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Inventory Management Support Systems for Emergency Humanitarian Relief Operations in South Sudan
Abstract
Purpose
To develop and test three different inventory management strategies as applied to the complex emergency in south Sudan.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative modeling, simulation, and statistics.
Findings
This research identified critical system factors that contributed most significantly to inventory system performance, and identified strengths and weaknesses of each inventory management strategy.
Research limitations/implications
This research represents a first step in developing inventory management systems for humanitarian relief. Future work would include modeling correlation among relief items, multiple items, and considering the impact of information.
Practical implications
In a domain that has seen limited application of quantitative models, this work demonstrates the performance benefits of using quantitative methods to manage inventory in a relief setting.
Originality/value
This research has value for relief organizations by providing a real‐world application of quantitative inventory management strategies applied to a complex emergency, and demonstrated performance advantages of quantitative versus ad hoc methods. This research has value for researchers by providing a new application of simulation and mathematical modeling (humanitarian relief).
... The problem often occurs in accumulating unsolicited aid items in disaster-affected areas. The problems have led several studies to develop an inventory programming model for dynamic demand during aid operations (Beamon & Kotleba, 2006a, b;Das & Okumura, 2016;Garrido et al., 2015). ...
... The Role of Information Technology (IT) and Information System (IS) in Managing HLSCM (Baldini et al., 2012;Behl & Dutta, 2019;Galindo & Batta, 2013;Gavidia, 2017;Kabra & Ramesh, 2015;Marić et al., 2021;Masudin et al., 2021;Nagendra et al., 2020;Overstreet et al., 2011;Reddick, 2011;Rodríguez-Espíndola et al., 2020;Yang et al., 2011) Modeling and Simulation for HLSCM Improvement (Abazari et al., 2021;Agarwal & Kant, 2021;Aghajani & Torabi, 2020;Akgün et al., 2015;Alem et al., 2021;Barzinpour & Esmaeili, 2014;Battini et al., 2016;Beamon & Kotleba, 2006a, b;Berman et al., 2007;Besiou et al., 2011;Bhushan, 2017;Boostani et al., 2021;Bozorgi-Amiri et al., 2012Chen et al., 2020;Choi & Hanaoka, 2017;Chong et al., 2019;Cook & Lodree, 2017;Danilo et al., 2016;Das & Okumura, 2016;Das & Shinya, 2014;Dekle et al., 2005;Diaz et al., 2020;A. Garrido et al., 2021;R. ...
... Garrido et al., 2021;R. A. Garrido et al., 2015;Green et al., 2013;Hong et al., 2015;Horner & Downs, 2007;Jana et al., 2021;Kebriyaii et al., 2021;Krejci, 2015;Kunal et al., 2017;L'Hermitte et al., 2014;Lin et al., 2012;Maghfiroh & Hanaoka, 2018;, 2019, 2020Manopiniwes & Irohara, 2021;Manopiniwes et al., 2014;Maon et al., 2009;Masoumi et al., 2021;Miller & Engemann, 2008;Nezhadroshan et al., 2021;Noyan et al., 2016;Ponomarov & Holcomb, 2009;Rawls & Turnquist, 2010;Saatchi et al., 2021;Sabouhi et al., 2020;Şahin et al., 2014;Sakiani et al., 2021;Shavarani, 2019;Smadi et al., 2018;Snyder, 2006;Tatham & Kovács, 2010;Tatham & Spens, 2011;Timperio et al., 2020;Wang et al., 2018;Yadav & Barve, 2015;Yi & Özdamar, 2007) 61 Determining Risk and Mitigation in HLSCM (Akgün et al., 2015;Baharmand et al., 2017;Beresford & Pettit, 2009;Erica et al., 2015;Gatignon et al., 2010;Jahre, 2017;Jahre & Heigh, 2008;Jahre, Kembro, et al., 2016;Lodree & Taskin, 2008;Miller & Engemann, 2008) 10 Inventory Management in HLSCM Beamon & Kotleba, 2006a, b;Das & Okumura, 2016;Davis et al., 2013;Di Pasquale et al., 2020;Garrido et al., 2015;Lodree, 2011;Manopiniwes et al., 2014;Rabbani et al., 2015;Roni et al., 2015;Salas et al., 2012;Taskin & Lodree, 2010) 13 problems. The thematic analysis shows that each previous study was solved according to the theme of their study. ...
Logistics distribution problems in responding to disasters have triggered numerous studies on humanitarian logistics (HL) and humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM). This is indicated by the growing number of publications on the topic every year. However, thematic literature reviews on humanitarian logistics and supply chain management (HLSCM) in natural disaster management are barely available. Therefore, this article proposes a sequential thematic literature review method to extensively review HLSCM publications to identify gaps and future research directions. The Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases have been used to obtain influential articles published between 2001 and 2021. The literature review found that distribution delay, demand uncertainty, and high operation costs are primary logistics distribution problems for disaster management. Therefore, theme determination was carried out using a problem-cause-solution order to solve these problems. Then, five specific themes of HLSCM were grouped namely (i) lean and agile, (ii) information technology and information science, (iii) modeling and simulation, (iv) determining and mitigating risk, and (v) management inventory. Finally, in terms of future research direction, there is a possibility for this study to be used as a reference for further studies on HLSCM.
... Furthermore, we note that many types of practical applications of multi-agent systems need to support adaptive and normative mechanisms in design and run times, as for example, in emergency services and natural disasters (i.e. floods, fires, landslides, earthquakes) [27] [8] [28]; homes and smart cities [8], [4], [7]; the construction of virtual assets (i.e., Second Life [9]) and health (i.e. diseases or conditions involving the immune system [29], [10]). ...
... Having described relevant background, in this section we discuss works related to (i) metamodels and (ii) modeling languages, both in the context of MAS systems. The literature reports very distinct and varying sets of abstractions suitable for different domains [27], [39], [40], [14], [12], [22], [41]. Each methodology has incorporated its own abstractions for modeling the different multi-agent systems concepts, and there is no agreement about a common group of abstractions that can be used across different methodologies. ...
... Current organizational norms are mostly used to restrict the behavior of agents and are implemented in the following ways: (i) addressing a given role; (ii) as a set of states to be regulated by the norm which also affects the agent's role; (iii) as valid restrictions when the norm is active in the environment; (iv) in many modeling languages and methodologies using the deontic concept of obligation [27], [8], [39], and (v) through the rewards and punishments associated with a particular norm [37]. ...
The demand for creating increasingly dynamic, autonomous and proactive software systems is challenging for the traditional Multi-agent Systems (MASs) approaches. Such requirement has given rise
to adaptive software agents approaches. At the same time, norm is an essential and challenging feature that still tends to be addressed in adaptive MAS. In fact, norms to regulate agent behavior is still a vague
concept that has not been properly investigated in terms of modeling and implementation. Even though many researchers have proposed modeling languages to deal with different abstractions, these languages fail to
support the modeling of abstractions, such as adaptation and norms. Even more severe is the fact that little has been done to support the systematic design of Adaptive Normative Multi-Agent Systems (ANMASs).
To facilitate the design and development of ANMASs, this paper presents a new metamodel, as well as language support, as means to provide tools to enable software developers. The proposed metamodel fosters
a better understanding of the way agents are able to change their behaviors to deal with norms and captures interactions between agent’s norms and adaptation. To this end, our research is organized into four steps: (i) a literature review to identify the limitations of existing approaches related to ANMAS modeling; (ii) propose a new metamodel to support adaptative and normative concepts; (iii) propose a new language for modeling ANMASs; (iv) perform a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the proposed language using a real case
scenario, and (v) an empirical evaluation. The proposed metamodel and its associated modeling language advances the state of the art in modeling MASs and the approach is assessed in terms of correctness, time and difficulty. Our initial results revealed that our approach can be feasibly applied in a real world application, and is less difficult to apply and requires less time in comparison with a traditional approach. As software applications become more dynamic and adaptive, we believe it is essential to support developers to model MASs with abstractions such as adaptive agents, norms and their relationships. Such information can be foundational to steer future research on modeling adaptive agents capable of understanding and dealing with norms and adaptation.
... Therefore, although properties related to self-adaptive systems are considered important (i.e. autonomy, reasoning, proactivity), they are not explicitly addressed by existing approaches [17], especially when both adaptation and norms have to be considered. ...
... Having described relevant background, in this section we discuss works related to (i) metamodels and (ii) modeling languages, both in the context of MAS systems. The literature reports very distinct and varying sets of abstractions suitable for different domains [17], [18], [19], [16], [14], [20], [21]. Each methodology has incorporated its own abstractions for modeling the different multi-agent systems concepts, and there is no agreement about a common group of abstractions that can be used across different methodologies. ...
... Current organizational norms are mostly used to restrict the behavior of agents and are implemented in the following ways: (i) addressing a given role; (ii) as a set of states to be regulated by the norm which also affects the agent's role; (iii) as valid restrictions when the norm is active in the environment; (iv) in many modeling languages and methodologies using the deontic concept of obligation [17], [22], [18], and (v) through the rewards and punishments associated with a particular norm [11]. ...
Several Multi-Agent System (MAS) metamodels and languages have been proposed in the literature to support the development of agent-based applications. MAS metamodels are used to capture a collection of concepts the relevant entities and relationships in the MAS domain, which include entities such as agent, message, role, action and plan, and relationships that represent, for example, that a role is responsible for one or more tasks. In addition, to models, MAS modeling languages have also been used to support the development of MASs in a wide variety of domains, including social networking, robotics, security and smart city environments. However, there is a lack of support in these models and languages for abstractions involving norms and adaptations as well as their interactions. This paper presents a survey of some existing metamodels and languages and compares their expressiveness using abstractions related to agents, norms and adaptation. The comparison serves as a basis for the definition of a new MAS metamodeling.
... Transportation accounts for between one-third and two-thirds of an organization's logistics expenses. Among the elements of commercial logistics systems, the transportation system is the most significant economic activity (Beamon and Kotleba, 2004). Once implemented, the system needs to be properly maintained (Robert et al., 2011). ...
... Quality of service delivered is a very important component of humanitarian organizations' activities (Hillman, 2009;Beamon and Kotleba, 2004). Knowing the different viewpoints of the customer serves as a foundation for emergency relief chains in emergency customer service. ...
Significant funds are spent globally on humanitarian logistics (HL). This is due to the highly logistically dependent activities that are key in humanitarian aid projects and program delivery, as well as the unpredictability of disasters in terms of time (when they occur) and location (where they occur). The study sought to assess the effect of Humanitarian Logistics on Service Delivery in Turkana County. The following specific objectives informed the study: to determine the extent of implementation of Humanitarian Logistics in Turkana County, to assess the influence of Humanitarian Logistics on Service Delivery in Turkana County, and to investigate challenges encountered in the implementation of Humanitarian Logistics in Turkana County. The study adopted Descriptive approaches to explain and analyze the results of open-ended, qualitative questions. The population of the study comprised 18 Humanitarian Organizations domiciled in Turkana County with the highest level of involvement in humanitarian logistics. A census was adopted for this study because the study population was relatively small. The respondents were humanitarian logisticians, supply chain officers, procurement officers, or their equivalents, resulting in a total of 54 respondents. Descriptive analysis was used for open-ended questions, and inferential statistics was used for regression analysis. Results reveal that more than 50% of the respondents agree that humanitarian services in Turkana County are objective. The results further indicated a need for humanitarian logistics organizations to involve the local communities they serve, noting that most respondents were neutral on understanding the benefits of humanitarian logistics and its ability to meet local needs. The multiple regression analysis results of previously mentioned explanatory variables significantly influence humanitarian logistic service delivery; the coefficient of determination (R-squared) is 0.604. This implies that approximately 60.4%> 50% of the variability within the response variable can be explained by the four explanatory variables (inventory management, planning, transportation, and distribution). Still, in the ANOVA table, the regression sum of squares (6.241) was higher than the residual sum of squares (4.209). This difference indicates that the regression model accounts for a significant portion of the total variability in service delivery of humanitarian logistics. A close examination of the coefficients table reveals critical insight into the relationship between service delivery and other factors. For instance, only the distribution variable has a significant impact on service delivery. This is justified by the fact that the distribution variable has a P-value of 0.000 < 0.01. All other P-values (0.958, 0.612, and 0.106) are greater than 0.01, implying that there is no significant relationship with service delivery. This finding implies that the impact of planning, transportation, and inventory management might not be as pronounced as that of distribution. However, while planning, transportation, and inventory management may not exhibit strong individual impacts, their collective influence should not be dismissed.
... Research indicates that up to 55 percent of humanitarian organizations do not monitor any performance indicators, a quarter utilize some indicators, and only the remaining 20 percent measure performance consistently (Blecken, 2010). While there is an abundance of performance indicators available for commercial supply chains, many of these are rendered ineffective by the unique nature of the humanitarian sector (Beamon and Kotleba, 2006). Given the intangible nature of humanitarian services and the ambiguity surrounding what constitutes a successful humanitarian outcome, it is even more challenging to translate humanitarian goals and principles into measurable performance indicators (Anjomshoae et al., 2022). ...
... Oloruntoba and Gray [49] investigated the HSC characteristics and assessed the agility principle's applicability in HSCs. Beamon and Kotleba [89] initiated the development of an inventory management system for HSCs. They identified system factors affecting the performance of inventory management and analyzed various inventory management strategies. ...
Background: The humanitarian supply chain (HSC) literature has observed significant growth in past years. The wide range of research areas and the interdisciplinary nature of humanitarian work have generated the need to examine and classify the literature. Previous reviews have examined particular research domains such as quality, data analytics, performance measurement, and dynamics capabilities. This article examines the HSC literature, tracing its evolution and proposing a systematic review and roadmap for future researchers. Method: We adopted bibliometric, network, and citation analyses to extract insights into the HSC literature. Results: The integrated approach helped map the previous literature and identified research keywords, clusters, authors’ collaborative network, and seven research fields. The literature classification and clustering were performed for the articles published before the literature surge during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid potential biases that could arise from the significant increase in HSC research published during this period. Conclusions: Some of the original contributions to this article include the classification of research clusters and the identification of emerging research topics in the HSC domain. Our findings indicate research opportunities in the sustainability, performance measurement, and innovation aspects of the HSC. This study provides potential research roadmaps for future research in this field.
... Humanitarian logistics is defined as the process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow and storage of goods and materials, as well as related information, from the point of origin to the end of consumption to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people (Mizushima and Thomas, 2005). Beamon and Kotleba (2006) characterise humanitarian logistics by large-scale activities, irregular demand and unusual constraints. ...
Purpose
This study aims to identify the main challenges to achieving humanitarian logistics in the context of United Nations peace missions in sub-Saharan Africa and to present suggestions for overcoming the logistical gaps encountered.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodological approach of the work focuses on the comparative case study of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic and The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2014 to 2021. The approach combined a systematic literature review with the authors’ empirical experience as participant observers in each mission, combining theory and practice.
Findings
As a result, six common challenges were identified for carrying out humanitarian logistics in the three peace missions. Each challenge revealed a logistical gap for which an appropriate solution was suggested based on the best practices found in the case study of each mission.
Research limitations/implications
This paper presents limitations when addressing the logistical analysis based on only three countries under the UN mission as a case study, as well as conceiving that certain flaws in the system, in the observed period, are already in the process of correction with the adoption of the 2016–2021 strategy by the UN Global Logistic Cluster. The authors suggest that further studies can be carried out by expanding the number of cases or using countries where other bodies (AU, NATO or EU) work.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first comparative case study of humanitarian logistics on the three principal missions of the UN conducted by academics and practitioners.
... As a result, it is imperative to effectively address the various aspects of HL, including the unpredictability of demand in terms of size, time, and location; the sudden high demand for a wide range of supplies with limited lead time; the high importance placed on timely deliveries, and the scarcity of resources such as finance, technology, personnel, and infrastructure [20][21][22]. Improvements in humanitarian organizations' efficiency and effectiveness have been essential to the continuation of HL activities, and modern means of communication and technologies have played a crucial role in this regard [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Recently, the emergence of collaboration between various HL stakeholders [48]. ...
Background: Effective humanitarian logistics (HL) is essential in disaster response. The “Internet of Things” (IoT) holds potential to enhance the efficiency and efficacy of HL, yet adoption is slowed by numerous barriers. Methods: This study employs interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) to explore and classify barriers to IoT integration in HL. Results: A total of 12 barriers were identified, classified, and ranked according to their driving power and dependence. Key barriers include lack of standardization, organizational resistance, data quality issues, and legal challenges. Conclusions: Overcoming these barriers could significantly improve relief operations, reduce errors, and enhance decision-making processes in HL. This investigation is the first of its kind into IoT barriers in HL, laying the groundwork for further research and providing valuable insights for HL managers.
... Re-Order level is considered as the point at which replenishment should be ordered with inventory (Athumani & James, 2019). Re-order level is important for organizations to achieve the optimal efficiency and be effective leading to high supply chain performance and satisfy the customer satisfaction, then there is need to have two reorder levels with one that is normal while the other is supposed to be an emergency one in case of disaster (Beamon & Kotleba, 2006). ...
Inventory management is important for the successful functioning of any organization. The main core objective of this research study was to determine the impact of inventory management on the performance of an organization in the case of Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority. This study was the first to be conducted in the railway sector in an African context. The study applied descriptive research design with primary data collected using questionnaire with purposive sampling method of 21 participants as sample size. Data analysis was done using Jamovi software. The findings revealed that TAZARA uses ABC analysis in decision making but not Economic Order Quantity Model in decision making in purchasing materials. The study also reveals that the introduction of ICT through electronic management system in inventory management would improve performance and that TAZARA employees need to be trained in procurement and regulations as most of the employees are young and have less work experience.
... The World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 earned commitments from multilateral development banks and organizations to work more closely and regularly through public-private initiatives to resourcing humanitarian response, and the Syrian refugee crisis in particular [13]. The process of organizing and delivering relief services and goods began to receive significant corporate funding especially after the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 [14][15][16]. ...
Compounding humanitarian and political crises within and across countries have been met with shrinking public resources for coordination, recovery, and mitigation. This resource constrained humanitarian environment presents opportunities for multinational corporations to supplement budgets and actively participate in new markets through connecting with humanitarian work. Given the well-established influence of corporations on public health, an assessment of industry funding to humanitarian assistance is necessary especially in the fragile context of Lebanon with a substantial refugee population and multiple compounding crises. This paper examines three aspects of corporate assistance in humanitarian crises in Lebanon. It investigates the modality of corporate assistance to humanitarian agencies, the extent to which humanitarian agency staff are aware of implications of this assistance along with any ethical considerations related to it, and both the risks and benefits for corporations and people. This study explores the views of 14 local and international humanitarian agencies in Lebanon) through in-depth interviews conducted between 2020 and 2022. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and subject to thematic analysis. All agencies participating in the study provided social and health assistance as well as education, vocational training, and other services to refugees or Lebanese. Findings indicate that the majority of them receive corporate funding in varying amounts and in-kind contributions to support various projects. Despite imposed conditions by the corporations, such as posting logos and stories, the agencies perceived the benefits of partnering, mentioning financial assistance in time of need, and flexible agendas that outweigh the risks of conflicts of interest of corporate branding on the populations they serve. Benefits to the corporations themselves relate to corporate social responsibility, increased market reach and visibility. Challenges in partnering with for-profits include ethical considerations and programmatic issues, however no guidelines were reported to exist to detect corporate conflicts of interest, instead most of the agencies rely on their value systems for screening.
... For instance, Paul and Venkateswaran (2018) study an inventory system during an epidemic in which as they state, the demand is a bellshaped demand curve over time. Beamon and Kotleba (2006) focus on a case study of long-term humanitarian emergency relief operations by developing a stochastic inventory control model with two suppliers under a (Q, r ) policy. An emergency order is never placed before a normal order and backlogging is allowed. ...
We study the inventory review policy for a healthcare facility to minimize the impact of inevitable drug shortages. Usually, healthcare facilities do not rely on a single source of supply, and alternative mechanisms are present. When the primary supplier is not available, items are produced in-house or supplied through another supplier, albeit with additional cost. Our aim in this study is to determine how optimal inventory parameters are adjusted depending on the availability of the primary supplier. We show that an approximation provides trivial results, yet fails to capture the nuances therein. Our proposed Markov chain model overcomes these issues, and numerical results illustrate the significant economic impact of inventory parameter optimization. Furthermore, we simulate uncertainty scenarios and provide sensitivity analyses concerning fixed ordering cost for the secondary supplier, shortage frequency, shortage duration, and demand rates.
... Disasters like these are outcomes that result from the extreme natural or man-made events (Ingirige et al, 2008). Natural disasters are unpredictable, so it is therefore difficult for the world to attempt to make a plan for such events as the events cannot be predicted in advance (Beamon and Kotleba, 2006). Natural disasters do not just have an effect on the individuals or the places that they hit; natural disasters also have an effect of the rest of the world. ...
Introduction: There has been little to no scientific research produced on amputation anniversaries, whether it is a time to celebrate, and the psychological effects amputation and ampuversaries have on an individual. There has been much scientific research on several types of anniversaries for example weddings, birthdays, historical (9-11), and sobriety, all of which provided a baseline for this research. The aims of this research were to explore ampuversaries. Why do some celebrate this date? Why does this date hold any significance for some and not for others? How does ampuversary and the amputation influence the individuals’ psychological states?
Methods: Thirty-six people with an amputation (thirteen male and twenty-five female) from around the world had volunteered to participant in this research. The research used a qualitative design in the form of reflexive thematic analysis which revealed two themes; 1) Why they celebrate, divided into five subthemes; It is a Life Milestone, celebrating achievements, Raising Awareness, Celebrating Survival, and Recognising Key Individuals, and 2) Why they do not celebrate, dived into three subthemes; Resurfacing Past Trauma, Reminiscence on the Past, and Acceptance on the Situation.
Results: The research found that some participants with an amputation had experienced positive psychological effects from celebrating their ampuversary, they found that having an amputation meant they had a second chance at life, they were able to reflect on their achievements, raise awareness on social media, and appreciate the individuals who were involved in their amputation. Whereas others experienced negative psychological effects from their amputation and the idea of celebrating ampuversary. They found that their amputation date often resurfaced the initial trauma they experienced.
Conclusion: The research has achieved its aims by exploring ampuversaries and if it is a time to celebrate. It is hoped that these qualitative elements can be used to raise awareness and educate others on amputation anniversaries, and on the psychological effects that an amputation and ampuversaries have on participants who elected to have an amputation and participants who had a traumatic amputation.
... ABC analysis is adopted for all Stock Keeping Units (SKU) with equal demand characteristics within each class to simplify the simulation results (Fichtinger et al., 2015). ABC classification system for multiple inventory items would benefit further research regarding warehouse capacity, and decisions into choosing which items to store in the warehouse during humanitarian relief operations (Beamon & Kotleba, 2006). ABC classification system is capable of more accurately determining critical equipment and making maintenance more efficient in automobile braking systems (Gong et al., 2020). ...
Aim: The purpose of the study is to develop an inventory control technique for a manufacturing Company X by classifying total number of raw material items (928 material items) using ABC analysis, VED analysis and ABC-VED matrix analysis.
Statement of Problem: Company X is a medium - scale company that always has a problem of shortage of materials which leads to loss of production makes the whole process discontinue, sometimes it may not produce the product at a right time and thereby reduced the company’s financial growth.
Methodology: This study was conducted at a manufacturing company X in TN that manufactures various products for industrial and commercial purposes. The Management’s store register entry and tally software were used to extract annual expenditure data of consumable stores information on material items for the fiscal year 2019-20 as well as cost incurred on each item materials. The data were then transferred to an MS Excel spreadsheet for quantitative calculations.
Results and Discussions: On 928 items, 10.34 % (96) material items were found to be A group material items and accounted for 72.59% (Rs.10,47,04,000) of the annual cost expenditure. B group material items represented by 20.69% (192) of material items accounting for 20.12% (Rs.2,90,17,600) of annual cost expenditure. An astounding 68.97% (640) of material items were found to belong to category C, accounting for only 7.30% (Rs.1,05,28,000) of annual cost expenditure. Around 8.62% (80) of material items which accounted for 54.52% (Rs.7,86,48,000) were classified as Vital (V); 67.24% (624) of material items which accounted for 33.11% (Rs.4,77,56,000) were classified as Essential (E); and the remaining 24.14% (224) of material items which accounted for 12.37% (Rs.1,78,45,600) were classified as Desirable (D). Around 15.52% (144) items accounted for 73.87% (Rs.10, 65, 52,000) of annual expenditure is considered as Category I. The majority of material items are constituted under Category II with 70.69% (656) material items accounted for 24.63% (Rs.3,55,33,600) of annual expenditure. Around 13.79% (128) of material items accounted for only 1.50% (Rs.21,64,000) of annual expenditure is considered as Category III.
Conclusion: The adoption of these selective inventory control techniques is expected to result in increased effectiveness and efficiency in the management of this manufacturing company X. The Managing Director of Company X said that it is very useful for us to classify the items and allows us to create policies and controls to be established for each class and category. He happily acknowledged our work and will help in determining and controlling the items effectively during and after the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Keywords: ABC analysis, VED analysis, ABC-VED matrix analysis, Inventory Control Techniques, Inventory Management, Store Management
... Since the process of emergency resource distribution involves many stakeholders with different concerns and objectives, some scholars have simulated the competition among multiple affected areas in the process of emergency resource distribution from a game perspective [19,20]. Gupta and Ranganathan [21] developed a noncooperative game model that considered multiple emergency centers as game players and studied the competition between multiple parties to find the optimal resource distribution strategy under the resource maximization objective. ...
The distribution of medical supplies tied to the government-owned nonprofit organizations (GNPOs) is crucial to the sustainable and high-quality development of emergency response to public health emergencies. This paper constructs a two-sided GNPO–hospital game model in a Chinese context, and explores the strategies and influencing factors of medical supply distribution in public health emergencies based on evolutionary game theory. The results show that: (1) GNPOs, as the distributor of medical supplies, should choose strategies that balance efficiency and equity as much as possible. (2) Hospitals, as the recipient of medical supplies, should actively choose strategies that maximize the total benefit to society and strengthen trust in GNPOs. Meanwhile, hospital managers need to pay attention to reducing the impact of communication and coordination costs and strive for the reduction of conflicts between different values. (3) The government should strengthen supervision to avoid conflicts between medical distributors and receivers during a public health emergency and ensure the rescue efficiency. This study provides some reference for the sustainable development of emergency relief in public health emergencies.
... Earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes cause widespread disruption and dislocation and often occur with no prior warning (Britton, 1998;Fritz, 1961;Palen and Liu, 2007). In addition, man-made disasters such as conflict and wars create similar levels of disruption and dysfunction and require a comparable crisis response (Beamon and Kotleba, 2006). ...
The number and scale of natural and man-made disasters is increasing at an unprecedented rate, leading to devastating consequences for citizens, governments and entire economies. In response, Humanitarian Supply Chains (HSC) are used as a means of reducing suffering and saving lives. HSCs manage and deliver aid to those in need after a disaster strikes and exist only for the period of the relief operation. With reduced budgets there is an impetus to investigate technological innovations that offer increased efficiencies and reduced costs. One such innovation is information and communications technology (ICT); currently under-utilized by HSCs. This paper investigates the benefits, barriers and enablers of increased ICT adoption in HSCs and offers solutions most suited to their needs. The study develops a matrix that identifies the enablers and barriers of implementing innovative ICT and highlights associated managerial implications and suggested areas for future research.
... The restrictions in (19) establish the capacity limits of the MCCs. The restrictions in (20) force a vehicle that has picked up a casualty to take it to a medical center, while (21) states that a vehicle can transport the casualties to a medical center only if it ends its journey in the aid center. ...
We address the problem of picking up, stabilizing, and transporting casualties in response to mass-injury disasters. Our proposed methodology establishes the itinerary for collecting, on-site stabilization, and transporting victims considering capacitated vehicles and medical care centers. Unlike previous works, we minimize the time required to achieve on-site stabilization of each victim according to his age and level of severity of the injuries for their subsequent transfer to specialized medical centers. Thus, more critical patients will be the first to be stabilized, maximizing their chances of survival. In our methodology, the victims’ age, the injuries’ severity level, and their deterioration over time are considered critical factors in prioritizing care for each victim. We tested our approach using simulated earthquake scenarios in the city of Iquique, Chile, with multiple injuries. The results show that explicitly considering the on-site stabilization of the vital functions of the prioritized victims as an objective, before their transfer to a specialized medical center, allows treating and stabilizing patients earlier than with traditional objectives.
... In disaster response, the main objectives have been defined in the transportation of first-aid material, food, equipment, and rescue personnel from supply points to a large number of destination nodes, and the quick and safe evacuation of people affected by the disaster to healthcare centres [6]. However, the important work involving inventory management [7], demand and capacity planning [8], facility location [9,10], and transportation and distribution [11][12][13][14][15] most often addresses relief efforts related to natural phenomena (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc.) and rarely discusses operations related to pandemics. Large-scale health contingencies have specific conditions that require response models such as complete or partial lockdowns and isolation of large portions of the population that effectively put millions of people in a difficult position to obtain even the most-basic products. ...
In this study, we designed a geospatial and mathematical tool for the distribution of volunteers during lockdowns to aid vulnerable groups in obtaining supplies, within the context of underdeveloped regions with insufficient resources and data. We established services proximity, senior-citizen population and marginalisation as crucial aspects of the model, which was developed in three stages: (1) assessing residential proximity to services by Voronoi diagram, (2) calculating the number of volunteers needed based on senior-citizen population and proximity to services, and (3) identifying the distress index of neighbourhoods for a sequential allocation of volunteers focused on equity. We applied the tool in the municipality of Atizapán de Zaragoza (Mexico) and identified the most-conservative scenario for volunteers without motorised transport attending to the entire senior-citizen population. The tool provides decision-support according to available resources and socioeconomic circumstances and ensures effective and equitable assistance to citizens during large-scale health contingencies.
... Lee et al. (2006) demonstrated the use of simulation modelling in US community counterterrorism planning. Whitworth used a simulation model to support the decision of pre-locating anthrax drugs in US cities. Beamon and Kotleba (2006) applied a simulation to the inventory control of essential supplies with a real application in South Sudan. Lee et al. (2009) combined optimization modelling with simulation in planning a public health response in the USA. ...
... Aro-Gordon, and Gupte, (2016) demonstrated that conducting a suitable combination of contemporary inventory management methods might assist practitioners to enhance the firm service delivery in case of ensuring the stable flow of materials. Beamon, and Kotleba, (2006) recognized serious system factors contributing the most meaningful elements to the inventory system performance, and recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of the inventory management strategies. As a result, it is remarkable to investigate and explore the inventory management weaknesses in the organization. ...
The decisions made by the management in recording the amount of selling inventory in the year before the real year are as important as determining and defining the economic order size in the inventory management system. However, studies on accounting management, accounting education, and even operational management did not sufficiently discuss and evaluate such procedures to consider whether or not manipulations, frauds, or mistakes were made by the management. An obvious understanding to determine this kind of action by the managers considered as a vital element to the accounting education is represented in the recent study on the accounting postgraduate students by identifying their opinions in determining and describing whether the inventory management is weak or not and there are violations or not. The recent study is considered qualitative conducted by asking questions to 32 accounting postgraduate students regarding to the weaknesses of inventory management. The findings show that inventory management was not appropriately conducted and there were several problems and violations made by the sales managers. The other findings show that management inventory was used by the sales managers to sell the inventory in line with promoting their interests as they apply an earning management behavior. The findings also demonstrate that such case is not considered as a fraud but as a manipulation behavior.
... Researchers (Beamon and Kotleba, 2006;de Brito et al., 2008;Grawe, 2009;Defee et al., 2010;Mena et al., 2013;Dolgui et al., 2018;Wu and Chaipiyaphan, 2019;Messina et al., 2020) aimed to develop a resilient supply chain acknowledged several fundamental preconditions as the backbone of cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, among which the prerequisites are: proper information sharing, strong bondage among the nodal points representing different stakeholders who are responsible for the flow of the products to the end customers, organizational cooperation, aligned objective and similar organizational functionality, and finally win-win relationships among the nodes. Researchers of structural dynamics (Dolgui et al., 2018) and robustness of supply chain (Surana et al., 2005;Shareef et al., 2019) and organizational functionality agreed that if a resilient and justified structural dynamics is not established, operation and controlling of supply chain necessarily creates several disruption risks which must propagate severe ripple effects (Sodhi et al., 2012;Dolgui et al., 2018;Cichosz et al., 2020). ...
Purpose
This paper aims to address procurement, logistics management, inventory control and distribution of perishable items, i.e. vegetables, fruits, flowers and fishes, during the social isolation period of the Covid-19 era to identify conflicting interests among the channel members; present inventory and information sharing scenario; and reveal organizational dispute and existence of redundant, nonessential and corrupted members in the supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses an exploratory investigation to evaluate the relations among the members of the supply chain of perishable food items. In this context, it is designed to investigate the field, observe the members of the existing supply chain from rural and remote places and capture their interviews to accomplish the objectives.
Findings
This study identified that although the supply chain of perishable food items is controlled truly by private parties, from a realistic view, the private–public partnership is essential where the government should play the coordinating role. In this context, continuous interaction, coordination and information sharing among the members to establish an optimum and scalable network and remove any redundant nodal points is a key success factor for managing an efficient supply chain.
Research limitations/implications
Theoretical and managerial implication of this research is enormous. The existence of functional and dysfunctional conflicts in the same supply network and how it can be detrimental to the performance of the members are exposed in this study, which can be an excellent source to be investigated. Practitioners and researchers can gain a greater understanding to identify the root causes of conflicts in the existing structural dynamics, shedding light on organizational interactions, power and group behavior during the Covid-19 era.
Originality/value
From the light of management and inter-organizational conflicts, this is a pioneer study that has detected the redundant channel members, their source of power and how their removal can present an optimum channel with group coherence and synergistic interest.
... Preparedness involves planning and prevention, which can include early warning (Nagarajan, Shaw, and Albores 2012), preventive evacuation (Kolen et al. 2013), location of emergency facilities (Balcik and Beamon 2008) and stock prepositioning (Rawls and Turnquist 2010). Emergency response refers to the activities just before, during and after the disaster strikes including relief distribution (Rodríguez-Espíndola, Albores, and Brewster 2018b), post-event evacuation (Apivatanagul, Davidson, and Nozick 2012) and inventory planning (Beamon and Kotleba 2006). Caunhye, Nie, and Pokharel (2012) introduced a framework incorporating the most relevant activities involved in preparedness and response. ...
There is an agreement among European countries about the need to achieve efficient, effective and responsive evacuations as part of disaster management. Evacuations face uncertain and dynamic conditions, which often challenge the expectations at the planning stage. This research looks at the adoption of agility in evacuation operations. Managers involved in disaster operations in three countries were interviewed to identify current practices and needs during evacuations. This article looks at the potential of beneficiary engagement, staff and information, cooperation, and fitness for change to incorporate agile practices at each one of the stages of evacuation planning. The purpose is to provide an Agile Evacuation Operations (AEO) evidence-based framework to inform theory and practice. The analysis provided shows that along with current practices it is important to engage the beneficiaries more closely, empower and train the staff to react to unexpected conditions, and take advantage of local knowledge to enhance operations.
... One of the solutions to overcome the scarcity of resources is modularization. Modularization of services in the case of disaster can be interpreted as what the World Vision International is doing, i.e., relief supplies are stored in four locations globally, and can be immediately shipped anywhere in the world [13]. Furthermore, using mobile housing structures-such as temporary and portable offices, shelters, restrooms, warehouses, etc.-even modularization of the facilities is possible. ...
The paper aims to study a multi-period maximal covering location problem with the configuration of different types of facilities, as an extension of the classical maximal covering location problem (MCLP). The proposed model can have applications such as locating disaster relief facilities, hospitals, and chain supermarkets. The facilities are supposed to be comprised of various units, called the modules. The modules have different sizes and can transfer between facilities during the planning horizon according to demand variation. Both the facilities and modules are capacitated as a real-life fact. To solve the problem, two upper bounds—(LR1) and (LR2)—and Lagrangian decomposition (LD) are developed. Two lower bounds are computed from feasible solutions obtained from (LR1), (LR2), and (LD) and a novel heuristic algorithm. The results demonstrate that the LD method combined with the lower bound obtained from the developed heuristic method (LD-HLB) shows better performance and is preferred to solve both small- and large-scale problems in terms of bound tightness and efficiency especially for solving large-scale problems. The upper bounds and lower bounds generated by the solution procedures can be used as the profit approximation by the managerial executives in their decision-making process.
... Most of these papers evaluate static decisions that are made once before the simulation starts; this is also true of many optimizationbased approaches such as ( Ukkusuri & Yushimito, 2008 ). When it comes to simulating dynamic decisions that depend on evolving system state variables, there is plenty of research for commercial applications (one landmark study being Simão et al., 2010 ), but the humanitarian literature has mostly been limited to single-attribute inventory management or budget allocation ( Beamon & Kotleba, 2006;Chacko et al., 2016;Iakovou et al., 2014 ). Such settings are not adequate for fleet management, where costs are determined by the management of operating assets (vehicles), in a way that changes over time based on the changing attributes of the fleet. ...
In humanitarian fleet management, the performance of purchase, assignment, and sales decisions is determined by dynamic interactions between the fleet composition, the time-varying and uncertain demands on the fleet, and the depreciation of the vehicles as they are exploited. We propose to evaluate purchase, assignment, and sales policies in a holistic simulation environment that directly models heterogeneous vehicle attributes and tracks their evolution over time. Using data from a large international humanitarian organization (LIHO), the simulator can identify the rationale behind seemingly ad-hoc decisions by field managers at LIHO. For instance, by selling vehicles later than LIHO recommends, managers are actually reducing their costs; similarly, managers decline to switch vehicles between mission types because the benefits to the operational cost turn out to be marginal at best.
... A challenge that does arise when NGOs collaborate, especially those NGOs with similar missions, is that they compete for the same limited resources [36]. Beamon and Kotleba [39] also stated that with most of these NGOs with similar objectives and facing the same challenges, it would be rare for these organisations to collaborate or cooperate on resource sharing. Adivar et. ...
Sosyal Dışlanma Sorununa Sosyal Pazarlama Perspekti̇fi̇nden Bi̇r Bakış Mustafa HATİPLER Nilgün KÖKSALAN Etki̇li̇ ve Başarili Ulus Marka Yaratma Süreci Elif AKAGÜN ERGİN Dönüştürücü Tüketi̇ci̇ Araştırması Handan ÖZDEMİR Fi̇nansal ve Pazarlama Halkla İli̇şki̇ler İrfan ERTEKİN Çi̇ftli̇k Bank Dolandırıcılığı ve İleti̇şi̇msel Boyutu Ömer Faruk ÖZGÜR Ev Kadınlarının Tüketi̇ci̇ Hakları Konusunda Bi̇lgi̇ veBi̇li̇nç Düzeyleri̇ ile Tüketi̇m Davranışlarının Beli̇rlenmesi̇ne Yöneli̇k Bi̇r Araştırma: Konya Meram İlçesi Örneği Gülden Gök Kobi̇’lerde Pazarlama Tabanli Strateji̇k İşbi̇rli̇kleri İ. Kahraman ARSLAN Gençlerin Tüketim Davranışlarında Sosyal Medyadan Etkilenişleri Üzerine Bir Uygulama Yeşim KUBAR Gülşen CANSEVER Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığı ve Sosyal Medyadan Algılanan Faydanın Tüketi̇ci̇ Satın Alma Davranışına Etkisi Vesile ÖZÇİFÇİ Afet Loji̇sti̇ği̇ ve Organi̇zasyon Önerisi Gülsen Serap ÇEKEROL Tüketi̇ci̇ Tarafindan Algılanan Değeri̇n Zi̇nci̇r Market Performansı Üzeri̇ne Etkisi Alper ATEŞ
O número e a intensidade dos desastres geram impactos significativos em termos de bens e vidas humanas. Apesar da ocorrência histórica de desastres no Brasil, o aprimoramento das estruturas brasileiras para gestão de operações em desastres é recente. Assim, através de um estudo de casos múltiplos, o presente artigo desenvolve uma comparação entre a estrutura de gestão de operações em desastres e órgãos envolvidos do Brasil e dos Estados Unidos. Os casos analisados são descritos evidenciando as semelhanças e diferenças entre suas atuações, tais como o reforço de uma agência líder para gestão das operações de desastres nos Estados Unidos enquanto a estrutura brasileira é difusa entre diversos órgãos de nível nacional. Sugere-se que pesquisas futuras comparem a estrutura para gestão de operações em desastres do Brasil e de outros países de tamanho continentais, tais como Rússia, , Canadá, China, Índia e Austrália.
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the supply chain gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania amid the pandemic era.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a mixed approach, using both structured questionnaires and individual interviews to gather raw data (quantitative and qualitative data). To assess quantitative data for statistical (descriptive and inferential) analysis, this study used a sample of 57 wholesale and retail pharmacies and 10 hospital pharmacies, which were randomly selected. The thematic analysis was applied to the gathered qualitative data to authenticate the quantitative findings and conclusions which were the outcome of the descriptive and inferential analysis (binary logistics regression) analysed by the SPSS.
Findings
The results revealed the presence of various supply chain gaps in terms of target gaps, time gaps and coverage gaps. This study highlighted the disruption on demand and uncertainty in business environment as ways that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the gaps and revealed the negative effects of the supply chain gaps on the effectiveness of medical supplies in Tanzania.
Research limitations/implications
The results revealed the presence of various supply chain gaps (in terms of target gaps, time gaps and coverage gaps), underlined the disruption in demand and uncertainty in the business environment as ways that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the gaps and revealed the negative effects of the supply chain gaps on the effectiveness of medical supplies in Tanzania.
Practical implications
Data generated and used in this study is from participants from one country only (Tanzania), despite the supply chain gaps being common to many developing countries in general.
Originality/value
This study provides a novel framework in medical supply chain literature by identifying numerous disruptions in the medical supply chain which emerged during the COVID-19 emergence and serves as a basis for future studies on how to counter the gaps and rebuild a resilient and sustainable medical supply chain in developing countries.
Planning, organizing, and managing logistics activities by humanitarian organizations before and after a disaster like a flood, plays an important role in the minimization of public suffering. This thesis investigates two crucial issues that define disaster relief network designs; these are the presence of physical barriers, such as flooded regions of different impacts, and the effect or lack of information sharing. It is common that natural and/or man-made disasters cause major disruptions in critical infrastructure. The availability and proper dissemination of information amongst key players provides efficient operations which are reflected in minimizing suffering. The integrated model analyzes six barrier - information sharing scenarios using modern decision support tools, such as geographic information systems and optimization tools. Montreal districts' populations and road network map are used for the investigation. First, Demand is forecasted based on flood damage estimates, locating central warehouses follows, then allocating regional warehouses, and finally routing solutions are computed. Both location-allocation and routing integrated models take capacity into consideration. The findings are, the lack of information sharing and the presence of barriers cause increase in travel distance as opposed to having full information disclosure and no barriers. Total distance traveled in the presence of scaled-cost-barriers were more than that of having forbidden-zone-barriers or no-barriers.
The number of disasters is growing, affecting millions of people globally and resulting in tremendous costs in terms of suffering, lives lost, and damages to property and economies. Hence, there is a great need for resilient disaster management. In this chapter, a multiproduct supply chain network model is constructed for a humanitarian organization that includes labor. The model captures uncertainty associated with costs of the humanitarian organization’s supply chain activities, including procurement, storage, and distribution, under multiple disaster scenarios, along with uncertainty associated with the demand for the disaster relief products at the demand points. The humanitarian organization seeks to determine the disaster relief multiproduct flows that minimize its expected total cost and risk and payout for wages for labor subject to expected demand satisfaction. A mean–variance approach is used to capture the risk associated with cost uncertainty. The framework allows for the evaluation of cost savings in the use of volunteers.
The purpose of this work is to explore the international humanitarian relief organizations in Taiwan, and find the most crucial performance indicators of humanitarian logistics, according to the experience and opinion of those large NGOs in Taiwan. The research gathered detailed information on situations from literature and collected the data by questionnaire. Based on the information gathered from questionnaires, quantitative weight was calculated through the participation of experts by using AHP in this research. According to the humanitarian relief organizations' experiences and opinion in this research, the most critical performance indicators in humanitarian relief logistics is responsiveness, and the following is agility, reliability, cost, and dialog with authorities. Although the AHP method has been applied in many research of performance indicators chosen, there is no research using AHP to prioritize the performance indicators in the humanitarian logistics field, especially in Taiwan. Future research could include the smaller or reputable organizations in Taiwan to get more comprehensive opinions. Besides, the chosen indicators could be utilized in the actual case of humanitarian rescue action.
The destructions caused by natural disasters have made human societies well aware of the importance of logistical preparedness and precise human resource planning both in the pre- and post-disaster phases. Temporary Medical Centers (TMCs) are one of the most important problems for disaster response. TMCs are established in safe places to treat the injured in times of crisis. In this paper, the optimal locations for the establishment of TMCs are determined using a mixed-integer mathematical programming model. Furthermore, an optimal hierarchical structure is developed for assigning the injured from urban areas to the TMCs, clinics, and hospitals in the event of a disaster. A simulation-based optimisation model is employed to simulate the conditions at the moment the disaster occurs and the ensuing response operations. The findings indicate that the proposed hierarchical location-allocation model reduces the congestion of the injured and minimises total costs and patients’ treatment time.The destructions caused by natural disasters have made human societies well aware of the importance of logistical preparedness and precise human resource planning both in the pre- and post-disaster phases. Temporary Medical Centers (TMCs) are one of the most important problems for disaster response. TMCs are established in safe places to treat the injured in times of crisis. In this paper, the optimal locations for the establishment of TMCs are determined using a mixed-integer mathematical programming model. Furthermore, an optimal hierarchical structure is developed for assigning the injured from urban areas to the TMCs, clinics, and hospitals in the event of a disaster. A simulation-based optimisation model is employed to simulate the conditions at the moment the disaster occurs and the ensuing response operations. The findings indicate that the proposed hierarchical location-allocation model reduces the congestion of the injured and minimises total costs and patients’ treatment time.
The primary objective of this study was to determine the facility location for the prepositioning of relief items (PRI) for disaster relief. The present work was inspired by the importance of the prepositioning of relief items and the convolution that affects the determination of their location. Expert interviews were used to verify the factors for PRI identified through the literature review. A factor rating system (FRS) under the group decision-making (GDM) is suggested to establish the weights of the criteria. The interviews with decision makers showed the dissimilarity of decision opinions, thus confirming the significance of GDM. The results of the present study are imperative from the decision maker’s perspective as managerial insights have been considered. The model is constructed based on the subjective opinion of experts and can be further validated statistically. This study can be further carried out the using of another technique, such as Fuzzy-FRS, with a greater number of factors. The results of this study will be valuable for decision makers planning of facility locations for the prepositioning of relief items. The proposed FRS approach highlights the significance of using multiple decision-makers to enhance the sense of possession of an established PRI. To the best of our knowledge, a factor rating system (FRS) under group decision-making (GDM) has not been considered concurrently for one particular problem (facility location) in humanitarian logistics. This study provides an in-depth analysis of prepositioning of relief items.
Purpose
Number of disastrous events are rising globally, and it is important to manage the humanitarian supply chain management process to assist the disaster affected individuals in terms of relief operations. Effective relief operations can help to recover the materialistic loss due to any disaster. But there is a paucity of studies regarding this issue for developing countries. This study, hence, inspected the factors that affect the disaster supply chain management (DSCM) processes for relief operations in Bangladesh.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examined the factors affecting relief operations through a qualitative analysis. This study used thematic analysis. Interviews were conducted with related supply chain individuals who were triangulated by data from related publications and blogs.
Findings
The study showed that sustainable DSCM for relief operations in Bangladesh require addressing few factors as organizational capabilities, warehousing locations and inventory management, infrastructure facility, coordination among partners, government and local authority support to create a transparent, efficient, effective and sustainable DSCM process for relief operations in Bangladesh. The system loopholes can be identified and rectified on the base of these factors.
Research limitations/implications
The number of interview respondents was limited to twenty who were selected randomly from four organizations. To create a sustainable disaster supply chain management (SCM) for relief operations few factors were considered as predominant factors in Bangladesh context to generalize the developing country contexts and other factors were not considered. Therefore, for farther humanitarian research, the model of this study can be used for quantitative research and the hypotheses can be tested empirically to get more acute findings.
Practical implications
As this study identifies the factors which can help to create a sustainable DSCM system for relief operations, hence practically, Bangladesh humanitarian SCM agencies will be beneficial from this study. They can easily recognize the factors need to be considered to create a sustainable DSCM process for relief operations.
Originality/value
This is a unique study carried out to examine the factors affecting DSCM process for relief operations in Bangladesh.
The private sector is widely regarded as a useful element in the emergency response to disasters. Humanitarian organizations tend to cooperate with the private sector to deliver aids to affected areas and mitigate the complexity of disasters. In this paper, we propose an efficient relief chain consisting of a humanitarian organization (HO) and third-party logistics providers (3PLPs) to tackle the issue of decentralized planning and decision-making in humanitarian logistics. The relief chain is expected to benefit both the HO and the 3PLPs. To this end, we developed a novel bi-level two-stage multi-objective stochastic programming model. The robust equivalent of the proposed model is also developed to cope with uncertainty. A Benders decomposition algorithm is tailored to solve large-scale problems. An actual earthquake is investigated as case-study to test the model's real-world applicability. Finally, a number of managerial insights are inferred by analyzing the findings of this research.
Die globale humanitäre Logistik in Not- und Krisensituationen sieht sich einer Reihe von Herausforderungen wie steigender Anzahl und Schwere von Katastrophensituationen, steigender Komplexität der globalen Transportnetzwerke sowie gegenüber. In dieser Situation wird in umfassender Weise der Versuch unternommen, erfolgreiche Konzepte der Betriebswirtschaftslehre auch auf wesentliche Bereich der humanitären Logistik mit in der Regel Non-Profit-Settings zu übertragen. Dies gilt auch für den Bereich der betrieblichen Leistungsmessung, der in diesem Kapitel ausführlich in der Bezugsetzung zu den Spezifika humanitärer Logistikkonzepte erläutert wird. Verschiedene Handlungsoptionen und Konzepte in Hinblick auf die besonderen Anforderungen der humanitären Logistik werden vorgestellt und eingeordnet, offene Forschungsfragen und Entwicklungspunkte benannt. Damit stellt dieses Kapitel ein Beispiel dafür da, wie fundierte betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung einen konkreten Beitrag zur Verbesserung der Situation von Menschen in Notlagen bereitstellen kann.
There are 26 million refugees worldwide seeking safety from persecution, violence, conflict, and human rights violations. Camp-based refugees are those that seek shelter in refugee camps, whereas urban refugees inhabit nearby, surrounding populations. The systems that supply aid to refugee camps may suffer from ineffective distribution due to challenges in administration, demand uncertainty and volatility in funding. Aid allocation should be carried out in a manner that properly balances the need of ensuring sufficient aid for camp-based refugees, with the ability to share excess inventory, when available, with urban refugees that at times seek nearby camp-based aid. We develop an inventory management policy to govern a camp’s sharing of aid with urban refugee populations in the midst of uncertainties related to camp-based and urban demands, and replenishment cycles due to funding issues. We use the policy to construct costs associated with: i) referring urban populations elsewhere, ii) depriving camp-based refugee populations, and iii) holding excess inventory in the refugee camp system. We then seek to allocate aid in a manner that minimizes the expected overall cost to the system. We propose two approaches to solve the resulting optimization problem, and conduct computational experiments on a real-world case study as well as on synthetic data. Our results are complemented by an extensive simulation study that reveals broad support for our optimal thresholds and allocations to generalize across varied key parameters and distributions. We conclude by presenting related discussions that reveal key managerial insights into humanitarian aid allocation under uncertainty.
This paper presents a detailed analysis of humanitarian logistics and its components; the specification is to be able to identify and can be characterized once the disasters caused by natural phenomena are interconnected. From a qualitative methodology with an exploratory and non-experimental descriptive approach, analyze in detail three information bases referring to natural phenomena data and their implications. The first of these was the Center of research in epidemiology and disasters (EM-DAT), considered as an international database, second as a national level, the National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED), and the third also considered a national level the drought monitor in Mexico (CONAGUA). Besides, several articles related to the subject matter were reviewed. Among the identified components are the following; the humanitarian logistics cycle according to the reviewed literature, the phases of disaster management in Mexico, the areas of logistics decision, the types of natural phenomena, and future trends of natural phenomena that could affect Mexico in a period very close. Finally, it carries out a statistic of the behavior of the components analyzed, as well as a series of conclusions in this regard. This analysis will help to be able to characterize the components involved in disaster risk management as well as the response of humanitarian logistics to different conditions and unforeseen situations of risk of which is the next type of disaster with the most significant possibility of occurrence and repercussions in Mexico.
In recent years, natural and man-made disasters have led to nutritional emergencies in many countries around the world, and especially in the Horn of Africa. UNICEF, along with other humanitarian agencies, has adopted the use of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to alleviate the rapidly deteriorating situation of children in some of the most adversely affected countries in this region, including Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The supply chain for RUTF spans across the globe and is fraught with frequent delays, limited production capacity, highly variable ordering patterns, and rapidly increasing costs of delivery. In this chapter, we present a decision support tool that helped analyze the current supply chain for RUTF and explored a prepositioning strategy as an approach that would make the supply chain more efficient and responsive. We utilized real data to conduct simulations that help provide insights and recommendations on such a strategy.
Purpose
Mismanagement of supply chain operations may lead to waste of products and incur substantial monetary losses. This is particularly true for products with attributes that hasten deterioration, e.g. time, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. Attribute-sensitive products must be carefully monitored throughout all supply chain processes to ensure acceptable quality to the end customers. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on attribute sensitive products and on attribute sensitive supply chains. The collected studies were reviewed using the content analysis method, focusing on the following aspects of attribute sensitive products: (1) industries; (2) product categories; (3) decisions involved; (4) processes; (5) current issues; (6) sustainability concerns; (7) research methods used; (8) objectives of decision makers; (9) solution approaches used; (10) incentives driving management and (11) future research issues. Based on the analysis of findings, gaps are identified, and future research directions are proposed.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature review and content analysis.
Findings
The authors discovered that, while the importance of product attributes vary from one industry to the other, overall the time attribute was critical in all of the industries considered in this literature review. Coordination, customer satisfaction, reliability and safety were key issues in attribute sensitive product supply chains (asp-SCs). Similar to the typical supply chains, asp-SCs face economic, social and environmental sustainability issues. However, the majority of the studies in our analysis emphasized importance of the social sustainability. The majority of the papers were reviewed and analyzed and adopted the modeling approach as a research method. Furthermore, it was found that asp-SCs were mostly driven with customer demands and social pressure.
Research limitations/implications
Based on the literature review and content analysis, there are a number of directions for the work conducted in this study to be extended in several directions. First, the literature search could be expanded by relaxing some of the restrictions (e.g. include the conference papers and articles from on-line business journals). Second, additional scientific publishers can be considered (e.g. Emerald Insight– www.emeraldinsight.com ; Inderscience– www.inderscience.com ). The latter two extensions would allow a more precise assessment of published to date work on asp-SC operations. Third, our findings could be validated based on interviews with professionals and executives from companies dealing with asp-SCs. Such validation will allow identification of the differences between the state of the art and the state of practice.
Practical implications
Supply chains that handle attribute sensitive products (asps) must consider the complexity of products that significantly change their properties due to factors such as time, temperature, barometric pressure, humidity. Mismanagement of operations within such supply chains may lead to significant product waste, as well as substantial monetary losses.
Originality/value
This study presented a comprehensive literature review and content analysis of studies dealing with asps in the following industries: fashion, food, healthcare, humanitarian and pharmaceutical industries
The study in this chapter seeks to answer the question whether a country’s logistics performance has a correlation with the impacts of a disaster; impact being measured in average amount of affected, the average amount of deaths, the average amount of injured in a disaster or the average amount of economic damage. This is a quantitative study where the EM-DATs disaster data is analyzed through correlation analysis against the World Bank’s logistics performance index (LPI). The findings do not show a significant relationship between countries LPI and the average number of deaths or injured persons in a disaster. A positive correlation between the variable LPI and the variable economic damage can be found. A negative correlation between the LPI and the average amount of affected can be found for countries with an average ranking LPI. Countries with low LPI and high disaster occurrence are further identified. Findings encourage the identified countries to take into consideration their logistics performance when planning and carrying out humanitarian response operations. Results also encourage humanitarian organizations to pay attention to the receiving countries’ logistics performance in planning and carrying out humanitarian response operations.
Every year many different disasters occur in the world. The numbers of disasters has increased, especially in recent years. Emergency management of contingency has attracted by many researchers, who used analytical methods to find the optimal locations of humanitarian relief distribution center(s). This study sets up a model for humanitarian relief center facility location problem. This model considers some characteristics such as earthquake risk index, population density index, and transportation index to determine the optimal facility location center to respond the victims when an earthquake or disaster occurs. The method is based on a mathematical model for locating facility center. The author applies this model in a city in Turkey, and then the model is solved as an agent based behavior modeling according to the particle swarm optimization. Finally, the results are presented.
Recent natural disasters highlight the complexities associated with planning, coordination and distribution of supplies in a manner which provides timely and effective response. In this paper, the authors present a model to quantify the benefits associated with pre-positioning local supplies. They assume the supplies are in a high-risk location and may be destroyed if an appropriate strategy to protect the supplies is not implemented. A stochastic linear programming model is developed where the first-stage decision pre-positions existing supplies to minimize the supply loss. Second-stage decisions attempt to maximize the responsiveness of the system by allocating supplies to satisfy demand. The benefits associated with pre-positioning versus non-pre-positioning are discussed.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the issues and challenges in humanitarian logistics and to develop a framework for effectively managing the humanitarian logistics in disaster relief supply chain operations in India.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a framework to manage humanitarian logistics effectively in disaster management through qualitative analysis. First, the author examines the challenges facing the humanitarian logistics and supply chain through the reviews of the literature on various disasters. Then, the author presented a framework based on the best practices and initiatives taken worldwide in the preparedness and response stage of the humanitarian supply chain to manage and reduce the aftermath of any disaster in context to India.
Findings
A framework has been developed to manage humanitarian logistics in the disaster relief operation, which would improve the humanitarian supply chain in India and help to effectively manage natural disasters in the preparedness and response stage at the state and district levels.
Research limitations/implications
The paper mainly emphasises on the preparedness and response stage of disaster supply chain management in Indian context.
Practical implications
None of the disaster incidents can be stopped from taking place, but the impact can be minimised by proper preparedness and effective response during the operations of humanitarian logistics. With this hope, the framework has been developed, which if implemented would help to plan and manage any disaster incident in an effective manner, which ultimately would save millions of lives and cost in terms of infrastructure, property, assets etc.
Originality/value
As natural disaster incidents are occurring frequently in Indian states, there is an urgent need for a framework to manage the logistics operations effectively and efficiently during any disaster relief operations. Limited literature is found on developing and presenting a framework focusing on the preparedness and response phase of disaster supply chain management in context to India. Hence, this paper is believed to be the first to fulfil this gap with main emphasis on the preparedness and response stage of disaster supply chain management in Indian scenario.
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The abstract for this document is available on CSA Illumina.To view the Abstract, click the Abstract button above the document title.
This article describes the state of the transportation services immediately after the earthquake and discusses the role of the transportation system in the events following the quake. It is hoped that the lessons learned from this experience will assist with future response efforts to major urban disasters. The transportation-related areas discussed are: 1) the street and highway network; 2) traffic devices and control; 3) mass transit; 4) emergency vehicles; and 5) crowd management and shelters. -from Authors
Purpose
– This paper, originally published in 1995, aims to focus on the importance of performance measurement.
Design/methodology/approach
– Focuses on the process of performance measurement system design, rather than the detail of specific measures. Following a comprehensive review of the literature, proposes a research agenda.
Findings
– The importance of performance measurement has long been recognized by academics and practitioners from a variety of functional disciplines.
Originality/value
– Brings together this diverse body of knowledge into a coherent whole.
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.
This paper establishes a simulation decision system for both emergency resource preparation and emergency resource replenishment. The decision system uses both system dynamics and goal programming. A system dynamics model is then developed and validated with real case data as simulation decision support to emergency resource replenishment. An optimization simulation using the data from the emergency resource preparation process in the Ya'an earthquake in China is reported. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The process of choosing appropriate supply chain performance measures is difficult due to the complexity of these systems. The paper presents an overview and evaluation of the performance measures used in supply chain models and also presents a framework for the selection of performance measurement systems for manufacturing supply chains. Three types of performance measures are identified as necessary components in any supply chain performance measurement system, and new flexibility measures for supply chains are developed.
The increasing complexity and magnitude of global emergency relief operations create a critical need for effective and efficient humanitarian supply chain management processes. The irregular demand patterns and unusual constraints inherent in large-scale emergencies present unique challenges to physical supply systems. Indeed, the logistical needs of non-governmental organisations frequently surpass the capabilities of current emergency response approaches. There is only a limited body of research in humanitarian supply chain management, particularly in the area of inventory control. In this research, this limitation is addressed by developing a stochastic inventory control model that determines optimal order quantities and reorder points for a long-term emergency relief response.
We analyze the efficacy of different asset transfer mechanisms and provide policy recommendations for the design of humanitarian supply chains. As a part of their preparedness effort, humanitarian organizations often make decisions on resource investments ex-ante because doing so allows for rapid response if an adverse event occurs. However, programs typically operate under funding constraints and donor earmarks with autonomous decision-making authority resting with the local entities, which makes the design of efficient humanitarian supply chains a challenging problem. We formulate this problem in an agency setting with two independent aid programs, where different asset transfer mechanisms are considered and where investments in resources are of two types: a primary resource that is needed for providing the aid, and infrastructural investments that improve the operation of the aid program in using the primary resource. The primary resource is modeled as either a divisible or indivisible good, and is acquired from earmarked donations. We show that allowing aid programs the exibility of transferring primary resources improves the efficiency of the system by yielding greater social welfare than when this exibility does not exist. More importantly, we show that a central entity that can acquire primary resources from one program and sell them to the other program can further improve system efficiency by providing a mechanism that facilitates the transfer of primary resources and eliminates losses from gaming. This outcome is achieved without depriving the individual aid programs of their decision-making autonomy while maintaining the constraints under which they operate. We find that outcomes with centralized resource transfer but decentralized infrastructural investments by the aid programs are the same as with a completely centralized system (where both resource transfer and infrastructural investments are centralized).
By February 1981 the refugee relief operation in Somalia was close to breakdown. The Governor of Somalia and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) contracted the agency CARE to manage the logistics of the operation. By August 1981 over 99 % of food received at Mogadishu was reaching the camps. Here we describe this apparent success, and attempt to diagnose the contributing factors. Chief among these are dynamic leadership, ‘systems’ management, adaptability of personnel, the use of professional Indian food monitors in the camps, and the support given by the Government. The chief qualification on the success of the operation has been the continued dependency on expatriate expertise.
General conclusions are offered relating to the management of logistics in relief operations. The most important conclusion is that there is a prime need for logistics to be centralized in a single organization at the start of major emergencies. We point to the current inadequacy in an international relief system which fails to ensure this, and suggest that a new or existing part of the United Nations family be given a ‘brief for in‐country logistics’ to become a UN Emergency Logistics Office.
Humanitarian Logistics: Enabling Disaster Response, Fritz Institute United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (n.d.), Sudan: South/NUBA MTNS, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- A Thomas
Thomas, A. (2003), Humanitarian Logistics: Enabling Disaster Response, Fritz Institute, San Francisco, CA. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (n.d.), Sudan: South/NUBA MTNS, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC, available at: www.ushmm.org/conscience/ alert/sudan/overview/index.php
Getting It There: A Logistics Handbook for Relief and Development, World Vision International Engineering in Emergencies: A Practical Guide for Relief Workers
- B Boyd
- Ca Davis
- J Lambert
Boyd, B. (1987), Getting It There: A Logistics Handbook for Relief and Development, World Vision International, Monrovia, CA. Davis, J. and Lambert, R. (2002), Engineering in Emergencies: A Practical Guide for Relief Workers, 2nd ed., Intermediate Technology Publication Ltd, London. Humanitarian and War Project (n.d.), Feinstein International Famine Center, Tufts University, available at: http://hwproject.tufts.edu/publications/electronic/e_croo.html Kemball-Cook, D. and Stephenson, R. (1984), " Lessons in logistics from Somalia ", Disasters, Vol. 8, pp. 57-66.
Going Global: Transforming Relief and Development NGOs
- M Lindenberg
- C Bryant
- Msf-Holland
Lindenberg, M. and Bryant, C. (2001), Going Global: Transforming Relief and Development NGOs, Kumarian Press, Inc., West Hartford, CT. IJLM 17,2 MSF-Holland (1994), Freight and Transport Management: Logistic Guideline, Module 4.4, 2nd draft, Medecins sans Frontierers, Amsterdam. MSF-Holland (1996), Warehouse and Stock Management: Logistic Guideline, 4th ed., Medecins sans Frontierers, Amsterdam.
Medecins sans Frontierers
- Msf-Holland
Engineering in Emergencies: A Practical Guide for Relief Workers
- J Davis
- R Lambert
Freight and Transport Management: Logistic Guideline
- Msf-Holland
Getting It There: A Logistics Handbook for Relief and Development
- B Boyd
Warehouse and Stock Management: Logistic Guideline
- Msf-Holland