Factors Affecting Humanitarian Supply Chain Efficiency: The Case Of International Rescue Committee (IRC) – Ethiopia Program
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Date
2018-06-22
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between factors affecting humanitarian supply chain (measured in terms of seven dimensions, namely lead time, information technology, supply chain policy, training and development, socio economic factor, institutional donors, and socio political factor) and supply chain efficiency in the International Rescue Committee (IRC) – Ethiopia Program. Owning to the small number of the total population, the study had employed census survey to quantitatively assess the supposed relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Questionnaire and purposive interview were used as the formal instrument of data collection. A total of 94 questionnaires were distributed and 78 of them were filled and returned to make the response rate about (82%). The findings identify major barriers to supply chain efficiency within the IRC; in particular, longer lead time, lack of training and development, absence of consistent information communication technology, socioeconomic factors, sociopolitical factors, donor factors, and repeated change of procedures have surfaced. The overall survey findings of this particular study revealed that the supply chain management function effort of International Rescue Committee – Ethiopia Program in relation to supply chain efficiency is moderate. The findings of the study also suggested that all the dimensions of factors affecting humanitarian supply chain have statistically significant relationship both with compounded and individual measures of supply chain efficiency, though the strength of the relationship is relatively higher in the case of lead time and socio economic factor. The regression result also suggested that information technology and socio economic factor have significant impact on determining IRC’s supply chain efficiency. It is suggested that International Rescue Committee –Ethiopia Program shall give special emphasis in the improvement of its lead time, information technology and socio economic factor through an efficient streamlining of its supply chain processes, on the one hand, and implement a robust supply chain enabling software on the other. The organization should avail training and development program for supply chain department, establish offline software that can work parallel with the new system and should implement consistent long term contract in all locations with relevant potential suppliers for swift and reliable operation and to speed up the emergency response activities throughout the country
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information technology, Supply chain management, humanitarian supply chain