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A two‐stage procurement model for humanitarian relief supply chains

Mauro Falasca (Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA)
Christopher W. Zobel (Department of Business Information Technology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA)

Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management

ISSN: 2042-6747

Article publication date: 21 October 2011

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and to help address the need for quantitative models to support and improve procurement in the context of humanitarian relief efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

This research presents a two‐stage stochastic decision model with recourse for procurement in humanitarian relief supply chains, and compares its effectiveness on an illustrative example with respect to a standard solution approach.

Findings

Results show the ability of the new model to capture and model both the procurement process and the uncertainty inherent in a disaster relief situation, in support of more efficient and effective procurement plans.

Research limitations/implications

The research focus is on sudden onset disasters and it does not differentiate between local and international suppliers. A number of extensions of the base model could be implemented, however, so as to address the specific needs of a given organization and their procurement process.

Practical implications

Despite the prevalence of procurement expenditures in humanitarian efforts, procurement in humanitarian contexts is a topic that previously has only been discussed in a qualitative manner in the literature. This work provides practitioners with a new approach to quantitatively assess and improve their procurement decision processes.

Originality/value

This study adds to the existing literature by demonstrating the applicability and effectiveness of an analytic modeling technique based on uncertainty, such as stochastic programming with recourse, in the context of humanitarian relief procurement activities.

Keywords

Citation

Falasca, M. and Zobel, C.W. (2011), "A two‐stage procurement model for humanitarian relief supply chains", Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 151-169. https://doi.org/10.1108/20426741111188329

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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