Leif-Magnus Jensen

Coordination in humanitarian logistics through clusters

Purpose – In the field of humanitarianism, cluster thinking has been suggested as a solution to the lack of coordinated disaster response. Clusters for diverse functions, including sheltering, logi ...

Theory development in humanitarian logistics: a framework and three cases

Purpose: There is a need for theory development within the field of humanitarian logistics to understand logistics needs in different stages of a crisis and how to meet these. This paper aims to di ...

Humanitarian cluster leads: lessons from 4PLs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the role of humanitarian cluster leads through applying lessons from the fourth-party logistics (4PL) literature.Design/method ...

The coordination roles of relief organisations in humanitarian logistics

ABSTRACT The number of organisations involved in relief work in general and humanitarian logistics specifically is large and increasing, creating new complexity. In this paper we analyse different types of coordination and roles in two case studies of the humanitarian cluster system based on its initial development and the Kenyan Post-election crisis. The different and unclear roles of the organisations create significant problems before and after cluster activation and deactivation. Individual organisations take on many roles in the cluster system and beyond it in terms of coordination. The clarity of the roles affects the need for and ease of coordination. We suggest a simple basic categorisation of roles as a starting point for developing this concept in the field of humanitarian logistics and connect this to coordination.

Emergency preparedness planning in developed countries : the Swedish case

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the needs of the supply-chain (SC) network when coping with permanent and temporary demands, this paper analyzes the Swedish emergency preparedness SC network. This network comprises planning procedures and resources, as well as numerous organizations and other participants in civil society that take part in the system to cope with threats and ongoing crises. Planning constitutes a critical infrastructure because the system must develop the ability to shift SC functions from permanent to temporary networks in ongoing crises and war. Design/methodology/approach – A research study is performed based on data gathered by three qualitative methods concerning the SC network of emergency preparedness planning. Findings – This study demonstrates the relevance of a wide empirical field challenging several theoretical perspectives of the SC network in preparedness planning and the shift to ongoing crises. Further research targeting key capabilities is needed to f...

Challenges and conflicts in sustainable supply chain management: : Evidence from the heavy vehicle industry

The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding and explore the challenges and conflicts in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) through empirical examples from the heavy vehicle industry in Sweden and China. An exploratory study of the case company’s supply chains in two countries is conducted for this paper. The major components of the empirical data are interviews with the company’s representatives and its downstream supply chain members in Sweden and China, as well as workshops with the logistics industry’s representatives in China. The findings show that the firms perceive the challenges on the regulatory and organisational levels. The conflicts can be found between several stakeholder groups, the main focus seems to be on environmental and economic aspects. Life-cycle solution for the vehicles’ utilisation is valuable but there are challenges to employing it, especially in the Chinese context. The results show that intensified international collaboration on environment and traffic safety can help tackle challenges and ease the conflicts in sustainable supply chain management.