Optimisating capacity utilisation through corporate-humanitarian collaboration.

In the field of human welfare, the two most important tasks include generating enough funds and resources, and the second is to securely deliver them to the people in distress in appropriate time. Many times we manage to get a good grip on the first one, but often fail to solve the second problem. In recent times, the number of calamities as well as inflation rates has risen hand in hand, giving no scope for a reasonable solution in reaching the resources to their destination. This long-neglected issue requires sustainable and high-quality solutions with expert hands to solve the problem on a large scale.

The aim of this thesis is to offer a conceptual model to deliver relief aid from the point of production to the point of consumption in an efficient & cost effective way after the emergency period of natural or man-made disasters has subsided. As a first step towards the approach, the problem is researched & analysed before attempting to provide a customised solution. The study is based on an extensive literature review discussing the complexities of relief work & its associated logistics. It also reveals the differences between commercial and disaster relief logistics. The literature review also deals with the possibility of establishing collaborations within the framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR). A questionnaire investigates the respondents’ point of view about the strengths, opportunities and risks of donations for space, CSR, as well as developing corporate-humanitarian collaborations. Case studies are also included in the thesis to discuss strengths & weaknesses.

This conceptual thesis does not attempt to validate the model provided, but it proposes an approach by which this could be undertaken. Research finds that collaborations between corporations & humanitarian organisations, when successfully established, provide their partners with mutual benefits such as knowledge transfer & sharing of resources and best practices. Also, the improvement of a company’s public image and awareness can be achieved. Humanitarian or- ganisations profit from cost-effective ways to deliver goods & faster movement of goods due to less bureaucracy. The findings also demonstrate that such collaborations are expected to show a moderate development in the future & rapid development in software solutions customised to serve this niche segment.

This thesis presents the conceptualisation of an integrated logistics strategy system for humanitarian relief work. The system integrates a conceptual and a technological component. The software system can be applied as a decision support tool for evaluating space availability, CSR score & cost savings. It generates an optimal solution for collaborations between corporations & humanitarian organisations, depending on their needs & objectives. Thus, the application af- fects the process of delivery of humanitarian relief aid as well as their response performance.

Research is solely based on collaborations between corporations and humanitarian organisations focusing on relief operations after the emergency period of disaster, i.e. during the rehabilitation period. Further research is needed, especially in the field of risk assessment & its management, to include services during emergency conditions in the solution. The thesis provides the concept & architecture design of the software solution; implementation phases of the design are not included as part of the thesis.