Search results

The purpose of this paper is to explore disaster relief activities implemented by high-profile sport organisations and athletes.

In total, 70 newspaper and magazine articles reporting the disaster relief efforts of sport organisations and athletes in various regions were identified and analysed through a content analysis.

The authors find 11 forms of activities that sport organisations and athletes have implemented to provide social support in post-disaster situations. These forms are classified based on type of post-disaster social support: eight forms are categorised as tangible support, while the other three are categorised as emotional support.

The findings are based on the analysis of the news media that predominantly reported North American cases, and the current list of disaster relief activities may exclude some activities ignored by these specific data sources. Using the forms of disaster relief activities identified in this study as an initial framework, future studies should engage in the focused analysis of disaster response among sport organisations and athletes.

The comprehensive list of the disaster relief activities identified by this study should aid the decision-making of sport organisations and athletes in facing disasters and enable them to better prepare for their disaster response.

This study reveals the extensiveness and uniqueness of disaster relief activities currently implemented by sport organisations and athletes.

Humanitarian Supply chain Management (HSCM) is concerned with managing the efficient flow of aid materials, information and services to reduce the impact of disaster on human lives. Post 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the relief activities in India were not planned and executed properly. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the present situation existing to tackle a disaster, identify the gaps and suggest few mechanisms to overcome the gaps.

A situation‐actor‐process (SAP) learning‐action performance (LAP) model has been applied to analyze the HSCM activities in India. The “situation” represents the present scenario of the organization. Actors are the participants, influencing the situation to evolve different business processes. Based on SAP, various “learning” issues have been analyzed which lead to suitable “action” to be followed by impact of SAP on the “performance” of the supply chain of the organization.

Various issues that need attention are identification of the supply sources, co‐ordination among the actors, importance of a central authority, role of experienced SCM professionals, scarcity and abundance of the resources may be seen together, supply chain understanding in the disaster management and necessity of a financial supply chain.

The general model of SAP‐LAP is used to explain various issues of HSCM in a managerial context.

The SAP‐LAP model presents the situation of HSCM in India to actors who may initiate the relief operations. It also helps in identifying issues in the current method of operation. The synthesis of SAP leads to LAP, which helps in suggesting the improvement actions or the learning from the present situation, actors and processes.

The paper presents a novel approach to analyze qualitative issues of HSCM in a single model comprising various perspectives on activities undertaken during the relief operations, both prior to disaster and post disaster.

Unforeseen events can disrupt the operational process and negatively impact emergency resources optimization and its supply chain. A limited number of studies have addressed risk management issues in the context of emergency supply chains, and this existing research lacks inbuilt and practical techniques that can significantly affect the reliability of risk management outcomes. Therefore, this paper aims to identify and practically analyze the specific risk factors that can most likely disrupt the normal functioning of the emergency supply chain in disaster relief operations.

This paper has used a three-step process to investigate and evaluate risk factors associated with the emergency supply chain. First, the study conducts a comprehensive literature review to identify the risk factors. Second, the research develops a questionnaire survey to validate and classify the identified risk factors. At the end of this step, the study develops a hierarchical structure. Finally, the research investigates the weighted priority of the validated risk factors using the fuzzy-analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) methodology. Experts were required to provide subjective judgments.

This paper identified and validated 28 specific risk factors prevalent in emergency supply chains. Based on their contextual meanings, the research classified these risk factors into two main categories: internal and external risk factors; four subcategories: demand, supply, infrastructural and environmental risk factors; and 11 risk types: forecast, inventory, procurement, supplier, quality, transportation, warehousing, systems, disruption, social and political risk factors. The most significant risk factors include war and terrorism, the absence of legislative rules that can influence and support disaster relief operations, the impact of cascading disasters, limited quality of relief supplies and sanctions and constraints that can hinder stakeholder collaboration. Therefore, emergency supply chain managers should adopt appropriate strategies to mitigate these risk factors.

This study will contribute to the general knowledge of risk management in emergency supply chains. The identified risk factors and structural hierarchy taxonomic diagram will provide a comprehensive risk database for emergency supply chains.

The research findings will provide comprehensive and systemic support for respective practitioners and policymakers to obtain a firm understanding of the different risk categories and specific risk factors that can impede the effective functioning of the emergency supply chain during immediate disaster relief operations. Therefore, this will inform the need for the improvement of practices in critical aspects of the emergency supply chain through the selection of logistics and supply chain strategies that can ensure the robustness and resilience of the system.

This research uses empirical data to identify, categorize and validate risk factors in emergency supply chains. This study contributes to the theory of supply chain risk management. The study also adopts the fuzzy-AHP technique to evaluate and prioritize these risk factors to inform practitioners and policymakers of the most significant risk factors. Furthermore, this study serves as the first phase of managing risk in emergency supply chains since it motivates future studies to empirically identify, evaluate and select effective strategies that can eliminate or minimize the effects of these risk factors.

The purpose of this paper is to explore what would make disaster donors different from non-donors, with particular attention paid to differences in two forms of donations: the monetary donation that directly benefits the beneficiary and the charitable donation that is used by charitable organizations to support their disaster relief activities. Differences in the perceived effectiveness of other disaster relief activities, skepticism about charitable organizations, disaster experience, disaster preparedness, and disaster insight were also examined between the two groups.

A total of 300 Japanese participants were asked to complete a14-item questionnaire online. A series of comparative analyses were conducted to examine differences between donors and non-donors in the questionnaire items.

Although non-donors evaluated the effectiveness of the monetary donation more positively than the charitable donation, donors evaluated the effectiveness of all the disaster relief activities more positively than non-donors. Moreover, donors were more prepared for disasters and more insightful into the current situation of the disaster victims than non-donors.

Along with the internal and external factors previously found, disaster awareness may be a key to increasing people's intention to donate for disaster victims. Such awareness could be fostered through successful disaster education and appropriate media coverage of disasters.

The findings that non-donors generally have a less positive view of disaster relief activities imply that non-donors may be less knowledgeable than donors about how charitable activities can work and benefit disaster victims.

The paper aims to discuss the findings of a humanitarian logistics manager field study on response activity concerning the 2004 tsunami disaster in terms of what should have occurred and to present a comprehensive hindsight‐analysis case for a model placing natural disaster response activity clearly within the context of local‐nation‐led, holistic and inclusive natural disaster planning.

The qualitative testing of a conceptual framework of natural‐disaster response requirements through interviews with tsunami‐response logistics managers, the analysis of the findings in the light of tsunami‐hindsight “effective disaster management” themes of recent academic literature and multi‐agency reports and the development of the holistic, inclusive planning model.

That natural disaster response activity needs to be viewed holistically in the context of a disaster management planning continuum that ideally starts well before the response action is required and of which locally‐led inclusiveness is a crucial component.

The model needs to be tested for its applicability as a planning instrument and guide for response activity in the context of future natural disasters.

The holistic/inclusive planning model has been developed to guide natural disaster planners as well as add to academic discourse in the search for natural disaster management solutions.

The study is original with its field‐based qualitative research foundation and reflective hindsight analysis.

In the aftermath of disasters, humanitarian actors need to coordinate their activities based on accurate information about the disaster site, its surrounding environment, the victims and survivors and the supply of and demand for relief supplies. In this study, the authors examine the characteristics of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and those of disaster relief operations to achieve information visibility and actor coordination for effective and efficient humanitarian relief operations.

Building on the contingent resource-based view (CRBV), the authors present a model of task-technology fit (TTF) that explains how the use of RFID can improve visibility and coordination. Survey data were collected from humanitarian practitioners in India, and partial least squares (PLS) analysis was used to analyze the model.

The characteristics of both RFID technology and disaster relief operations significantly influence TTF, and TTF predicts RFID usage in disaster relief operations, providing visibility and coordination. TTF is also a mediator between the characteristics of RFID technology and disaster relief operations and between visibility and coordination.

The many recent humanitarian disasters have demonstrated the critical importance of effective and efficient humanitarian supply chain and logistics strategies and operations in assisting disaster-affected populations. The active and appropriate use of technology, including RFID, can help make disaster response more effective and efficient.

Humanitarian actors value RFID technology because of its ability to improve the visibility and coordination of relief operations. This study brings a new perspective to the benefits of RFID technology and sheds light on its antecedents. The study thus expands the understanding of technology in humanitarian operations.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges of humanitarian logisticians with respect to different types of disasters, phases of disaster relief and the type of humanitarian organization. A conceptual model is constructed that serves as a basis to identify these challenges.

The paper is based on a country as a case, namely Ghana. Structured and unstructured data are collected in a workshop with humanitarian logisticians, and complemented with presentations of humanitarian logisticians, as they perceive their challenges. Disaster statistics and country profiles are used as secondary data.

The paper shows that some disasters defy a categorization between natural and man‐made causes. Challenges of humanitarian logisticians depend not only on the disaster at hand, but also on the local presence of their organization. The most emphasized challenge is the coordination of logistical activities. Challenges can be managed better if attributing them to different stakeholder environments.

Applying stakeholder theory to logistics, this paper provides a greater understanding for the challenges of humanitarian logisticians.

A stakeholder categorization of the challenges of humanitarian logisticians helps to find potential collaboration partners as well as to mitigate these challenges.

Humanitarian logistics is a rather new field in logistics literature. What is more, there is a lack of empirical cases in the field. This paper proposes a conceptual model based on an actual empirical case.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework on how strategic philanthropy can be included in humanitarian supply chains delivery. This framework explains the modalities where strategic philanthropy can be successful when collaborating with key humanitarian supply chain actors.

A philanthropy delivery framework is developed based on the literature related to strategic philanthropy and humanitarian supply chains. The delivery framework is further validated with the real-life case study of a multinational firm during the 2011 Thai floods.

Procter and Gamble (P&G) was involved in the Thailand flood 2011 relief efforts in three phases: preparation, immediate response, and reconstruction phase. The company supported and distributed a water purifier through a non-governmental relief agency, the Princess Pa Foundation, under the Thai Red Cross Society, that enabled P&G to not only gain the trust of the targeted community during all the phases but in the continued usage of their water purifier after the event. Community leaders and P&G’s modern trade retailers played an important role in collaborating in this humanitarian supply chain to enable the successful delivery and usage of the donated water purifier.

This proposed delivery framework is appropriate for in-kind products and services philanthropy. The case study describes how strategic philanthropy can be implemented in a specific case, i.e. flood disaster.

Academia, practitioners, and companies who are involved in humanitarian reliefs may adopt and adapt this framework in order to enable a win-win situation for all stakeholders in the humanitarian supply chain.

The delivery framework suggests that firms can develop successful strategic philanthropy through systematic humanitarian supply chain collaboration. It explains how a company can operate its philanthropic programs through collaboration with others as well as describes how these different actors can work together.

This paper identifies the challenges during a recent disaster relief operation in a developing country where the humanitarian response is dominated by national actors, with international actors having a minor role.

A case study design is used; the main data sources are semi-structured interviews with 43 informants involved in the 2017 Kermanshah earthquake relief operation.

The findings suggest that humanitarian practitioners deal with multiple challenges during disaster relief operations. One group of challenges relates to humanitarian logistics (HL) like needs assessment, procurement, warehousing, transportation and distribution, all widely discussed in the literature. Another involves the growing use of social media, legitimacy regulations and the engagement of new humanitarian actors (HAs) like social media activists and celebrities. These factors have not been extensively studied in the literature; given their growing influence, they require more scholarly attention.

The findings will help humanitarian practitioners and policymakers better understand the challenges involved in disaster relief operations conducted by multiple actors and thus help them improve their practices, including the creation of proper regulations, policies and logistics strategies.

The study uses primary data on a recent disaster to assess and extend the findings of previous studies regarding HL challenges. It also elaborates on the critical non-logistical challenges that influence aid delivery in emergency responses, including the growth of social media, regulations and the engagement of new HAs. The results may motivate future empirical and modelling studies to investigate the identified challenges and identify practices to mitigate them.

Unfortunately, the occurrence of natural disasters is inevitable all over the world. Hence, this paper aims to analyze a scenario-based collaborative problem in a relief supply chain (RSC), where nongovernmental organizations can participate in relief activities with governmental organizations. This study focuses on location-allocation, inventory management and distribution planning under uncertain demand, budget, transportation and holding costs where government and private distribution centers receive relief items from suppliers then send them to affected areas. The performance of the proposed model is surveyed in a real case study in Dorud.

This paper develops a nonlinear mixed-integer programming model that seeks to maximize the coverage of demand points and minimize operating costs and traveled distance. The linear programming-metric technique and grasshopper optimization algorithm are applied to survey the model's applicability and efficiency.

This study compares noncollaborative and collaborative cases in terms of the number of applied distribution centers and RSC's goals, then demonstrates that the collaborative model not only improves the coverage of demand points but also minimizes cost and traveled distance. In fact, the presented approach helps governments efficiently surmount problems created after a disaster, notwithstanding existing uncertainties, by determining a strategic plan for collaboration with nongovernmental organizations for relief activities.

Relief strategies considered in previous research have not been sufficiently examined from the perspective of collaboration of governmental and nongovernmental organizations and provided an approach to develop the coverage of affected areas and reducing costs and traveled distance despite various uncertainties. Hence, the authors aim to manage RSCs better by offering a mathematical model whose performance has been proved in a real case study.