From preparedness to partnerships: case study research on humanitarian logistics

Abstract

Disasters are on the rise, more complex, and donor support is increasingly unpredictable. In response to this trend humanitarian agencies are looking for more efficient and effective solutions. This paper discusses the evolution of supply chain management in disaster relief and the role of new players like the private sector. It is based on research conducted by the Humanitarian Research Group at INSEAD.

Emergency preparedness planning in developed countries: the Swedish case

“…An opposite, if applicable, view adopted in earlier research is that the human element is essential to effective planning (Tomasini and Van Wassenhove, 2009;Tsai, 2002). This general understanding suggests strengths in the system not found in the extended bulk of regulations alone.…”

“…A topic of concern in the all-hazard approach is mutual respect in civil-military coordination (Heaslip and Barber, 2013). Such coordination requires mixing different concepts, e.g., humanitarian principles (Tomasini and Van Wassenhove, 2009;Kovács and Spens, 2009), civil defense based on military doctrines involving the entire society (Byman et al, 2000), and commercial processes rapidly adapting to emergency planning (Kovács and Spens, 2007;FEMA, 2011;Van Wassenhove and Martinez, 2012). There is also a degree of coordination to which the same organizations that provide essential capabilities take the lead; for example, the military (Rietjens et al, 2013), the private sector and their suppliers develop abilities to cope with emergency action (Byman et al, 2000).…”

“…(4) Financial resources ensure that sufficient money and resources are in place to arrange and initiate operations and run them as smoothly as possible. (5) Community refers to civil society as being responsible for emergency preparedness, recognizing effective approaches to coordination and cooperation (Tomasini and Van Wassenhove, 2009) In terms of coordination, additional facts should be acquired before planning for all-hazard crises. Combining essential elements for use in various types of crises (Eriksson, 2010), including war, is necessary.…”

A review of required features for a disaster response system on top of a multi-criteria decision: a Brazilian perspective

“…To meet the similar unknown demand disaster requirements, there are several external factors, such as security and politics, that influence and affect the response to an extreme event (Tomasini & Van Wassenhove, 2009). Holguín-Veras et al (2012) highlight that the problem generated by unsolicited and even unwanted gifts (e.g., drugs, foods past their expiration date) is considered the most significant obstacle to the disaster response phase, termed the "second disaster".…”

A location-routing model on relief distribution centers

“…Kovács and Spens (2007) aimed to understand planning and carrying out logistics operations in disaster relief. Tomasini and Van Wassenhove (2009) investigated the evolution of supply chain management in disaster relief and the role of new players like the private sector. Döyen et al (2012) developed a two-stage stochastic programming technique for a humanitarian relief logistics problem in which decisions could be made for pre-and post-disaster rescue centers, the amount of relief items to be stored at the pre-disaster rescue centers, the amount of relief item flows at each echelon, and the amount of relief item shortage.…”