Supply Chain Forum
Call for papers: Humanitarian Supply Chains
To be issued June 2010
The reported number of disasters has increased from 1,000 in 1970 to 3,000 in
2002. The number of people affected by these disasters has risen to 2.5 billion in 2002.
Due to the changing nature of the disasters and improving early warning systems the
number of people killed has reduced by 75% to just over half a million in 2002 (IFRC
World Disaster Report 2006/7). This means that more people than ever before are in
need of local, regional and global humanitarian assistance.
Logistics is central to providing humanitarian assistance. The way that supply
chains are operated has a massive impact on the speed and quality of the assistance
that can be provided. In addition logistics activities (from purchasing to the last-mile
delivery of items) account for a very large share of the cost in a disaster relief operation.
Any improvement in the way logistics provides humanitarian assistance has the potential
to deliver a huge positive impact for people affected by diasters. As a research area,
however; humanitarian logistics and supply chain management remains largely
underestimated even if the Asian-Pacific Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake
in Pakistan made researchers as well as the public in general more aware of logistical
challenges and opportunities in disaster relief. There is also an increasing awareness as
to the link between preparedness, response and recovery in that the better logistics
preparedness, the better and quicker response and the better response, the earlier
recovery back towards a normal state can occur.
Given these challenges, Supply Chain Forum is happy to call for papers on
humanitarian supply chains. The guest editors would like to invite and encourage you to
submit your research to this special issue of SCM:IJ entitled ‘Humanitarian Supply
Chains’.
Deadline for submission June 1st 2009
Notification of acceptance by September 1st 2009
Final version of papers due April 1st 2010
Notification of final acceptance due April 30th 2010
Publication due June 30th 2010
Questions should be submitted electronically to guest editors:
Ian Heigh, Ian.heigh@globalemergencygroup.com
Marianne Jahre, marianne.jahre@tlog.lth.se
More information are found here.