Relief Supply Chain Management (Academy of Finland)

Date: 2008 – 2012 (48 months)

Aim of the project: To further the understanding of Supply Chain Management in disaster relief. The RelSCM project focuses on (1) Integration in the relief Supply Chain. The international humanitarian community has called for increased co-ordination in the delivery of aid in disaster relief. It is crucial that this community eliminates duplication efforts and improves communication and co-ordination. Improved Supply Chain integration is argued to lead to better Supply Chain performance. In relief Supply Chain Management, integration is expected to lead to time efficiencies that translate to additional lives saved. (2) Agency co-opetition in disaster relief. Relief Supply Chains have been criticised for a duplication of efforts across relief agencies. The problem is that agencies compete for the same resources, which results in collaboration problems. Collaboration and competition have received high interest in the field of Supply Chain Management due to the expected outcomes on performance, yet, the concept of co-opetition, the joint occurrence of collaboration and competition, has not at all been researched in relief Supply Chains. (3) Health care Supply Chain s in disaster relief. In disaster response, the provision of health care is crucial. Finland has been one main provider of emergency health care units and has a wide expertise in the field. Yet, there has so far not been extensive research conducted in the field of health care in relief Supply Chains, especially on how integration and collaboration and logistical tools can be used in order to save more lives.

Funded by: Academy of Finland

Countries of the project: NA

Projects members at Hanken: Karen Spens, Gyöngyi Kovács, Joseph Sackey, Rolando Tomasini, Ira Haavisto