An empirical investigation of the enablers in humanitarian supply chain management in India : A case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the perception of stakeholders, i.e. disaster victims, volunteers and managers, who were involved in relief activities, toward the enablers in humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) with special emphasis on heart wrenching and deadliest disaster, that occurred in the Uttarakhand (a northern state in India) on June 14, 2013. Design/methodology/approach – A detailed case study of the recently disaster, that occurred in the Uttarakhand has been carried out to investigate the enablers associated with the HSCM and the data were collected from published literature and newspaper articles, semi-structured interviews with academic experts and practitioners, hypothesis were formulated and tested using analysis of variance. Findings – The findings of the study indicate that, there is no significant difference in the perception of disaster victims, volunteers and managers toward the enablers in HSCM in India. There is a strong need for more effective and efficient monitoring of over-exploitation of the mountainous regions, Geographic Information Systems mapping of the state and a separate disaster communication network. Research limitations/implications – The scope of study is limited to flash floods that occurred in the Uttarakhand. Extending the research on other types of disaster could be considered as the scope for further research. Practical implications – The paper investigates some of the enablers of HSCM and discusses some of the emerging issues and lessons learned from the disaster that occurred in the Uttarakhand, in managing future disasters in India and the other world. Originality/value – This paper presents the first attempt in India with its combination of field-based qualitative research and survey analysis to investigate the enablers of HSCM in India.