Personnel needs assessment in times of crisis: a focus on management of disasters

Purpose This study aims to explain the importance of human resources and attempts to identify the competencies required by the personnel involved in disaster management operations. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a qualitative methodology to explore the competencies required by the relief workers using a content analysis approach to analyze the disaster literature and the job advertisements. The data for the content analysis was developed with the help of 23 independent coders, and exploratory inferences were drawn. Findings A detailed review of the literature highlighted the importance of competent personnel in disaster relief organizations. The analysis listed 34 mutually exclusive competencies and their relative importance, which were further divided into four competency clusters. The study also creates a competency dictionary that defines the competencies with the expected behaviors. Practical implications Deploying the right resources in the acute time frame during a disaster event can make a difference, and with lives at stake, such deployment acquires prime importance. In addition to contributing to humanitarian logistics literature, the competency model developed will also help forecast the future requirements and help the organization choose “the right person for the right job.” Originality/value The inferences drawn in the study are based on disaster management areas, unlike earlier research which also considered business logistics research.

Strategies of relief organizations for improvement of disaster risk communication process in Iran

Background: The frequency and severity of disaster occurrence and emergency situation, and the importance of disaster risk communication of relief organizations to increase the readiness of societies in the case of disaster is increasing around the world. This study aimed to identify relief organizations' strategies to improve disaster risk communication in Iran. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted with the participation of 25 managers, relief workers, and people who had experiences in response to one of the disasters. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis.Results: The analysis of the data of this study led to the identification of 3 categories and 9 sub-categories regarding strategies of relief organizations to improve risk communication. These categories are 1) management of information and training communication (facilitation of training processes, diverse training strategies, and integrated informing), 2) management of communication barriers (trust building, managing people's demands and efforts to respect affected people), and 3) Inter-organizational communication management (coordination to meet people's demands, improve communication coordination and strengthen communication platforms)Conclusion: Relief organizations use different strategies to improve disaster risk communication, and communication barrier management is vital for improving organizations' communication with people. Developing risk communication improvement strategies can help planners and managers design and implement effective risk management programs.

Efficient Crisis Management by Selection and Analysis of Relief Centers in Disaster Integrating GIS and Multicriteria Decision Methods: A Case Study of Tehran

In Iran, location is usually done by temporary relief organizations without considering the necessary standards or conditions. The inappropriate and unscientific location may have led to another catastrophe, even far greater than the initial tragedy. In this study, the proposed locations of crisis management in the region and the optimal points proposed by the Geographic Information System (GIS), taking into account the opinions of experts and without the opinion of experts, were evaluated according to 18 criteria. First, the optimal areas have been evaluated according to standard criteria extracted by GIS and the intended locations of the region for accommodation in times of crisis. Then, the position of each place is calculated concerning each criterion. The resulting matrix of optimal options was qualitatively entered into the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Evaluation (PROMETHEE) for analysis. The triangular fuzzy aggregation method for weighting and standard classification of criteria for extracting optimal areas using GIS and integrating entropy and the Multiobjective Optimization Based on Ratio Analysis (MOORA) method for prioritizing places in the region are considered in this research. Finally, by applying constraints and using net input and output flows, optimal and efficient options are identified by PROMETHEE V. Among the research options, only four options were optimal and efficient. A case study of the Tehran metropolis is provided to show the ability of the proposed approach for selecting the points in three modes, with/without applying weights and applying crisis management.

A systematic review of cost-effective methods of international humanitarian response

Humanitarian relief organizations face many challenges due to the increasing number of both natural and man-made disasters such as drought, famine, war, and conflict. According to the United Nations, these challenges will continue to increase because of the risen vulnerability of humanitarian supply chains, especially regarding cost, accuracy, and duration. In this systematic review, we explore methods of lowering the cost of humanitarian responses, more specifically in regard to the education and training of aid workers.

Introduction

Abstract“How do we see refugees? The refugee has become a multifaceted symbol, the most prominent political figure of our time” states the brochure of an art retrospective by Khaled Hourani, a Palestinian artist reflecting on the reduction of refugees to abstract symbols of victimhood by humanitarian representations. In the eyes of the artist, the blue figure (Fig. 1.1), so common in relief organizations´ visual depictions, is the migrating human being, without a specific national, religious, ethnic, or gender identity. Yet, the visual landscape of contemporary displacement is anything but abstract. Images of overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean, refugee camps, improvised shelters along migration routes, children and families in need, and people stranded behind fences and walls have come to constitute a powerful reminder of contemporary conditions of displacement for people on the move. Yet, the question remains: how do we see refugees?

Logistics Providers in Syria Humanitarian Operations

Logistics providers have become an important element in completing humanitarian relief work in countries experiencing armed conflict. Delivery aid assistances need to build logistics capacity and critical supply chain functions that help to meet the unconfirmed requirements of beneficiaries at right place, on right date, and with right fees. To reach the research goal, the authors will determine the weights of customer requirements (CRs) using the DEMATEL method, which considers the influences of inconformity and the causal relationship between CRs. This chapter employs quality function deployment (QFD) to integrate the voice of CRs and supplier criteria TRs using house of quality charts. This chapter focuses on case of humanitarian organizations collaborate with logistics service providers (LSPs) to maintain and enhance their performance by identify the crucial factors that effect on LSPs selection and their specified from the perspective of humanitarian relief organizations activated in Syrian humanitarian operation.

Humanitarian NGOs and Global Governance: One, No One and One Hundred Thousand Humanitarian NGOs

To understand the role that NGOs’ representation of Syrian displacement plays in global governance before getting into the visual analysis it is important reflect upon the aspirations of emergency organizations. How do relief agencies intend, perceive and present their role to the public? Are they interested in participating or influencing global governance? Do they consider their role as promoters of universal values or technical agents performing a specific task? Answering these questions is important to unpack their distinctiveness and the different ways in which different NGOs conceive and perform their mission in the international arena. In this sense, it is extremely interesting to look at how relief organizations accommodate their humanitarian role and the humanitarian principles within contexts that are inescapably highly political (e.g., situations of violence, displacement, political contestation or belligerent occupation). Not only do NGOs work within a complex web of political interests, international relations and systems of power, but, for better or worse, their humanitarian and advocacy actions have practical political implications. The investigation of how different organizations negotiate their relationship with politics allows us to better understand where each positions itself within the heated debate around the interrelations of humanitarianism and politics discussed in the first chapter.

Roles of NGOs and Military in Humanitarian Supply Chain

Between the years 2000 and 2012, natural disasters caused $1.7 trillion in damage and affected 2.9 billion people (dosomething.org). The military has been active in participating in many disaster areas using their unique assets. Although military involvement in relief operations is welcome, their participation has been perceived by some part of NGOs as suspicious and incongruent with relief missions practiced by NGOs. This article attempts to outline a framework with two relief organizations working together to provide comprehensive relief strategies.