Drivers of government restrictions on humanitarian supply chains

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Kunz ◽  
Gerald Reiner
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Fragile States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
State Fragility ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Foreign Governments ◽  
The Government

Purpose Foreign governments do not always welcome international humanitarian organizations responding to a disaster in their country. Many governments even impose restrictions on humanitarian supply chains through import barriers, travel restrictions or excessive bureaucracy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze these restrictions and try to identify the government characteristics that best explain the tendency to impose such restrictions. Design/methodology/approach Through a multiple case study among four international humanitarian organizations the authors identify and analyze the restrictions imposed on humanitarian supply chains in 143 different programs. The authors compare the average number of restrictions per country with different governmental and socio-economic situational factors. Findings The authors find that state fragility, a combination of government ineffectiveness and illegitimacy, is the characteristic that best explains the tendency of a government to impose restrictions on humanitarian supply chains. Practical implications Knowing that fragile states tend to impose a high number of restrictions helps humanitarian organizations to prepare adequately before entering a country with a fragile government. The organization can, for example, anticipate possible concerns and establish trust with the government. Commercial companies starting to do business in such country can learn from this knowledge. Originality/value Multiple studies have mentioned the strong impact of governments on humanitarian supply chains, but no paper has yet analyzed this problem in detail. The paper is the first to identify the characteristics that explain the number of restrictions governments impose on humanitarian supply chains, and what humanitarian organizations can do to address them.

An integrated AHP-based scheme for performance measurement in humanitarian supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 938-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Anjomshoae ◽  
Adnan Hassan ◽  
Kuan Yew Wong
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Integrated Performance

Purpose In recent years, several performance indicators have been proposed in humanitarian supply chains (HSCs). Selecting the most relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) is challenging for some humanitarian organizations (HOs) because it involves a considerable amount of complexity and information overload which could lead to judgment biases in the decision-making process. Existing performance measurement studies lack critical analysis for prioritization of performance indicators. Since the process of KPIs selection and categorization is a complex, domain based and subjective process, a systematic guideline is needed. To address this gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated performance measurement scheme that can consolidate KPIs into an overall performance score based on the weighting of the performance indicators in HSCs. Design/methodology/approach Data collection was based on questionnaire surveys and direct interviews with practitioners from international HOs. Findings This paper proposes an integrated scheme based on balanced scorecard and analytic hierarchy process for performance evaluation of HOs. Research limitations/implications The respondents were limited to the humanitarian logistics experts from Malaysian-based international HOs. Practical implications The scheme enables the benchmarking of HOs’ performance that could be useful for decision makers in HSCs. Originality/value This paper provides the ranking and prioritization of KPIs in HSCs. The approach presented in this paper enables an effective and integrated performance measurement in HSCs.

scholarly journals Agility in humanitarian supply chain: an organizational information processing perspective and relational view

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rameshwar Dubey ◽  
David J. Bryde ◽  
Cyril Foropon ◽  
Gary Graham ◽  
Mihalis Giannakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Disaster Relief Operations ◽  
Organizational Information ◽  
Swift Trust ◽  
Relief Operations

Abstract Humanitarian organizations are increasingly facing challenges in terms of improving the efficiency and the effectiveness of their disaster relief efforts. These challenges often arise due to a lack of trust, poor collaboration and an inability to respond to disaster affected areas in a timely manner. Our study attempts to understand how these challenges are overcome by seeking answers to questions related to the topics of swift-trust, collaboration and agility in humanitarian supply chains. For instance, in our study we have attempted to examine how information sharing and supply chain visibility in humanitarian supply chains improve the swift-trust among the humanitarian actors engaged in disaster relief operations. Further, we attempt to understand how-swift trust, commitment and collaboration among the humanitarian actors improve the agility in humanitarian supply chains. In our study we provide both theoretical and data-driven answers to our stated research gaps. Our theoretical model is firmly grounded in organizational information process theory and relational view. We tested our research hypotheses using variance based structural equation modelling with survey data collected using a web based pre-tested instrument from 147 NGOs respondents drawn from the National Disaster Management Authority database. Our results help to advance the theoretical debates surrounding “swift-trust”, “collaboration” and “agility” in humanitarian settings. We further provide direction to managers engaged in disaster relief operations. The humanitarian actors engaged in disaster relief often fail to understand how to build swift-trust. Moreover, how swift-trust further affects commitment and collaboration which in turn further affect agility in humanitarian supply chains. Thus humanitarian organizations must understand how information sharing and supply chain visibility is key to swift-trust among humanitarian actors and agility in humanitarian supply chains. Finally, we outline the limitations of our study and offer some future research directions for investigation.

scholarly journals A decade of supply chain collaboration and directions for future research

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 613-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudine Antoinette Soosay ◽  
Paul Hyland
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
The Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
The Past ◽  
Body Of Knowledge

Purpose – This paper aims to conduct a systematic review of the literature on supply chain collaboration published over a 10-year period from 2005 to 2014. It explores the nature and extent of research undertaken to identify key themes emerging in the field and gaps that need to be addressed. Design/methodology/approach – The authors review a sample of 207 articles from 69 journals, after using an iterative cycle of defining appropriate search keywords, searching the literature and conducting the analysis. Findings – Key themes include the meaning of collaboration; considerations for supply chain collaboration theory; emerging areas in collaboration for sustainability, technology-enabled supply chains and humanitarian supply chains; and the need for a more holistic approach, multi-tier perspectives and research into B2C collaborations. Research limitations/implications – The paper provides discussion and scope for future research into the area which would contribute to the field tremendously. Originality/value – There have been very few reviews in the past on supply chain collaboration, and this is one of the first extensive reviews conducted to address how well the body of knowledge on supply chain collaboration corresponds with our contemporary society.

scholarly journals Humanitarian supply chain performance management: a systematic literature review

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 592-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hella Abidi ◽  
Sander de Leeuw ◽  
Matthias Klumpp
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
The State ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chain

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.

Big data and predictive analytics in humanitarian supply chains

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 485-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rameshwar Dubey ◽  
Zongwei Luo ◽  
Angappa Gunasekaran ◽  
Shahriar Akter ◽  
Benjamin T. Hazen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Predictive Analytics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Swift Trust ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chain

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand how big data and predictive analytics (BDPA), as an organizational capability, can improve both visibility and coordination in humanitarian supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conceptualize a research model grounded in contingent resource-based view where the authors propose that BDPA capabilities affect visibility and coordination under the moderating effect of swift trust. Using ordinary least squares regression, the authors test the hypotheses using survey data collected from informants at 205 international non-government organizations.FindingsThe results indicate that BDPA has a significant influence on visibility and coordination. Further, the results suggest that swift trust does not have an amplifying effect on the relationships between BDPA and visibility and coordination. However, the mediation test suggests that swift trust acts as a mediating construct. Hence, the authors argue that swift trust is not the condition for improving coordination among the actors in humanitarian supply chains.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of the study is that the authors have used cross-sectional survey data to test the research hypotheses. Following Guide and Ketokivi (2015), the authors present arguments on how to address the limitations of cross-sectional data or use of longitudinal data that can address common method bias or endogeneity-related problems.Practical implicationsManagers can use this framework to understand: first, how organizational resources can be used to create BDPA, and second, how BDPA can help build swift trust and be used to improve visibility and coordination in the humanitarian supply chain.Originality/valueThis is the first research that has empirically tested the anecdotal and conceptual evidence. The findings make notable contributions to existing humanitarian supply chain literature and may be useful to managers who are contemplating the use of BDPA to improve disaster-relief-related activities.

Squabbling Syrian rebels will avoid showdown

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Content Type ◽  
Foreign Governments ◽  
The Government ◽  
Kurdish Issue

Significance In Damascus, HTS collaborated with more moderate groups from the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Elsewhere, however, the rebels are deeply divided. HTS, the latest avatar of the former al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra (JN), in early March seized military positions in Aleppo and Idlib from Ahrar al-Sham (AS), a more pragmatic Salafi group. Following mutual threats of escalation, the two organisations on March 7 agreed a ceasefire and withdrawal by HTS. Impacts The government will use the expansion of HTS influence to justify intensified bombing of infrastructure, displacing opposition civilians. HTS will put pressure on civilian institutions, seeking to replace them with vassal governance bodies. The growing prominence of HTS in the northwest will encourage foreign governments further to reduce support to Syrian insurgents. In the longer term, Ankara could quietly use HTS to pressure Damascus over the Kurdish issue. HTS will remain a relatively small presence in southern Syria.

India's GST reform promises major economic rewards

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
The Political ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Economic Significance ◽  
National Market ◽  
The Government ◽  
Over Time

Subject The political and economic significance of GST. Significance The Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill earlier this month passed through the upper house of parliament, its most difficult hurdle. When rolled out, GST will represent the most significant reform of the tax system since India's independence in 1947, replacing the current myriad of central and state imposts to create a unified national market. The government claims that the GST will be the best version of its envisaged 'One Nation One Tax' concept. Impacts GST has longer-term implications for business costs, taxation ratios and India's illicit economy. Over time, businesses are likely to re-adjust their supply-chains to take advantage of the new opportunities. Inflation may rise temporarily when GST is implemented, possibly affecting political sentiment and monetary policy. Sectors such as renewables, tourism and telecommunications are likely to lobby the government for exemptions. The April 2017 deadline for rolling out GST is ambitious.

Philippines 2017-18 agenda has modest outlook

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Drug Supply ◽  
Mining Sector ◽  
Critical Position ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Government Efficiency ◽  
Foreign Governments ◽  
Corporate Social

Significance The act, aimed at improving government efficiency by closing or merging departments and state entities, is one of the priorities President Rodrigo Duterte set in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) to congress on July 24, in which he also set out a critical position towards the country’s mining sector. Impacts Police and military capacity spending will rise, but aid, chiefly from Beijing and Washington, is needed. The government’s pro-environment, pro-corporate social responsibility agenda could extend to non-mining economic firms. The administration will need foreign governments’ help to crack down on international drug supply chains. Streamlining government will see controversy and debate over what gets shut or merged.

To greener pastures

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1193-1225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hossein Zarei ◽  
Ruth Carrasco-Gallego ◽  
Stefano Ronchi
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Half Cycle ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Green Practices

Purpose While humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) inherently contribute to social sustainability by alleviating the suffering of afflicted communities, their unintended adverse environmental impact has been overlooked hitherto. This paper draws upon contingency theory to synthesize green practices for HSCs, identify the contingency factors that impact on greening HSCs and explore how focal humanitarian organizations (HOs) can cope with such contingency factors. Design/methodology/approach Deploying an action research methodology, two-and-a-half cycles of collaboration between researchers and a United Nations agency were completed. The first half-cycle developed a deductive greening framework, synthesizing extant green practices from the literature. In the second and third cycles, green practices were adopted/customized/developed reflecting organizational and contextual contingency factors. Action steps were implemented in the HSC for prophylactics, involving an operational mix of disaster relief and development programs. Findings First, the study presents a greening framework that synthesizes extant green practices in a suitable form for HOs. Second, it identifies the contingency factors associated with greening HSCs regarding funding environment, stakeholders, field of activity and organizational management. Third, it outlines the mechanisms for coping with the contingency factors identified, inter alia, improving the visibility of headquarters over field operations, promoting collaboration and resource sharing with other HOs as well as among different implementing partners in each country, and working with suppliers for greener packaging. The study advances a set of actionable propositions for greening HSCs. Practical implications Using an action research methodology, the study makes strong practical contributions. Humanitarian practitioners can adopt the greening framework and the lessons learnt from the implementation cycles presented in this study. Originality/value This is one of the first empirical studies to integrate environmental sustainability and HSCs using an action research methodology.

The Humanitarian Supply Chain Assessment Tool (HumSCAT)

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-249
Author(s):  
Ruth Banomyong ◽  
Puthipong Julagasigorn ◽  
Paitoon Varadejsatitwong ◽  
Pairach Piboonrungroj
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Preparation Phase ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chain

Purpose An understanding of the “AS-IS” stage of a relief operation is the basis for further action in humanitarian supply chain management. The purpose of this paper is to develop a toolbox called the Humanitarian Supply Chain Assessment Tool (HumSCAT). This toolbox is comprised of a set of basic tools which can be classified into each phase of disaster relief. Design/methodology/approach The HumSCAT is proposed by paralleling frequently used tools in commercial supply chains with the objectives and characteristics of relief phases. A case study was used to validate the HumSCAT along with six tools provided in the preparation phase. Findings The HumSCAT consists of seven tools in the preparation phase, nine tools in the response phase and ten tools in the recovery phase. The case study illustrates how to use the HumSCAT and the six tools. The latter were found to be useful for improving the relief chain. Research limitations/implications The list of tools is not exclusive. Other tools might be applicable as long as they meet the objectives and characteristics of the phase. A tool should be adjusted accordingly to the contexts. Tools in other phases should be validated in future research. Practical implications The HumSCAT may serve as a reference toolbox for practitioners. Its output can be used for further designing of the “TO-BE” status of humanitarian relief chains. Originality/value The HumSCAT is proposed as a toolbox for academics and practitioners involved in humanitarian supply chains.

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