Imagine planning an event like the Olympics. Now imagine planning the same event but not knowing when or where it will take place, or how many will attend. This is what humanitarian logisticians are up against. Oversights result in serious consequences for the victims of disasters. So they have to get it right, fast. This book comprehensively covers the problems of humanitarian logistics.  

ROLANDO TOMASINI is Research Associate/Humanitarian Program Coordinator at INSEAD. His work focuses on evaluating the supply chain performance of UN humanitarian operations to identify the impact of coordination on efficiency. He has been conducting research with the Pan American Health Organization and their Humanitarian Supply Management System (SUMA) in Central America; the World Food Program on the distribution of genetically modified food in Africa; and the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre on information management, as well as on-site evaluation of their operations in Sudan. He also manages a project with Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) examining both the procurement and quality control of pharmaceuticals, and the distribution of relief items in the field.
 
LUK VAN WASSENHOVE holds the Henry Ford chair in Manufacturing at INSEAD. His recent research focus is on closed-loop supply chains and disaster management. He is a senior editor for Manufacturing and Service Operations Management and associate editor for Production and Operations Management, Technology and Operations Review and International Journal of Production Economics. He publishes extensively in Management Science, Operations Research, The International Journal of Production Research, The European Journal of Operations Research and in many other journals. He also regularly consults for major international corporations.

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Executive Summary
PART I: LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Why logistics, why Supply Chain Management?
PART II: WHAT IS HUMANITARIANISM?
Readiness and Preparedness
Coordination
PART III: TRANSPARENCY &--ACCOUNTABILITY
Knowledge Management
Asset Management
PART IV: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Cross Learning Potential
PART V: THE FUTURE OF HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS