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Performance of humanitarian logistics affected by situational factors
Titre du projet
Performance of humanitarian logistics affected by situational factors
Description
L'objectif de ce projet de recherche est d'étudier comment la performance de la logistique humanitaire est affectée par des facteurs situationnels. En particulier, nous analysons l'impact des barrières aux importations sur l'efficience et l'efficacité de la logistique humanitaire. Après une revue de littérature, nous effectuons une étude de cas exploratoire avec quatre organisations humanitaire, puis quantifions l'impact des barrières grâce à une technique de modélisation empirique quantitative.
Au cours de ces dernières années, la logistique humanitaire est devenue l'objet d'un intérêt croissant parmi les chercheurs dans le domaine de la gestion des opérations. La logistique humanitaire est un facteur de succès essentiel d'une opération de secours en cas de catastrophe. Elle a pour but la gestion efficace et efficiente des flux de marchandises, de personne et d’informations, pendant et après une catastrophe humanitaire. Dans tous types de catastrophes, la gestion efficiente et efficace de la logistique permet à une organisation humanitaire de faire le meilleur usage des ressources, en faisant correspondre les approvisionnements disponibles avec les besoins prioritaires des populations touchées, dans les plus brefs délais, et sous la contrainte de financements restreints et d'autres restrictions opérationnelles.
L'objectif de ce projet de recherche est d'étudier comment la performance de la logistique humanitaire est affectée par des facteurs situationnels (facteurs environnementaux, facteurs infrastructurels, facteurs socio-économiques et facteurs gouvernementaux). Ce projet est structuré en trois parties. Tout d'abord, nous effectuons une revue de la littérature académique publiée à ce jour. Cet examen nous permet d'explorer tous les types de facteurs situationnels rencontrés dans la logistique humanitaire et d’identifier ceux qui n'ont pas été analysés jusqu'ici. En second lieu, sur la base des résultats préliminaires de la revue de littérature, la question spécifique des barrières à l'importation imposées par les gouvernements locaux à l'importation de matériel humanitaire est analysée plus en détail. Pour cela, nous utilisons une étude de cas exploratoire incluant quatre organisations humanitaires. Finalement, nous allons quantifier l'impact des barrières à l'importation sur la logistique humanitaire par le biais d'une technique de modélisation empirique quantitative, en utilisant les données recueillies auprès des organisations ayant participées à l'étude de cas. En particulier, grâce à un modèle de dynamique systémique (System Dynamics), nous allons analyser comment des investissements dans des capacités de gestion avant l’occurrence d’une catastrophe (gestion des processus, par exemple) permet de réduire les délais de livraisons de biens humanitaires.
Les résultats de notre projet de recherche aideront les universitaires et les praticiens à comprendre comment les organisations humanitaires peuvent faire face aux barrières à l'importation de manière optimale, en tenant compte de leurs effets mixtes dans des horizons temporels différents. Nos conclusions permettront également d’aider les gouvernements nationaux à remodeler la façon dont ils contrôlent les organisations humanitaires, et ce dans le but d'accroître l'efficacité et l'efficience globale des opérations humanitaires. En outre, nos résultats devraient également aider les bailleurs de fonds bilatéraux et multilatéraux à accroître leur capacité à évaluer la qualité des projets qu'ils financent. Enfin, ce projet de recherche fournira aux organisations humanitaires et à leurs bailleurs de fonds de nouvelles idées sur le financement des activités de préparation aux catastrophes, et les encouragera à investir dans des capacités de gestion plutôt que des stocks physiques prépositionnés dans les pays concernés. Ce faisant, des délais de livraison courts peuvent être atteints dans la phase de réponse immédiate à la suite d'une catastrophe, tout en limitant les coûts
The objective of this research project is to investigate how the performance of humanitarian logistics is affected by situational factors. In particular, we focus on the impact of import barriers on the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian logistics. We first conduct a literature review of the topic, then we carry out an exploratory multiple case study among four relief organisations, and finally we quantify the impact of barriers through an empirical quantitative modelling technique.
During recent years, humanitarian logistics has become the focus of increasing interest among researchers in the field of operations management. Humanitarian logistics is a critical component of a successful disaster relief operation. It focuses on the efficient as well as effective management of flows of goods, persons, and information, during and after a humanitarian disaster. In all types of disasters, efficient and effective management of logistics enables a humanitarian organization to make the best use of resources, by matching available supplies with priority needs in the shortest possible time, under constraint of restricted funding and other operational limitations.
The objective of this research project is to investigate how the performance of humanitarian logistics is affected by situational factors (environment factors, infrastructure factors, socio-economic factors and local government factors). This project is structured in three parts. First, we conduct a review of academic literature published to date. This review allows us to explore all types of situational factors encountered in humanitarian logistics and find those that were not studied so far. Second, based on our preliminary findings from the review, the specific issue of import barriers imposed by local governments on importation of relief supplies will be analysed in more detail through an exploratory multiple case study research among four relief organizations. Finally, we will quantify the impact of import barriers on humanitarian logistics through an empirical quantitative modelling technique, using the data collected among the case study organizations. In particular, through a system dynamics model, we will analyse the lead time reduction potential of investing in disaster management capabilities (e.g. process management) during the preparation phase of a disaster.
The results of our research project will help academics and practitioners to learn how humanitarian organizations can cope with import barriers in the best way, under consideration of their mixed effects in different time horizons. Our findings will also help national governments to reshape the way they control humanitarian organizations in order to increase the overall effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian operations conducted on their territory. In addition, our results should also help bilateral and multilateral institutional donors to increase their ability to assess the quality of the projects they finance. Finally, this research project will provide organizations and donors with new insights on the funding of pre-disaster activities, and will encourage them to invest in capabilities (e.g. process management) rather than physical inventories prepositioned in countries. By doing so, short lead times can be achieved in the immediate response following a disaster, at limited costs.
Au cours de ces dernières années, la logistique humanitaire est devenue l'objet d'un intérêt croissant parmi les chercheurs dans le domaine de la gestion des opérations. La logistique humanitaire est un facteur de succès essentiel d'une opération de secours en cas de catastrophe. Elle a pour but la gestion efficace et efficiente des flux de marchandises, de personne et d’informations, pendant et après une catastrophe humanitaire. Dans tous types de catastrophes, la gestion efficiente et efficace de la logistique permet à une organisation humanitaire de faire le meilleur usage des ressources, en faisant correspondre les approvisionnements disponibles avec les besoins prioritaires des populations touchées, dans les plus brefs délais, et sous la contrainte de financements restreints et d'autres restrictions opérationnelles.
L'objectif de ce projet de recherche est d'étudier comment la performance de la logistique humanitaire est affectée par des facteurs situationnels (facteurs environnementaux, facteurs infrastructurels, facteurs socio-économiques et facteurs gouvernementaux). Ce projet est structuré en trois parties. Tout d'abord, nous effectuons une revue de la littérature académique publiée à ce jour. Cet examen nous permet d'explorer tous les types de facteurs situationnels rencontrés dans la logistique humanitaire et d’identifier ceux qui n'ont pas été analysés jusqu'ici. En second lieu, sur la base des résultats préliminaires de la revue de littérature, la question spécifique des barrières à l'importation imposées par les gouvernements locaux à l'importation de matériel humanitaire est analysée plus en détail. Pour cela, nous utilisons une étude de cas exploratoire incluant quatre organisations humanitaires. Finalement, nous allons quantifier l'impact des barrières à l'importation sur la logistique humanitaire par le biais d'une technique de modélisation empirique quantitative, en utilisant les données recueillies auprès des organisations ayant participées à l'étude de cas. En particulier, grâce à un modèle de dynamique systémique (System Dynamics), nous allons analyser comment des investissements dans des capacités de gestion avant l’occurrence d’une catastrophe (gestion des processus, par exemple) permet de réduire les délais de livraisons de biens humanitaires.
Les résultats de notre projet de recherche aideront les universitaires et les praticiens à comprendre comment les organisations humanitaires peuvent faire face aux barrières à l'importation de manière optimale, en tenant compte de leurs effets mixtes dans des horizons temporels différents. Nos conclusions permettront également d’aider les gouvernements nationaux à remodeler la façon dont ils contrôlent les organisations humanitaires, et ce dans le but d'accroître l'efficacité et l'efficience globale des opérations humanitaires. En outre, nos résultats devraient également aider les bailleurs de fonds bilatéraux et multilatéraux à accroître leur capacité à évaluer la qualité des projets qu'ils financent. Enfin, ce projet de recherche fournira aux organisations humanitaires et à leurs bailleurs de fonds de nouvelles idées sur le financement des activités de préparation aux catastrophes, et les encouragera à investir dans des capacités de gestion plutôt que des stocks physiques prépositionnés dans les pays concernés. Ce faisant, des délais de livraison courts peuvent être atteints dans la phase de réponse immédiate à la suite d'une catastrophe, tout en limitant les coûts
The objective of this research project is to investigate how the performance of humanitarian logistics is affected by situational factors. In particular, we focus on the impact of import barriers on the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian logistics. We first conduct a literature review of the topic, then we carry out an exploratory multiple case study among four relief organisations, and finally we quantify the impact of barriers through an empirical quantitative modelling technique.
During recent years, humanitarian logistics has become the focus of increasing interest among researchers in the field of operations management. Humanitarian logistics is a critical component of a successful disaster relief operation. It focuses on the efficient as well as effective management of flows of goods, persons, and information, during and after a humanitarian disaster. In all types of disasters, efficient and effective management of logistics enables a humanitarian organization to make the best use of resources, by matching available supplies with priority needs in the shortest possible time, under constraint of restricted funding and other operational limitations.
The objective of this research project is to investigate how the performance of humanitarian logistics is affected by situational factors (environment factors, infrastructure factors, socio-economic factors and local government factors). This project is structured in three parts. First, we conduct a review of academic literature published to date. This review allows us to explore all types of situational factors encountered in humanitarian logistics and find those that were not studied so far. Second, based on our preliminary findings from the review, the specific issue of import barriers imposed by local governments on importation of relief supplies will be analysed in more detail through an exploratory multiple case study research among four relief organizations. Finally, we will quantify the impact of import barriers on humanitarian logistics through an empirical quantitative modelling technique, using the data collected among the case study organizations. In particular, through a system dynamics model, we will analyse the lead time reduction potential of investing in disaster management capabilities (e.g. process management) during the preparation phase of a disaster.
The results of our research project will help academics and practitioners to learn how humanitarian organizations can cope with import barriers in the best way, under consideration of their mixed effects in different time horizons. Our findings will also help national governments to reshape the way they control humanitarian organizations in order to increase the overall effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian operations conducted on their territory. In addition, our results should also help bilateral and multilateral institutional donors to increase their ability to assess the quality of the projects they finance. Finally, this research project will provide organizations and donors with new insights on the funding of pre-disaster activities, and will encourage them to invest in capabilities (e.g. process management) rather than physical inventories prepositioned in countries. By doing so, short lead times can be achieved in the immediate response following a disaster, at limited costs.
Chercheur principal
Statut
Completed
Date de début
1 Novembre 2012
Date de fin
31 Octobre 2015
Organisations
Identifiant interne
14813
identifiant
9 Résultats
Voici les éléments 1 - 9 sur 9
- PublicationMétadonnées seulement
- PublicationMétadonnées seulementCapabilities investment versus prepositioning inventory: a new approach to disaster preparedness(2012-8-23)
; ; Disaster preparedness has been recognized as a central element in reducing the impact of disasters worldwide. However, donors are reluctant to finance such efforts, as there is no certainty that a disaster will strike. Usual methods of preparedness, such as prepositioning of supplies in countries prone to disasters, are problematic because they require high investment costs at various locations, due to the high uncertainty about the timing and location of the next disaster. Product expiry is a major problem, as there is no inventory turnover (Whybark, 2007). Therefore, Van Wassenhove (2006) proposes relief organizations to invest in effective disaster management capabilities, such as human resources, knowledge management, process management, resources and community. Investing in such capabilities instead of physical assets has several benefits. First, in opposition to prepositioning supplies in specific locations, such capabilities acquired by the organization can be used worldwide. Second, these capabilities, in particular those related with import processes, allow organizations to deliver supplies quickly from a central warehouse in case of disaster. Finally, investments in capabilities cost less than prepositioning supplies in large quantities in many locations. In this paper, we analyze the effect of investing in these disaster management capabilities, through a system dynamics model. We model the delivery process of a therapeutic food item during the immediate response phase of a disaster. By comparing a standard import scenario with one where investments in capabilities have been made, we quantify the improvement potential of such preparation efforts (i.e., lead time and inventory reduction). We find that with capabilities investment, goods can be delivered to beneficiaries almost as fast as if supplies were prepositioned in the country, but at lower inventory costs (lower opportunity costs and physical holding costs, less product expiry and obsolescence, etc.). Transportation costs are higher, but occur only where the disaster strikes, and not in each country where inventory is prepositioned. The managerial implication of our research will encourage relief organizations to invest more into capabilities instead of prepositioned physical inventories during the preparedness phase of a disaster. Because of lower costs and risks involved, donors are encouraged to finance such pre-disaster efforts which have a strong potential to improve disaster response. - PublicationMétadonnées seulementSustainable humanitarian supply chain management – Exploring new theory(2013-5-4)
; ; We propose a framework of sustainable humanitarian supply chain management (SCM) for the rehabilitation phase of disasters. Our framework connects enablers, features and triple bottom line performance of SCM with specific socio-economic/governmental contingency factors. Findings from multiple case studies in Chad provide initial evidence for illustrating and underpinning the framework. - PublicationMétadonnées seulementRelief aid, yes, but(2013-5-4)
; Empirical evidence shows that some governments increasingly hinder relief organizations from operating in their territory. Through a case study, we analyze problems encountered by four organizations. We find that state fragility explains the tendency of governments to restrict relief organizations’ activities. This study helps organizations in their efforts towards preparedness. - PublicationMétadonnées seulementThe ambivalent role of governments in humanitarian supply chains(2012-2-24)
; ; - PublicationMétadonnées seulementThe mixed effects of import barriers on humanitarian logistics(2014-5-11)Through a multiple case study with four relief organizations, we analyze the impact of import barriers on humanitarian logistics. We find that these barriers negatively impact relief operations during the response phase, but may turn positive in the rehabilitation phase. This knowledge may help relief organizations improving their preparedness efforts.
- PublicationAccès libreGovernment restrictions on relief supply chains(2013-6-11)
; Response to catastrophic disasters often requires external assistance from international relief organizations. Literature and empirical evidence show that governments do not always welcome this assistance. Based on a multiple case study conducted among four relief organizations, we identify governmental restrictions imposed on humanitarian relief supply chains in different countries. We analyze the dependency between government characteristic and the level of restrictions. We find that the more fragile a government is, the more restrictions it imposes on relief organizations. This knowledge helps relief organizations to prepare adequately before entering a new country, by anticipating concerns and establishing trust with the government. - PublicationAccès libreInvesting in disaster management capabilities versus pre-positioning inventory: A new approach to disaster preparedness(2014-11-11)
; ; Disaster preparedness has been recognized as a central element in reducing the impact of disasters worldwide. The usual methods of preparedness, such as pre-positioning relief inventory in countries prone to disasters, are problematic because they require high investment in various locations, due to the uncertainty about the timing and location of the next disaster. Investing in disaster management capabilities, such as training staff, pre-negotiating customs agreements with countries prone to disasters, or harmonizing import procedures with local customs clearance procedures, has been recognized as a way to overcome this constraint. By means of system dynamics modeling, we model the delivery process of ready-to-use therapeutic food items during the immediate response phase of a disaster, and we analyze the performance of different preparedness scenarios. We find that pre-positioning inventory produces positive results for the beneficiaries, but at extremely high costs. Investing in disaster management capabilities is an interesting alternative, as it allows lead time reductions of up to 67% (18 days) compared to a scenario without preparedness, at significantly lower costs than pre-positioning inventory. We find that the best performance can be achieved when combining both preparedness strategies, allocating part of the available funding to disaster management capabilities and part to pre-positioning inventory. We analyze 2828 such combined scenarios to identify the best mix of preparedness strategies for different levels of available funding. On the basis of our findings, we provide recommendations for relief organizations on how to allocate their preparedness budget. - PublicationAccès libreA meta-analysis of humanitarian logistics research(2012-9-19)
; Purpose - This paper gives an up-to-date and structured insight into the most recent literature on hu-manitarian logistics, and suggests trends for future research based on the gaps identified through structured content analysis. Design/methodology/approach - We use a quantitative and qualitative content analysis process to analyse the characteristics of the existing literature. We identify the most studied topics in six structural dimensions, and present gaps and recommendations for further research. Findings - We found that existing humanitarian logistics research shows too little interest in continuous humanitarian aid operations, in slow onset disasters and man-made catastrophes. While several papers address different phases of disasters, very few focus particularly on the reconstruction following a disaster. Empirical research is underrepresented in the existing literature as well. Research limitations/implications - While five of our structural dimensions are inspired by previous reviews, our sixth dimension (situational factors) is derived from a theoretical framework we developed and which has never been tested before. The validity of our study could therefore be increased by testing this framework. Originality/value - We analyse the broadest set of papers (174) ever covered in previous literature reviews on humanitarian logistics. We conduct a quantitative analysis of the papers in order to analyse the situational factors which have mostly been studied so far in literature. This paper is also the first in humanitarian logistics to use content analysis as the main methodology to analyse literature in a structured way, which is of particular value to the academic community as well as practitioners. Outstanding Paper Award 2013 winner (Emerald)