What can business learn from humanitarian supply chains? The case of the Spanish red cross in Haiti

Abstract

This paper analyzes the response of the Spanish Red Cross to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, looking for clues of the remarkable lean-agile performance of this organization, and how they could be applied to business operations. The paper first looks into the history and organization of the Red Cross, analyzing in more detail the deployment of the Spanish Red Cross in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Five clues to the performance of the Red Cross are identified: a global, multi-level organization; modularity; standardization; knowledge management; and flexible funding mechanisms. These findings are then put into the framework of humanitarian logistics. Finally, the possible extension of the findings to business operations is discussed.DOI:10.12660/joscmv8n1p1-15 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.12660/joscmv8n1p1-15