Decision-making in Humanitarian Operations Strategy, Behavior and Dynamics

This book brings together research in humanitarian operations, behavioral operations and dynamic simulation. Part I outlines the main characteristics and strategic challenges of humanitarian organizations in preparedness, knowledge management, climate change and issues related to refugees and social inclusion. Part II gives an introduction to behavioral operations and experiments in single- and multi-agent settings, followed by discussions on quantal theory, framing effect and possible applications in the humanitarian sector. Part III introduces system dynamics and agent-based modeling and discusses how these techniques can be used to study dynamics and decision-making in humanitarian operations. This book is unique in providing a holistic view of the decision-making process and challenges in the humanitarian sector.

Part I Strategy

1 Logistics Preparedness and Response: A Case of Strategic Change: Marianne Jahre and Martine Jahre

2 Private Donations for Humanitarian Operations: Gloria Urrea and Alfonso J. Pedraza-Martinez

3 Strategy and Knowledge Management in Humanitarian Organizations: Margarita Cruz and Achim Schmitt

4 Innovating Short-Term Preparedness Actions Using Climate Information: Gloria Urrea and Meghan Bailey

5 Refugees and Social Inclusion: The Role of Humanitarian Information Technologies: Sonia Camacho, Andrea Herrera, and Andrés Barrios

Part II Behavior

6 Behavioral Experiments in Single-Agent Operational Problems: Jaime Andrés Castañeda

7 Behavioral Operations in Multi-agent Settings and Humanitarian Operations: Sebastián Villa

8 Quantal Theory in Operations Management: Yefen Chen and Yanan Song

9 The Framing Effect in Humanitarian Operations: Jaime Andrés Castañeda

Part III Dynamics

10 Modeling Disaster Operations Management Problems with System Dynamics: Carlos A. Delgado-Álvarez and Yris Olaya-Morales

11 Collaborative Strategies for Humanitarian Logistics with System Dynamics and Project Management: Diana Carolina Guzmán Cortés, Leonardo José González Rodríguez, and Carlos Franco

13 Effects of Wholesale Competition in Supply Chains: An Analysis with Heterogeneous Decision-Makers: Yuly Arboleda and Santiago Arango-Aramburo

Sebastián Villa is Assistant Professor in the School of Management at the Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia.

Gloria Urrea is a visiting researcher at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, USA. She holds a Ph.D. from the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Switzerland.

Jaime Andrés Castañeda is Principal Professor in the School of Management at the Universidad del Rosario, Colombia.

Erik R. Larsen is Professor in the Department of Management, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark.