Inhalt

Abstract:

Background and Motivation:
Despite the solidarity-based nature of humanitarian aid, up to 70% of the activities of humanitarian aid organizations are related to both, the design and the coordination of logistical processes. Humanitarian assistance is delivered through humanitarian supply chains, systems concerned with planning, executing, and controlling the effective, cost-efficient flow and storage of materials, goods, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption in order to meet the needs of the beneficiaries. While aid organizations do not operate in a traditional business environment, the requirements for managing humanitarian supply chains effectively and efficiently are fundamentally comparable to those of commercial supply chains. Similarly, humanitarian organizations often employ business managers to manage their business processes. The management of the supply chain of a humanitarian organization, therefore, requires basic business knowledge that will be addressed in this course.

Module Objective:
The course will provide you with a basic understanding of factors influencing humanitarian supply chains and fundamental insights in managing them efficiently and effectively. You will learn about the different roles of humanitarian organizations and the challenges they face. Furthermore, you will be introduced to general supply chain management concepts that can also be applied in the humanitarian context, and that can provide a significant positive impact on the organization of humanitarian operations.

Gliederung:

1. Humanitarian View and Context
1.1. Introduction – Facts and Figures
1.2. Foundation – Terms and Definitions
1.3. Challenges of Humanitarian Aid
1.4. Case Study – The Responsibility to Protect
1.5. Quiz – Monitoring Educational Objectives

2. Fundamentals of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management
2.1. Supply Chain Management Basics
2.2. Fundamentals of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management
2.3. Principles of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management
2.4. Comparative Case Studies – 4 Principles of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management
2.5. Quiz – Monitoring Educational Objectives

3. Disaster Management
3.1. Disaster – Definition, Classification and Impacts
3.2. Fundamentals of Disaster Management
3.3. Case Studies on the Disaster Management Cycle
3.4. Quiz – Monitoring Educational Objectives

4. Coordination, Stakeholders and relevant Organizations
4.1. Introduction – Terms and Definitions
4.2. Stakeholder Groups of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management
4.3. Coordination Aspects of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management
4.4. Case Study – A Himalayan Humanitarian Response
4.5. Quiz – Monitoring Educational Objectives

5. Procurement
5.1. Introduction – Terms and Definitions
5.2. Procurement of Humanitarian Aid Goods
5.3. Inventory Management
5.4. Case Study – UNICEF's Procurement and Warehousing
5.5. Quiz – Monitoring Educational Objectives

6. Humanitarian Logistics
6.1. Introduction – Terms and Definitions
6.2. Humanitarian Logistics
6.3. Trends in Humanitarian Logistics
6.4. Case Study – WFP's Humanitarian Logistics in Zimbabwe
6.5. Quiz – Monitoring Educational Objectives

7. Information Management and Risk Management
7.1. Information Management
7.2. Knowledge Management
7.3. Information Systems
7.4. Risk Management
7.5. Quiz – Monitoring Educational Objectives

8. Building a sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chain
8.1. Sustainability – Fundamentals and Definitions
8.2. Humanitarian Supply Chain Sustainability Measures
8.3. Sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chain Configuration
8.4. Waste Management in Humanitarian Supply Chains
8.5. Quiz – Monitoring Educational Objectives

9. Refugee Camp Management
9.1. Camp Management – Fundamentals
9.2. Camp Set-Up
9.3. Camp Care and Maintenance
9.4. Camp Closure
9.5. Quiz Monitoring Educational Objectives

Detaillierter Inhalt:

1. Humanitarian View
Learn about the principles of humanitarian action. Examples will demonstrate the versatility of humanitarian interventions and the challenges.

2. Fundamentals of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management (HSCM)
After a brief introduction to supply chain management's basic concepts, you will learn the fundamentals of humanitarian supply chain management. Both sections are prerequisites for the following chapters. The contents cover the different tasks in humanitarian supply chain management and the corresponding actors. By showing the differences compared to commercial supply chains you will get a clearer picture of the specifics of HSCM.

3. Disaster Management Cycle
The disaster management cycle is one of the most commonly used frameworks in humanitarian supply chain management and generally describes the phases mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery of humanitarian action. In this chapter, you will learn about the processes involved in each phase and understand the relationship between the different phases.

4. Coordination, Stakeholders and relevant Organizations
Due to the involvement of different actors (e.g., different aid organizations, politics, military), coordination between the actors is of outstanding importance for the success of humanitarian action. In this chapter, you will learn about the different levels of coordination between actors and about possible partnerships between actors. You will also be introduced to the different kinds of actors and stakeholders and their respective roles in humanitarian supply chain management.

5. Procurement
In this chapter, you will learn about the procurement of supplies. This chapter particularly gives you insights into the different goods to be procured, inventory management, and procurement sources.

6. Humanitarian Logistics
Humanitarian logistics account for approximately eighty percent of the total costs of humanitarian organizations. Therefore, in this chapter, you will learn about the different modes of transport in the humanitarian context, the challenges posed by e.g., destroyed infrastructure, and the challenges of logistics in the different disaster phases.

7. Information Management and Risk Management
In this chapter, you will learn about information management, which has significant impact on speed and effectiveness in humanitarian actions. You will learn about knowledge management and information systems. Furthermore, you will learn about risk management in humanitarian supply chains. The management of interruptions in the supply chain and corresponding procedures for risk minimization plays an essential role in this chapter.

8. Building the sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chain
Both, social and ecological sustainability in humanitarian supply chains are increasingly of importance, especially when looking at reconstruction issues. Therefore, in this chapter, you will learn about sustainability aspects in humanitarian supply chain management, such as sustainable capacity building in countries in need or strategies for green humanitarian interventions.

9. Managing humanitarian refugee camps
Humanitarian aid often takes place in refugee camps. These camps sometimes have the dimension of medium-sized European cities, including their own infrastructure and economic system. Therefore, both the supply of these camps and the people who live there are vital in humanitarian supply chain management. Therefore, in this chapter, you will learn the basics of camp management, the challenges refugee camps are typically facing, and the impact of camp closures.

Lern-/Qualifikationsziele:

-

Lehrveranstaltungstyp:

Virtuelle Vorlesung

Interaktionsformen mit Betreuer/in:

Chat, E-Mail

Interaktionsformen mit Mitlernenden:

Forum

Kursdemo:

zur Kursdemo

Nutzung

Kurs ist konzipiert für:

Universität Würzburg:

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Bachelor)

Hochschule Coburg:

• BWL (Bachelor)
• Versicherungswirtschaft (Bachelor)

Universität Bamberg:

• BWL (Bachelor)
• Internationale BWL (Bachelor)
  
  

Formale Voraussetzungen:

Registration at the Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern (vhb) and course enrolment by the deadline

Erforderliche Vorkenntnisse:

none

Hinweise zur Nutzung:

The rules of use, behavioral instructions, guidelines etc. can be found in the courseroom. Access to all course materials is provided after registration.

Kursumsetzung (verwendete Medien):

-

Erforderliche Technik:

-

Nutzungsentgelte:

für andere Personen als (reguläre) Studenten der vhb Trägerhochschulen nach Maßgabe der Benutzungs- und Entgeltordnung der vhb

Rechte hinsichtlich des Kursmaterials:

-

Verantwortlich

Anbieterhochschule:

Uni Würzburg

Anbieter:

Prof. Dr. Ronald Bogaschewsky

Autoren:

Ronald Bogaschewsky

Florian Feser

Florian Keidel

Benjamin Siller

Betreuer:

Prof. Dr. Ronald Bogaschewsky

M.A. Manuel Pietzko

Prüfung

Exam

Art der Prüfung:

schriftlicher Leistungsnachweis (Klausur)

Bemerkung:

–

Prüfer:

Prof. Dr. Ronald Bogaschewsky

Prüfungsanmeldung erforderlich:

ja

Anmeldeverfahren:

Die Anmeldung zur Prüfung erfolgt über das vhb-Portal.

Prüfungsanmeldefrist:

16.11.2025 00:00 Uhr bis 15.12.2025 23:59 Uhr

Prüfungsabmeldefrist:

16.11.2025 00:00 Uhr bis 15.01.2026 23:59 Uhr

Kapazität:

–

Prüfungsdatum:

Nach Absprache mit dem Prüfer

Prüfungsdauer:

60 Minuten

Prüfungsort:

Würzburg

Zuständiges Prüfungsamt:

Examination office of the students' home university

Zugelassene Hilfsmittel:

none

Formale Voraussetzungen für die Prüfungsteilnahme:

Course enrolment via the Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern (vhb) and registration for the exam.

Inhaltliche Voraussetzungen für die Prüfungsteilnahme:

Course content

Zertifikat:

Nein

Anerkennung:

–