21 Theses on Humanitarian Logistics, Management and Operations

Research

Thesis Executive Summaries

Humanitarian Operations

Thesis Executive Summaries

The thesis is the culmination of the program where participants apply theories learned in their master’s in an academic research paper. Executive summaries of a selection of our theses are highlighted here and represent the raw material developed by students as part of the thesis required for their Swiss Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Logistics and Management Program MASHLM. Participants in MASHLM are active professionals working with logistics, operations, and management in the humanitarian sector and they often implement the results of their theses in their place of work. We embrace this practice of applied research, and support participants and alumni in furthering their work in improving humanitarian conditions in the developing world.

In support of the principle of Open Access, we aim to maximize the visibility and availability of the executive summaries of our theses which are based on real-life situations in humanitarian logistics and operations across a variety of contexts, such as migration, military conflicts, emergency operations, negotiations, fundraising, stakeholder coordination, environmental impact, and ICT.

We believe that the study of Humanitarian Operations has a growing role in the relationship of organizations, companies, and governments with the public, between and within organizations. There are many tools such as our theses that are available to facilitate access, analyze and practice humanitarian operations, logistics and management at an advanced and professional level

MASHLM participants come from over 70 countries and most of them have written their theses in a non-native language. No material from these theses summaries can be reproduced without permission. © Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Logistics and Management, Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland.

	_____________________________ Online fundraising in Switzerland Why are small Swiss social and humanitarian organizations not penetrating the online market in spite of the steady increase in online activity? Keywords: Information Technology \| Fundraising \| Switzerland

	_____________________________ Coordinating Military and Humanitarian Action How to find a balance between the preservation the humanitarian space and the need for engaging with the military in increasingly complex crises. Keywords: Supply Chain \| Civil-Military \| Mali \| System Dynamic

	_____________________________ How can a stockout jeopardize lives? During conflict or disasters, running out of stock of key medical or humanitarian aid items can be tragic. This project proposes a tool to analyze inventory data to identify reasons for stockouts. Keywords: Inventory Management \| KPI \| Monitoring \| Sudan

	_____________________________ Do young people know the risks of unauthorized migration? Challenges can include long stays in refugee camps and life-threatening situations. Most leavers are young men, and they leave because of conflicts, natural disasters, and wars, to work or study, or improve their lives. Keywords: Migration \| Reasons to Migrate \| Afghanistan

	_____________________________ Reintegrating in Iraq Are current reintegration programs sustainable? Are returners faced with the same issues the migrants for avoiding further irregular migration attempts and what are necessary changes possible to make the programs more effective? Keywords: Migration \| Return to Original Country \| Iraq

Case Studies humanitarian logistics supply chain management

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The Crucial Role of Women in Humanitarian Organisations
Females receiving aid prefer to interact with interact with female logisticians and
supply chain workers. Despite the many positive capabilities of females in this
discipline, there are major cultural barriers agencies in employing females.
Keywords: Human Resources | Gender equality | Humanitarian field | Global

	_____________________________ Relationship Building to Optimize Medical Supply Distribution This managerial approach expands the role of lead buyers so they can adeptly respond to crises by controlling more of the supply centrally and strengthening their relationships to suppliers to reduce lead times. Keywords: Procurement \| Process Design \| Global \| Preparation

	_____________________________ An Aids-Free Generation in Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Health policies are captured in a system dynamics model to project the instance of HIV/AIDS into the future. Stakeholders can see how their decisions to allocate budget in different programs can affect the epidemic. Keywords: Healthcare \| Policy Design \| HIV/AIDS \| Ivory Cost

	_____________________________ Fleet Readiness for Disaster Response The IOM International Organization for Migration has vehicles scattered around the globe. To deploy them effectively, the IOM must set standards and implement policies to create a solid fleet management platform within the organization. Keywords: Fleet Management \| Organization Policy \| IOM

	_____________________________ From Emergency Response to Post-Crisis Transition does not happen by itself. Understanding the needs of different phases of response, and managing resources and capacity to efficiently face each phase encourages development. Keywords: Strategic Planning \| Transition from Response to Recovery

	_____________________________ The Trouble with Getting Data in Iraq Data overload carries additional financial, technical and social costs to the system. Excessive quantities of data could seriously jeopardize the delivery of assistance by the IOM to the vulnerable population. Keywords: Information Management \| Data \| Iraq \| System Dynamics

	_____________________________ Accessing the Vulnerable in Syria How does the funding of humanitarian aid, the security situation on the ground and coordination among humanitarian organizations interact to affect the accessibility of humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations in Syria? Keywords: Security in Operations \| Relief delivery \| Syria

	_____________________________ Driven out by Drought in Somalia More than half of Somalians risk starvation caused by repeated droughts. To prevent them, the government could examine land use reforms and livestock production patterns and implement regional and national collaborations Keywords: Migration \| Climate Change \| Mitigation Policies

	_____________________________ Just Lying There: What to Do with the Dead After a major earth earthquake in Dhaka, Bangladesh, accepted protocol for fatality management was insufficient. Consideration for the dignity of loved ones among other concerns are explored. Keywords: Fatality Protocol \| Legal Framework \| Response Policy

	_____________________________ Somalia’s Fleeing Youth: Why do they leave? To curb the flow of fleeing youth, underlying causes must be addressed such as the leadership failure, corruption and proxy wars. Desperate youth risk their lives for a chance for a better future. Keywords: Migration \| Mitigation Policies \| Leadership \| Corruption

	_____________________________ Successfully Integrating Somali Refugees into Sweden Cultural differences marginalize recent arrivals. Recommendations for Swedish authorities and refugees to improve integration are examined. Keywords: Migration \| Integration \| Multiculturalism

	_____________________________ Contributing Factors to the Ebola Epidemic in Liberia Inadequate reporting procedures and lack of staff training made an effective and rapid response to the Ebola crisis a challenge. Recommendations for collaboration and planning are proposed. Keywords: Health Care \| Epidemic \| Medical Supply Chain

	_____________________________ Fixing cash distribution to Refugees in Yemen Internally displaced refugees in Yemen suffer from hunger and do not have clean water.They rely on cash payments from the United Nations yet are often left waiting. This paper explores ways to reduce waiting periods and suffering. Keywords: ICT \| Refugee \| Internally Displaced Persons \| Lean Six Sigma

	_____________________________ The Role of the Military in Humanitarian Relief In areas of conflict, the military are often first on the scene in humanitarian crises. This paper examines how the military can collaborate with humanitarian agencies to improve the lives of displaced persons. Keywords: Civil-Military Relations \| IDP Internally Displaced Persons

	_____________________________ Optimizing UNICEF’s Global Warehouse Hub Structure Maintaining supplies in key locations around the world is at the heart of UNICEF’s early response capability. This structured mapping of theoretical locations proposes new locations to reduce transit time. Keywords: Supply Chain Optimization \| Centre of Gravity \| Transportation

	_____________________________ Cloud-based System for Delivery of Medical Supplies in Sudan Ongoing conflicts have caused a surge of refugees into Sudan, mostly children. To relieve suffering, RapidPro, a real-time app, calls for the collaboration between international humanitarian agencies and the local Ministry of Health. Keywords: ICT \| Cloud Services \| Medical Relief

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