant literature, grounded in resource-based view and social capital theory, the paper proposes a conceptual model that depicts the influence of BDPA and social capital on the performance of an HSC.FindingsThe study deliberates that BDPA as a capability improves the effectiveness of humanitarian missions to achieve its goals. It uncovers the fact that social capital binds people, organization or a country to form a network and has a critical role in the form of monetary or non-monetary support in disaster management. Further, it argues that social capital combined with BDPA capability can result in a better HSC performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed model integrating BDPA and social capital for HSC performance is conceptual and it needs to be empirically validated.Practical implicationsOrganizations and practitioners may use this framework by mobilizing social capital, BDPA to enhance their abilities to help victims of calamities.Social implicationsFindings from study can help improve coordination among different stakeholders in HSC, effectiveness of humanitarian operations, which means lives saved and faster reconstruction process after disaster. Second, by implementing performance measurements framework recommended by study, donors and other stakeholders will get much desired transparency at each stage of HSCs.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to the missing link of social capital and BDPA to the existing performance of HSC literature, finally leading to a better HSC performance.

Developing a new chance constrained NDEA model to measure the performance of humanitarian supply chains

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a method for measuring performance of decision making units (DMUs). Conventional DEA models view DMUs as black boxes. Network DEA (NDEA) models have been developed to overcome this shortfall. This paper develops a new NDEA model based on modified enhanced Russell measure model. This paper measures performance of humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) by an NDEA model. Capabilities of the proposed model are addressed by theorems. However, in the real world, there might be stochastic data. This paper presents a stochastic version of the proposed NDEA model to measure the performance of HSCs. We analyse main properties of our model. We present a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model.

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Although the performance of Humanitarian Supply Chain (HSC) receives considerable attention in current literature, measuring HSC performance remains challenging. HSC performance depends largely on the ability to meet the needs of the sufferers which contradicts with current performance measures that focus on input metrics such as donations and expenditures rather than output metrics. In this paper, we address this gap in the literature by examining refugee service performance as perceived by refugees themselves. We examine the impact of information sharing and information quality on HSC service performance. We further draw on social capital theory to investigate how the dimensions of social capital influence information sharing and information quality. Data collected from 276 refugees in Zaatari camp in Jordan provide support for our proposed model. Our paper makes two contributions. First, we extend current literature on HSC performance by examining the impact of information sharing and the quality of the information shared on the beneficiaries’ perception of HSC performance. We therefore focus on output metrics rather than input metrics. Second, we apply a social capital theoretical lens to investigate how social ties and relations influence information sharing and information quality in HSC. We also offer theoretical and practical implications for academics and stakeholders in the field of HSC.

Managing the humanitarian supply chain: a fuzzy logic approach

PurposeHumanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) in today’s environment faces the challenges such as information availability, inventory management, collaboration, logistics related issues and preparedness. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the HSCM performance, considering the consequences in terms of operation, recovery and responsiveness based on the fuzzy estimates of the components presented.Design/methodology/approachIn the study, triangulation approach was adapted for collecting data and developing a hierarchical structure for humanitarian supply chain performance assessment. The relationships between HSCM performance and its suddenness and required preparedness are depicted by cause and effect diagrams. The concepts of fuzzy association and fuzzy composition are applied to identify relationships.FindingsIn the hierarchy presented, the performance in a disaster situation, preparedness and suddenness of the situation and factors that influence the above are modeled. The taxonomy is developed for describing the relationship between factors, their likelihoods and impacts to achieve consistent quantification.Research limitations/implicationsThe study considers case studies from Indian conditions; however, conditions in other countries and their practices for the disaster management may vary to certain extent.Practical implicationsA methodology presented for evaluating the exposures in considering the consequences in terms of responsiveness, operations, recovery, mitigation and emergency response. The study may help the humanitarian relief practitioners to understand the insights of the disaster situations using the proposed framework.Originality/valueA common language for describing the different factors of HSCM is presented, which includes terms for quantifying likelihoods and impacts. The concept of fuzzy association and fuzzy composition has been applied to identify relationships between sources and consequences on HSCM performance. The use of descriptive linguistic variables is ensured through the implementation of fuzzy logic.

Effect of Supplier Relationship Management on Humanitarian Supply Chain Performance at the World Food Programme in Somalia

The study sought to unfold the relationship between Supplier Relationship Management on supply chain in humanitarian organizations which is often difficult because of the multi-groups involved (military, government, Non-governmental Organizations). In humanitarian organizations the “customer” is the donor or supplier of goods. The study was conducted at the World Food Programme (WFP) which started operating in Somalia in 1967 and focusing on rural agricultural development and school feeding projects. At the onset of WFP operations, the conflict escalated and the humanitarian needs expanded as well. Today the WFP Somalia goal is to address basic food needs, strengthen coping mechanisms and support the efforts to achieve food security of vulnerable Somalis. The organization has its regional office in charge of operations and supply chain in Nairobi as well as the Somalia liaison office. There are rare studies focusing on supply chain relationship among humanitarian organizations particularly on the challenges of getting supplies on time due financial and other supply chain constraints. This is the gap this study sought to address. In order to achieve the objectives, the population of the study was the WFP employees (senior and the supply chain staff) in both the regional and the liaison office and the WFP food suppliers based in Nairobi. The sample comprised of 87 WFP employees and 7 personnel from the WFP food supplier family. Data was collected from 63 respondents who filled and returned the questionnaires representing a response rate rate of 72%. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the data collected in order to meet the objectives of the study. The results revealed that WFP continuously trains employees from the supply chain department and has mechanisms for ensuring suppliers conform to quality standards. It was also found that ICT is used in the execution and management of purchase orders. On WFP humanitarian supply chain performance, results indicated that WFP Somalia delivers defect free food supplies to beneficiaries by working closely with the internal staff and the logistics operators. The study recommends that WFP’s management should begin rewarding suppliers who share information for effective supply chain management. The organization should not only have multiple supply tiers but should also be well vast with each tiers risk profile to enable the organization mitigate any unforeseen events that may affect delivery of supplies especially during emergencies.

A systematic review of humanitarian operations, humanitarian logistics and humanitarian supply chain performance literature 2005 to 2016

The purpose of this manuscript is to explore methodologies for conducting comprehensive literature review. The manuscript objectives are twofold: one is to identify a suitable methodology for conducting comprehensive literature review and two is to enable the identification of main research themes and clusters obtained from the literature. The domain of humanitarian operations, logistics and supply chain performance is selected as the review context. The main strength of a systematic literature review from other styles of literature review is that it provides a much higher level of methodology to the process. It further provides a rapid comprehensive identification of main research themes and clusters as illustrated from the humanitarian operations and logistics performance domain.

Measuring humanitarian supply chain performance in a multi-goal context

Purpose– The purpose of the paper is to deepen the understanding of supply chain performance objectives in the humanitarian context by striving to understand the underlying goals and conceptual variables behind the measurement of performance, such as efficiency.Design/methodology/approach– The research is an in-depth case study with one humanitarian organization. The data are gathered with mixed methods over a two-year period. Interviews were conducted in August 2010 and April 2012, and a survey conducted in October 2012.Findings– Misalignments are detected among different groups in humanitarian operations and between their goals and processes. These misalignments could possibly be corrected through long-term thinking in short-term operations by considering sustainability aspects throughout humanitarian assistance, for example. In addition, efficiency was a commonly identified objective in the case organization, although the definition varied widely and extended beyond the traditional definition of productivity to include planning, accountability and quality.Practical implications– Better communication and definition of terms is necessary to align goals and the power hierarchy in humanitarian supply chains, where operations seem to be structured more according to donor requirements then beneficiary needs.Originality/value– This is an in-depth case study, applying goal-setting theory to study supply chain performance. The study further responds to the public “aid efficiency” discussion by striving to recognize how efficiency is understood and how it can be measured in a humanitarian supply chain.

Impact of Agility, Adaptability and Alignment on Humanitarian Logistics Performance: Mediating Effect of Leadership

Even though researchers have immensely contributed in the field of supply chain agility, supply chain adaptability and supply chain alignment, their impact on humanitarian supply chain performance and their relationship is not well known. Leadership is the most discussed and one of the most debated dimensions and little is known about leadership integration with a humanitarian supply chain network design. We carried out a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify variables and their items to design a structured questionnaire, which was pretested with experts in the humanitarian supply chain. We conducted an empirical study on a sample of 306 responses that were collected by us during Allahabad Kumbh from senior officials of the police department, Indian Railways, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation and third-party logistics (3PL) companies. We have used the exploratory factor analysis followed by the confirmatory factor analysis to check the construct validity of scales and goodness of fit. We further tested our hypotheses using regression analysis and mediation effect using Baron and Kenny’s (1986) proposed steps. We further checked the mediation significance using the Sobel test. We found that supply chain alignment is a strong determinant of logistics performance and human performance. The supply chain agility is found to completely mediate between supply chain adaptability and human performance and partially mediate between supply chain adaptability and logistics performance. Leadership has a partial mediation effect between supply chain alignment and human performance.

Measuring while moving (humanitarian supply chain performance measurement – status of research and current practice)

Purpose – Raising standards are leading humanitarians to become increasingly interested in measuring the performance of their supply chain. A few researchers have addressed this topic, building on classical measurement theories and trying to identify the salient features of the humanitarian sector. This young body of literature must now be tested against current practice. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The practitioners’ perspective is explored through a multiple case study, based on qualitative evidence, within three major humanitarian organizations. Results are discussed using a situation-actor-process – learning-action-performance model of inquiry. Preceding this investigation, a literature review delves into research on humanitarian supply chain performance measurement and presents the most relevant pieces in a general framework. Findings – Humanitarians have elaborated measures whose essential focus is laid on service level. The more comprehensive approach advocated by researchers has received some consideration but is still poorly implemented. An issue that is given more priority by humanitarians is the accelerated supply chain integration they are going through. Originality/value – In addition to an unprecedented literature review, this paper offers a comparative study of humanitarian organizations’ practices in the field of supply chain performance measurement. Humanitarian procurement centres, virtually ignored in literature until now, are scrutinized at a turning point of their evolution.

Dual sourcing for mitigating humanitarian supply chain disruptions

Purpose – Proactive planning strategies for “slow-onset” disruptions that affect humanitarian supply chains (SC) developed to address chronic pressing societal problems, can have a significant impact on boosting the operational and financial performance of these chains. The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology that quantifies the impact of a risk mitigation strategy widely employed in commercial SCs, namely emergency sourcing (ES), on the performance of humanitarian SCs taking into account backorders’ clearance time, unsatisfied demand, and cost. Design/methodology/approach – Discrete event simulation is employed in order to evaluate alternative ES strategies based on a total cost criterion, which incorporates inventory-related costs, as well as premium contract costs paid for emergency replenishment. Backorders’ clearance time and time-to-recovery are also employed as a design parameters. Findings – The results document the significant impact of disruptions on expected total cost, and the beneficial role of ES in hedging against disruptions. To that end, the proposed methodology determines the optimal emergency contracted capacity for a given premium, or alternatively the maximum premium cost value that ensures the feasibility of the implemented ES strategy in the long-run, along with the associated cost and time savings, and reduction of the unsatisfied demand. Originality/value – The fundamental objective is to provide a decision-making support methodology for deciding on whether to implement an ES strategy or not in humanitarian SCs, and the level of the optimal contracted reserved capacity. The results could be of great value to aid providers, policy-makers, and regulators.

Humanitarian supply chain performance management: a systematic literature review

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the state of the art of performance measurement and management in humanitarian supply chains; to categorize performance measurement indicators in the five supply chain phases of Gunasekaran and Kobu (2007) and evaluate them based on the evaluation criteria of Caplice and Sheffi (1995); and to define gaps and challenges in this field and give insights for future research in this domain. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review has been conducted using a structured method based on Denyer and Tranfield (2009) and Rousseau et al. (2008). The state of the art on humanitarian supply chain performance management with a focus on measurement frameworks and indicators and their applications in practice is classified in three categories. The first category is the definition and measurement of success in humanitarian supply chains. The second category is managing performance, which focuses on describing and analyzing the actual practice of managing performance. The third category shows the challenges in performance management that humanitarian supply chain actors deal with. Findings – Findings reveal that performance measurement and management in humanitarian supply chains is still an open area of research, especially compared to the commercial supply chain sector. Furthermore, the research indicates that performance measurement and management in humanitarian supply chains has to be developed in support of the supply chain strategy. Based on the findings of the literature review on performance measurement and management in the commercial and humanitarian field, a first classification of 94 performance measurement indicators in humanitarian supply chains is presented. Furthermore, the paper shows key problems why performance measurement and management systems have not been widely developed and systematically implemented in humanitarian supply chains and are not part of the supply chain strategy. The authors propose performance measurement guidelines that include input and output criteria. They develop a research agenda that focuses on four research questions for designing, deploying and disseminating performance measurement and management in humanitarian supply chains. Practical implications – The result helps the humanitarian supply chain community to conduct further research in this area and to develop performance measurement frameworks and indicators that suit humanitarian supply chains. Originality/value – It is the first systematic approach to categorize research output regarding performance measurement and management in humanitarian supply chains. The paper shows the state of the art in performance measurement and management in humanitarian supply chains and develops a research agenda.

Mechanics of humanitarian supply chain agility and resilience and its empirical validation

The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between chain agility, supply chain resilience and humanitarian supply chain performance. In this paper, researchers have attempted to explain supply chain agility and supply chain resilience using oscillation physics theory and further attempted to test the theoretical concept empirically using psychometric tool. The researchers have collected data which represent 20% response rate is subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using principal component analysis (PCA). The EFA output is further tested using ordinary least-square regression to check the fitness of constructs as a CFA test. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) test output suggests that factors obtained using EFA represent the constructs of the model. The multivariate analysis shows that supply chain agility, supply chain resilience are two important determinants of the pre-disaster and post-disaster supply chain performance measures.