Adriana Leiras

Literature review of humanitarian logistics research: trends and challenges

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review of humanitarian logistics (HL) that aims to identify trends and suggest some directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper develops a research framework for literature review through qualitative and quantitative content analysis. First, previous literature reviews in HL are updated and detailed. Then, seven classification criteria are added to earlier ones in order to advance the literature analysis. Findings – The conclusions identify some literature gaps and research opportunities. The main conclusions are the need for more studies into the disaster recovery phase and the need for closer relationships between academia and humanitarian organizations to increase the number of applied research. Research limitations/implications – The literature is limited to academic peer-reviewed journals because of their academic relevance, accessibility, and ease of searching. Practical implications – Help potenti...

Petroleum refinery operational planning using robust optimization

In this article, the robust optimization methodology is applied to deal with uncertainties in the prices of saleable products, operating costs, product demand, and product yield in the context of refinery operational planning. A numerical study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed robust approach. The benefits of incorporating uncertainty in the different model parameters were evaluated in terms of the cost of ignoring uncertainty in the problem. The calculations suggest that this benefit is equivalent to 7.47% of the deterministic solution value, which indicates that the robust model may offer advantages to those involved with refinery operational planning. In addition, the probability bounds of constraint violation are calculated to help the decision-maker adopt a more appropriate parameter to control robustness and judge the tradeoff between conservatism and total profit.

Literature review of oil refineries planning under uncertainty

This paper presents a literature review in the area of refinery planning models with emphasis on the main techniques to deal with optimisation under uncertainty. The studies are classified according to the segment of the oil chain (upstream, midstream, or downstream), planning level (strategic, tactical, or operational), and problem type (LP, NLP, MILP, or MINLP). The works are also categorised as deterministic or stochastic, and it is indicated whether they present an actual application or not. In addition, the stochastic models are further detailed according to the technique to account for uncertainty and the uncertainty factors considered. The conclusions point out to major literature gaps and the research opportunities in the area of refinery planning under uncertainty.

Diseño de sistemas de medición de desempeño de proveedores: experiencias de un caso de estudio

Resumen La evaluacion de los proveedores es importante para las organizaciones debido al papel preponderante que estos cumplen en la dinamica de las cadenas de suministros y a la importancia estrategica que las funciones de compra tienen a raiz de la tercerizacion de los procesos que no forman parte del know-how de la empresa. No obstante, la literatura academica carece de trabajos concernientes al diseno e implementacion de sistemas de medicion de desempeno de proveedores (SMDP). En ese contexto, este articulo presenta los factores mas importantes del diseno de un SMDP, resaltando, a traves de un caso de estudio, los cuidados y recomendaciones que deben ser considerados. Ademas del detalle del metodo y los resultados de su aplicacion, el articulo presenta el analisis de los procesos y atributos que definen el diseno del SMDP propuesto. Palabras-clave Sistemas de medicion de desempeno. Cadenas de suministros. Proveedores. Evaluacion del desempeno de proveedores. *PUC-Rio, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil Recebido 30/06/2009; Aceito 26/05/2010

Proposta de um programa de treinamento de desastres naturais considerando o perfil das vítimas

En pasadas decadas los desastres han incrementado en numero e intensidad. Organizaciones humanitarias han buscado metodos para la prevencion y preparacion ante desastres. Esto requiere el estudio de anteriores desastres, tal que las decisiones puedan enfocarse en las principales vulnerabilidades. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo impulsar las politicas de prevencion y preparacion a traves de programas de capacitacion orientados a la preparacion ante desastres en Brasil, considerando el perfil de las poblaciones afectadas. Se conducen estudios sobre vulnerabilidad y metodos de capacitacion en prevencion de desastres naturales, y se realiza un analisis estadistico sobre las victimas de desastres naturales en cuatro estados brasileros. Finalmente, se discuten metodos de capacitacion de acuerdo a las vulnerabilidades identificadas en el estudio. Se concluye que los programas y metodos de capacitacion deben ser mas efectivos y orientados a Brasil. Estos resultados pueden ayudar a la mitigacion y prevencion de desastres en los estados analizados.

Economic production quantity (EPQ) model with partial backordering and a discount for imperfect quality batches

Economic production quantity (EPQ) models are traditionally used in operations management. Despite the large number of papers that describe the models, the classic EPQ model does not consider either imperfect quality batches or shortages. However, some industries may be able to sell imperfect items for a lower price, reducing the total production cost. This paper proposes an EPQ model with partial backordering and discount for imperfect quality batches and an algorithm that returns optimal values for the problem. From a numerical example, it is possible to analyse how the changes in the variables affect each part of the total cost function, which provides a useful tool for strategic decision-making. We conclude that it is better to sell imperfect items as soon as possible because the savings in holding costs results in a total cost reduction. It is more profitable for the producer to have planned shortages considering that some costumers are willing to wait. Furthermore, the reduction of the goodwill cost does not necessarily reduce the total cost.

Supply chain risk analysis: a shipbuilding industry case

ABSTRACT A lack of empirical studies on Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) is observed, especially in the industries of large projects. Therefore, this paper conducts a risk analysis on the Brazilian Shipbuilding Industry by generating an initial risk profile. A panel was conducted with executives from major shipyards, and the primary risks were identified, assessed, and evaluated. Findings corroborate the academic literature, reinforcing that companies recognise the importance of SCRM, but the concept is incipient and far from being successfully implemented in real life. Despite the fact that the shipyards identified important risks, the focus was on internal factors. Because the industry was exposed to risks from the external environment, no risk mitigation actions existed, resulting in the bankruptcy of many shipbuilders. This research is an initial step toward investigating SCRM techniques, offering academics a novel empirical approach that can serve as a systematic risk management tool for supply chain planning.

Sustainable procurement portfolio management: a case study in a mining company

Abstract Sustainable procurement is a solution to integrate environmental and social considerations in all steps of procurement process, in order to reduce impacts on human health, environment, and human rights. Despite the existence of important works in this area, more studies for determining how the principles related to sustainable development can be integrated to procurement strategies are needed. This study presents a case study in a mining company to evaluate the elements that should be considered for the implementation of sustainability concept in the contracting of services through the application of a sustainability portfolio model. Results show that the contracts of the internal movement’s category of the studied company fit as Strategic Commodity, which means that the items in this category have a risk in the strategic supply, because they need investments made by the buyer in the relationship with the supplier. Keywords Sustainability. Procurement. Portfolio model. Sustainable procurement. Case study.

Evaluation of community leaders’ perception regarding Alerta Rio, the warning system for landslides caused by heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro

Warning systems help reduce damage and save lives in disasters; however, there is a lack of research analyzing the population perception of these systems. In Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), because the city slums face the risk of landslides caused by heavy rains, a siren early warning system named “Alerta Rio” was installed in 102 areas. The purpose of this paper was to understand the perception of community leaders regarding this alert system. To this end, a survey was conducted with community leaders to collect data on whether and why the public do or do not attend to the alert. Results indicated that (1) public adherence to Alerta Rio is low despite the generally positive view of the system, (2) local violence was reported as the reason for staying at home to protect one’s property, and (3) problems with temporary shelters and the routes to them result in lack of people’s involvement in the system. Whereas these factors are similar to population perception regarding other warning systems, the community leaders also raised the public’s lack of trust in the city hall’s adopted concept of risk and in the politicians as a relevant factor in the population perception of Alerta Rio. These factors, together with the lack of prevention policies complementary with the alert system, led to perception of reduced importance of the system. For potential solutions to enhance alarm compliance, this study recommends improvement in communication, educational programs, and public engagement strategies tailored for each target group.

Brazilian Air Force operations in disaster response – a process analysis

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the status of the current Brazilian regulations regarding the Brazilian Air Force (BAF) operations during disaster response compared with the real BAF operations in the landslides that affected the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2011. This analysis reveals the evolutions and challenges that warrant further discussion, even six years after the deadliest disaster in recent Brazilian history.,The research is structured using a case study method and a process approach. The data gathered from official BAF reports and professionals and BAF regulations are compared using a theoretical reference process model as a guide.,The spread of documentations and laws that prescribe the BAF operations during disaster response limit the replication of BAF standards in future disasters. Among the 96 processes described in the theoretical reference process model, 12 processes that are identified in the BAF reports and interviews that address the response to the Rio landslides of 2011 remain unaddressed in the BAF regulations. Considering the BAF expertise, three additional processes are suggested for future consideration in the reference process model that guided this research.,This paper does not discuss the collaborative perspective of BAF operations with other military forces and stakeholders in disaster response.,The findings are indications of improvement in BAF regulations.,In addition to providing an analysis of the military force operations in response to a massive disaster, this paper can also serve as a reference for a benchmark discussion of military operations in disaster response.