Good morning, CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Theme 3: Humanitarian supply chain management

Essay 2

The logistics involved in disaster relief operations is unique because it is subject to irregular demand patterns and unusual constraints. The logistical needs of humanitarian organisations frequently exceed the capabilities of current emergency response approaches.

Despite this, many organisations continue to underestimate the importance of logistics in disaster relief operations. The humanitarian sector lacks operational knowledge and there is a shortage of investment in technology, communication and equipment.

Therefore, the use of commercial third-party providers in humanitarian logistics should be investigated.

Can commercial third-party providers add any value? If so, what criteria should buyers (humanitarian relief agencies) use for employing commercial third-party providers? What real systems can relief agencies use for measuring third-party logistics performance? Should commercial third-party providers make profit from a humanitarian contract?

Criteria for grading essays

Essential elements required:

1. Relevance – it directly answers the questions.

2. Understanding of the topic.

3. Organisation of material into a coherent structure: Introduction, argument and

evidence, conclusion.

4. Clear style, including accurate spelling, clear sentence construction and punctuation.

5. Use of own words, except where directly quoting from another source.

6. Language usage and adhere to word limitation – 2000 words.

References (Not longer than 5 years)

Ariel 12

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