Marianne Jahre is professor and the Dean of Research at KLU and Adjunct Professor at BI Norwegian Business School. After finishing her Phd. in reverse logistics at Chalmers University of Technology, she has worked at BI Norwegian School of Management as professor in operations and supply chain management. She also has a professorship at Lund University and has been a visiting scholar at MIT and INSEAD.
Her research rests on an interdisciplinary and mixed methods approach, particularly focusing on design of supply networks and logistics systems within different contexts including household waste management, electronics recycling, packaging, disaster relief and health. Since 2007, her research and teaching have focused on humanitarian logistics and supply chain risk management, heading projects and supervising students undertaken in cooperation with IFRC, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNICEF and Norwegian NGOs. She now heads research projects on drug shortage in partnerships with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and universities in France, the UK, the Netherlands, and Ethiopia and cooperates with the International Institute of Business in Kyiv on developing business cases of how Ukrainian companies handle the war.
Research areas
Medicine and vaccine supply chains
Drug shortage
Supply chain risk management and resilience
Disaster relief/humanitarian logistics
Supply chain design and strategy
Teaching areas
Strategic issues in logistics.
Design and development of supply systems with particular focus on conceptual frameworks.
Supply chain risk management
Crisis management, preparedness and response
Disaster relief/humanitarian logistics
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains, including those for essential medicines like paracetamol. This study aimed to assess the resilience and adaptability of Ethiopia’s paracetamol supply chain during the pandemic. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and analysis of secondary data on paracetamol availability and supply chain disruptions. The study employed systems thinking and supply chain resilience frameworks, utilizing causal loop diagrams to visualize system dynamics. Results: Eighteen stakeholders, representing seven pharmaceutical manufacturers, five import companies, and five wholesalers, participated in the study. These participants had between three and fourteen years of experience in their respective roles. The study revealed complex interactions within the paracetamol supply chain, highlighting both challenges and adaptive responses. While 500 mg paracetamol tablets were readily available, shortages of other formulations were observed due to a range of factors, including limited product diversification, political instability, inflation, and reduced production efficiency. Conclusions: The resilience and adaptability of stakeholders, particularly manufacturers and importers, were crucial in maintaining the supply of 500 mg paracetamol tablets. Key strategies included regional sourcing, increased production, and improved partnerships. Understanding the interconnectedness of factors within the supply chain is essential for developing effective strategies to enhance its resilience and ensure sustained access to paracetamol in the future.
Pedersen, Olger Breivik; Jahre, Marianne & Norrman, Andreas (2025)
A Balancing Act: Towards a Conceptual Framework for the Governance of Buyer-Supplier Relationships in Defence Supply Chains
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent threats to public health. The development of antibiotic resistance can be reduced by the use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics that target specific bacteria, meaning that fewer non-harmful bacteria are killed and other harmful bacteria are not exposed to selection pressure. However, many narrow-spectrum antibiotics were introduced decades ago and therefore lack regulatory documentation in line with current standards. An additional problem for a reliable supply is that of market fragmentation, where countries with similar resistance patterns and prescribing cultures (e.g. Norway and Sweden) prioritize different formulations and strengths. For example, over half of Sweden’s highest priority paediatric antibiotics are not marketed in Denmark or Norway in the same formulations or dosages. Such market fragmentation, which can result in the annual demand of a country being smaller than batch production sizes, means that specific strengths and formulations may no longer be economical to supply. Further, once an antibiotic has been withdrawn from the market, it is difficult to attract a new supplier because of the cost of the clinical trials required to update approval of the drug. However, as resistance to antibiotics increases among populations, clinicians need access to the maximum possible range of antibiotics. Regional collaboration, that is, the harmonization of essential medicines lists (including strengths and formulations for older antibiotics) between countries, is a recommended first step towards reliable access to the necessary range of antibiotics.
Dube, Nonhlanhla; Selviaridis, Kostas, Oorschot, Kim E. van & Jahre, Marianne (2024)
Riding the waves of uncertainty: Towards strategic agility in medicine supply systems
We investigate how organizations embedded in a supply system collectively respond to risks and seize opportunities arising from crisis events under shifting forms of uncertainty. Using the United Kingdom (UK) medicine supply system as the research context, we explore how decision-makers navigated the effects of an event with knowable implications (UK's European Union exit, 2016–2020) followed by an event with unknowable implications (COVID-19 global pandemic, 2020–2021). We adopt a longitudinal case research design that incorporates causal loop diagramming, to understand the system's responses. We find that learning evolves as crisis events unfold, changing from surface (know-what) to deep (know-why and -how) and at the highest level, it is transcendent. Transcendent learning entails understanding system effects into the future (i.e., beyond the past and present) and in relation to other supply systems (i.e., beyond the UK system). Capabilities to absorb, avoid, and accelerate away from shocks are developed sequentially as learning changes. We contribute to prior research by developing a theory of system-level strategic agility and the adaptation processes that underpin it. The latter hinge on dynamic resource (re)allocation and the continuous (re)configuration of processes, protocols, regulations, and structures.
Availability of essential, generic medicines before and during COVID-19 at selected public pharmaceutical supply agencies in Ethiopia: a comparative cross-sectional study
Objectives Lockdowns and border closures impacted medicine availability during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess the availability of essential, generic medicines for chronic diseases at public pharmaceutical supply agencies in Ethiopia. Design Comparative cross-sectional study. Setting The availability of essential, generic medicines for chronic diseases was assessed at two public pharmaceutical supply agency hubs. Participants The current study included public supply agency hub managers, warehouse managers and forecasting officers at the study setting. Outcomes The assessment encompassed the availability of chronic medicines on the day of data collection, as well as records spanning 8 months before the outbreak and 1 year during the pandemic. A total of 22 medicines were selected based on their inclusion in the national essential drug list for public health facilities, including 17 medicines for cardiovascular disease and 5 for diabetes mellitus. Results The results of the study indicate that the mean availability of the selected basket medicines was 43.3% (95% CI: 37.1 to 49.5) during COVID-19, which was significantly lower than the availability of 67.4% (95% CI: 62.2 to 72.6) before the outbreak (p<0.001). Prior to COVID-19, the overall average line-item fill rate for the selected products was 78%, but it dropped to 49% during the pandemic. Furthermore, the mean number of days out of stock per month was 11.7 (95% CI: 9.9 to 13.5) before the outbreak of COVID-19, which significantly increased to 15.7 (95% CI: 13.2 to 18.2) during the pandemic, indicating a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). Although the prices for some drugs remained relatively stable, there were significant price hikes for some products. For example, the unit price of insulin increased by more than 130%. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the availability of essential chronic medicines, including higher rates of stockouts and unit price hikes for some products in the study setting. The study’s findings imply that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated already-existing medicine availability issues. Efforts should be made to develop contingency plans and establish mechanisms to monitor medicine availability and pricing during such crises.
Jahre, Marianne; Ditlev-Simonsen, Caroline Dale, Chao, Emmanuel, Czerwinska, Anna C & Mushi, Mary (2023)
Sustainable New Business Development in the Global South - Supply Chains and Networks
To improve understanding of factors to take into account when developing and implementing new sustainable business opportunities in the Global South. The study uses a phenomenon-based approach. Building on three research streams – sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), the industrial network approach (INA) and sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) – this paper develops a conceptual framework and demonstrates its applicability using a relevant case study: Business Opportunities for the Opuntia cactus (prickly pear) in Tanzania. New business opportunities can be identified from three different perspectives: demand-pull, supply-push, and gaps in supply chains. The proposed framework suggests how to include all three perspectives and what factors to account for in development and implementation.
COVID-19 pandemic posed a major impact on the availability and affordability of essential medicines. This study aimed to assess the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the supply availability of non-communicable chronic disease (NCD) medicines and paracetamol products in Ethiopia.
This research explores supply resilience through an equifinality lens to establish how buying organizations impacted differently by the same extreme event can strategize and all successfully secure supply. We conduct case study research and use secondary data to investigate how three European governments sourced for ventilators during the first wave of COVID-19. The pandemic had an unprecedented impact on the ventilator market. It disrupted already limited supply and triggered a demand surge. We find multiple paths to supply resilience contingent on redundant capacity and local sourcing options at the pandemic's onset. Low redundancy combined with limited local sourcing options is associated with more diverse strategies and flexibility. The most notable strategy is spurring supplier innovation by fostering collaboration among actors in disparate industries. High redundancy combined with multiple local sourcing options is associated with more focused strategies and agility. One (counter-intuitive) strategy is the rationalization of the supply base.
Bygballe, Lena Elisabeth; Dubois, Anna & Jahre, Marianne (2022)
The importance of resource interaction in strategies for managing supply chain disruptions
The turbulent business environment highlights the need for strategies for mitigating, responding to, and recovering from (that is, managing) supply chain disruptions. Resources are central in these strategies but remain unspecified in the literature. This paper shows how the resource interaction approach (RIA) can help understanding resources in this setting by acknowledging their interactive and networked nature. Based on a conceptual discussion that compares key assumptions within the supply chain risk management (SCRM) and supply chain risk resilience (SCRes) literatures with the RIA, we propose an alternative approach to strategies for managing supply chain disruptions. We challenge the SCRM and SCRes literatures by emphasizing interdependence (as opposed to independence) and pointing to relationships as key resources in strategies for managing supply chain disruptions. Collaboration relying on an interplay between temporary and permanent organizing is suggested as a starting point instead of being just one of several alternative strategies.
Oorschot, Kim E. van; Wassenhove, Luk N. van & Jahre, Marianne (2022)
Collaboration–competition dilemma in flattening the COVID-19 curve
Testing for COVID-19 is a key intervention that supports tracking and isolation to prevent further infections. However, diagnostic tests are a scarce and finite resource, so abundance in one country can quickly lead to shortages in others, creating a competitive landscape. Countries experience peaks in infections at different times, meaning that the need for diagnostic tests also peaks at different moments. This phase lag implies opportunities for a more collaborative approach, although countries might also worry about the risks of future shortages if they help others by reallocating their excess inventory of diagnostic tests. This article features a simulation model that connects three subsystems: COVID-19 transmission, the diagnostic test supply chain, and public policy interventions aimed at flattening the infection curve. This integrated system approach clarifies that, for public policies, there is a time to be risk-averse and a time for risk-taking, reflecting the different phases of the pandemic (contagion vs. recovery) and the dominant dynamic behavior that occurs in these phases (reinforcing vs. balancing). In the contagion phase, policymakers cannot afford to reject extra diagnostic tests and should take what they can get, in line with a competitive mindset. In the recovery phase, policymakers can afford to give away excess inventory to other countries in need (one-sided collaboration). When a country switches between taking and giving, in a form of two-sided collaboration, it can flatten the curve, not only for itself but also for others.
Ahlqvist, Victoria; Dube, Nonhlanhla, Jahre, Marianne, Lee, Jin Soo, Melaku, Tsegaye, Moe, Andreas Farstad, Olivier, Max, Selviaridis, Kostas, Viana, Joe & Årdal, Christine Oline (2022)
Supply chain risk management strategies in normal and abnormal times: policymakers' role in reducing generic medicine shortages
This paper links supply chain risk management to medicine supply chains to explore the role of policymakers in employing supply chain risk management strategies (SCRMS) to reduce generic medicine shortages.
Using secondary data supplemented with primary data, we map and compare seven countries’ SCRMS for handling shortage risks in their paracetamol supply chains before and during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consistent with recent research, the study finds that policymakers had implemented few SCRMS specifically for responding to disruptions caused by COVID-19. However, shortages were largely avoided since multiple strategies for coping with business-as-usual disruptions had been implemented prior to the pandemic. We did find that SCRMS implemented during COVID-19 were not always aligned with those implemented pre-pandemic. We also found that policymakers played both direct and indirect roles.
Combining longitudinal secondary data with interviews sheds light on how, regardless of the level of preparedness during normal times, SCRMS can be leveraged to avert shortages in abnormal times. However, the problem is highly complex, which warrants further research Supply chain professionals and policymakers in the healthcare sector can use the findings when developing preparedness and response plans.
The insights developed can help policymakers improve the availability of high-volume generic medicines in (ab)normal times.
We contribute to prior SCRM research in two ways. First, we operationalize SCRMS in the medicine supply chain context in (ab)normal times, thereby opening avenues for future research on SCRM in this context. Second, we develop insights on the role policymakers play and how they directly implement and indirectly influence the adoption of SCRMS. Based on our findings, we develop a framework that captures the diverse roles of policymakers in SCRM.
Frennesson, Lina; Kembro, Joakim, Vries, Harwin de, Jahre, Marianne & Wassenhove, Luk Van (2022)
“International humanitarian organizations’ perspectives on localization efforts”
The humanitarian sector has formulated a collective strategic intent to localize. This involves delegating responsibilities and transferring capacities and resources to national and local actors. However, progress is slower than expected. Strategy execution is hard, and translating a general strategic intent to the actual way humanitarian organizations operate is not obvious. To suggest remedies for the slow progress, this paper investigates drivers and barriers for international humanitarian organizations (IHOs) to localize their logistics preparedness capacities. It is essential to understand IHOs' perspectives as they are global and powerful actors in the humanitarian sector and by far represent the largest recipients of donor funds. We focus on logistics since it constitutes key activities of strong local contextual character, such as procurement, warehousing, and transport. By interviewing practitioners from a representative set of large IHOs, and connecting the empirical insights with relevant theory, we unravel reasons that hinder localization. These include IHOs' strategic choices due to context-sensitive benefits of localization, mandated expectations on IHOs, the lack of internal drivers for IHOs to localize, and resistance to localize due to IHOs’ desire and motives for continued engagement in humanitarian aid. Based on these insights, actionable propositions are developed to help accelerate progress toward localization.
The recent debate on urban vibrancy and its associated spatial characteristics worldwide has increasingly attracted the attention of planners and decision-makers in Norway and the European Union seeking to develop compact cities. This study investigated the spatial pattern of urban vibrancy associated with urban form and the determinants in Oslo, Norway. A total of 552 km2 of the Oslo central metropolitan area was classified into 12 neighborhood groups and a data-driven methodology was applied via SPSS, Python, and ArcGIS to analyze urban vibrancy, where each cell was denoted as a 1 km2 area of 24 variables. As a result of clustering via principal component analysis, six principal components were extracted with 12 critical factors. Results indicated that the location and distribution of commercial buildings, public buildings, residential buildings, and companies and the total population are the most important drivers of neighborhood vibrancy in Oslo. Vibrant neighborhoods usually appear in high-density, central urban areas with a high concentration of commercial and public buildings with various functions along main streets. In contrast, less vibrant neighborhoods have fewer service facilities and are surrounded by single residential areas, large venues, green spaces, vacant land, or land for transportation in the low-density suburban and semi-urbanized areas. This research offers a quantitative basis for a wider range of neighborhood performance assessments, provides a discussion of compact city theory, and draws the attention of decision-makers on planning policy at the neighborhood level, which can also be adapted to other European cities.
Oorschot, Kim van; Wassenhove, Luk N. Van, Jahre, Marianne, Selviaridis, Kostas & Vries, Harwin de (2022)
Drug shortages: A systems view of the current state
The objective of this thought leadership article is to create a systems view of drug shortages based on the perceptions of practitioners and policymakers. We develop a comprehensive framework describing what stakeholders are currently doing when faced with drug shortages and show the outcomes of their actions. In a review of practitioner literature and public reports published from 2010 to 2020, we identify cause-and-effect relationships related to generic drug shortages in six high-income European countries (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK) in normal times. By combining and connecting data from these different sources, we develop a systems view of the current state. Though several of the associations covered in the systems view are well known, putting them all together and considering their interrelationships is what is offered by this research. Based on this systems view, we derive three basic solution archetypes for drug shortages: (1) let the market handle it; (2) search for alternatives; and (3) bend the rules. The interactions between these archetypes generate causal ambiguity making it harder to understand and solve the problem as the side effects of solutions can be missed. We show how the interaction of archetypes can compromise intended behavior or escalate unintended behavior. However, our systems view allows us to suggest higher-level solution archetypes that overrule such side effects. The basic and higher-order solution archetypes can provide baselines for research and support the development of future interventions.
Vries, Harwin de; Jahre, Marianne, Selviaridis, Kostas, Oorschot, Kim Van & Wassenhove, Luk N. Van (2021)
Short of Drugs? Call Upon Operations and Supply Chain Management
Purpose –This “impact pathways”paper argues that operations and supply chain management (OSCM) could
help address the worsening drug shortage problem in high-income countries. This significant societal problem
poses difficult challenges to stakeholders given the complex and dynamic nature of drug supply chains. OSCM
scholars are well positioned to provide answers, introducing new research directions for OSCM in the process.
Design/methodology/approach –To substantiate this, the authors carried out a review of stakeholder
reports from six European countries and the academic literature.
Findings–There is little academic research and no fundamental agreement among stakeholders about causes
of shortages. Stakeholders have suggested many government measures, but little evidence exists on their
comparative cost-effectiveness.
Originality/value –The authors discuss three pathways of impactful research on drug shortages to which
OSCM could contribute: (1) Developing an evidence-based system view of drug shortages; (2) Studying the
comparative cost-effectiveness of key government interventions; (3) Bringing supply chain risk management
into the government and economics perspectives and vice versa. Our study provides a baseline for future
COVID-19-related research on this topic
Jahre, Marianne & Jensen, Leif-Magnus (2021)
Coordination at the 10-year mark of the JHLSCM–from global response to local preparedness
Purpose
At the inception of the Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management (JHLSCM), logistics coordination was identified as important, both in practice and research, but few studies on the topic had been published. Ten years later, many, if not most, papers in the journal mention the topic. So the picture has changed, but to what extent? This paper discusses how coordination research has followed humanitarian logistics practice and vice versa.
Design/methodology/approach
The point of departure in the present article is the most salient topic from the study’s original papers (Jahre et al., 2009; Jahre and Jensen, 2010). The authors discuss how these topics have developed in research and practice. A recent literature review (Grange et al., 2020) enables us to pick relevant papers from JHLSCM and supplement them with more recent ones. The authors complement this approach with updated data on the cluster system, particularly the logistics cluster, to add insights from the empirical domain.
Findings
In practice, the cluster concept has developed from coordination within clusters in response to the inclusion of inter-cluster coordination in preparedness, and more recently a focus on localized preparedness. However, JHLSCM research does not appear to have kept pace, with a few notable exceptions. The majority of its papers still focus on response. To the extent that preparedness is covered, it is primarily done so at the global level.
Originality/value
The authors use a framework to discuss humanitarian logistics coordination research and identify important gaps. Based on developments in practice, the study’s key contribution is a revised model with suggestions for further research.
Jahre, Marianne & Årdal, Christine Oline (2021)
Hvis egenproduksjon er svaret, hva er spørsmålet?
Frennesson, Lina; Kembro, Joakim, Vries, Harwin de, Wassenhove, Luk N. Van & Jahre, Marianne (2020)
Localisation of Logistics Preparedness in International Humanitarian Organisations
Purpose – To meet the rising global needs, the humanitarian community has signed off on making a strategic change toward more localisation, which commonly refers to the empowerment of national and local actors in humanitarian assistance. However, to this date, actual initiatives for localisation are rare. To enhance understanding of the phenomenon, the authors explore localisation of logistics preparedness capacities and obstacles to its implementation. The authors particularly take the perspective of the international humanitarian organisation (IHO) community as they are expected to implement the localisation strategy.
Design/methodology/approach – A phenomenon-driven, exploratory and qualitative study was conducted. Data collection included in-depth interviews with 28 experienced humanitarian professionals.
Findings – The findings showed the ambiguity inherent in the localisation strategy with largely different views on four important dimensions. Particularly, the interviewees differ about strengthening external actors or internal national/local offices. The resulting framework visualises the gap between strategy formulation and implementation, which forms major obstacles to the localisation aims.
Research limitations/implications – Further research is required to support the advancement of localisation of logistics preparedness capacities. Important aspects for future research include triangulation of results, other stakeholder perspectives and the influence of context.
Practical implications – The authors add to the important debate surrounding localisation by offering remedies to overcoming obstacles to strategy implementation. Further, the authors’ proposed framework offers a language to precisely describe the ways in which IHOs (should) view localisation of logistics preparedness capacities and its operationalisation.
Originality/value – To the best of authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first academic article on localisation within the humanitarian logistics context.
Ahlqvist, Victoria; Norrman, Andreas & Jahre, Marianne (2020)
Supply Chain Risk Governance: Towards a Conceptual Multi-Level Framework
The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is currently putting high pressure on most countries’ critical infrastructures (not only health care), creating huge uncertainties in supply and demand, and disrupting global supply chains. The global crisis will demonstrate the extent to which different parties (countries, public authorities, private companies etc.) can work together and take holistic decisions in such situations. A core question in supply chain management asks how independent decision-makers at many levels can work together and how this joint work can be governed. Supply chain risk management (SCRM), however, has focused mostly on how focal private companies apply SCRM processes to identify, analyse and mitigate risk related to upstream and downstream flows in their supply networks. At the same time, interorganisational collaboration to handle diverse risks is always needed. A risk that hits one organisation often affects other, interconnected organisations. This study aims to develop the term supply chain risk governance with an associated conceptual framework that embraces various types of supply chains and actors. In a cross-disciplinary literature study, we dissect, compare and combine risk governance with interorganisational aspects of SCRM and find that the mechanisms suggested in the risk governance literature coincide with many of those in SCRM. We suggest a combination of these to govern risk processes at an inter-organisational level, regardless of the type of organisation included in the supply chain. This would be suitable for critical infrastructures that often contain a mixture of private and public actors. The scope of the literature employed is limited, and some articles have played a larger role in the framework development. The paper explores new territory through this cross-disciplinary study, extends existing multi-level frameworks with inter-organisational governance mechanisms and proposes new governance mechanisms to the field. This study could support the understanding of how critical infrastructures in our society are governed so as to increase their resilience to both smaller and larger disruptions.
Jahre, Marianne & Jahre, Martine (2018)
Logistics Preparedness and Response: A Case of Strategic Change
Purpose – An unprecedented scale of human migration has lead humanitarians to view camps as long-term settlements rather than temporary holding facilities. The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of and identify challenges with this proposed new approach to camp design.
Design/methodology/approach – Based on the camp design literature, the authors developed an interview guide and checklist for data collection. A multi-site case study and within- and cross-case analysis was then conducted.
Findings – The findings suggest that the proposed new approach is implemented only to a limited extent, and mostly in a stepwise manner. As camps mature, there is a shift toward the new approach, but most camps are established using the traditional top-down, temporary, and isolated approach.
Research limitations/implications – The findings are based on four camps in four different countries and do not provide an exhaustive global coverage.
Practical implications – The insights the authors derived and the challenges identified from the empirical evidence can be used to better plan future camps.
Social implications – The results can support improvements in camp design, thus alleviating suffering for both refugees and host communities, particularly in developing countries. In particular, the trade-off between a permanent solution and the temporary must be accounted for.
Originality/value – The study contributes to the literature by developing and proposing a conceptual framework to camp design. The cross-case analysis provides an initial understanding and categorization of challenges with implementing the new approach. It also suggests an evolutionary perspective of camp design
Traditionally, international humanitarian organisations have used on-demand dispatch of disaster relief goods from regional logistics units (RLUs) for sudden onset disaster response. This paper investigates the improvements in efficiency and resilience of disaster relief operations by combining the existing method of onshore prepositioning of relief items in RLUs with offshore prepositioning of relief items on-board vessels and at seaport terminals. The problem is formulated as a linear programming model that incorporates different logistical costs, including inventory cost, replenishment cost, and transportation cost, to find the best combination of disaster relief methods. At the tactical level, the model determines how much and where disaster relief items need to be prepositioned. At the operational level, the model addresses how much and by which mode of transport the disaster relief items need to be transported to disaster points. The model is tested on 16 major disasters in Southeast Asia. The main finding is that offshore prepositioning can contribute to cost reduction and resilience without compromising on the speed or the scale of the response. The results also suggest that the benefits depend on the duration of the disaster emergency period and the ratio of offshore storage cost to onshore storage cost.
Vega, Diego & Jahre, Marianne (2017)
Case studies in Humanitarian Logistics Research
, s. 731- 746.
Jahre, Marianne (2017)
Humanitarian supply chain strategies – a review of how actors mitigate supply chain risks
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to link humanitarian logistics (HL) and supply chain risk management (SCRM) to provide an understanding of risk mitigation strategies that humanitarian organisations use, or could use, to improve their logistics preparedness. Design/methodology/approach Based on systematic reviews of RMS in SCRM and supply chain strategies (SCS) in HL literature, a framework is developed and used to review published case studies in HL. Findings The study finds that humanitarian actors use a number of the strategies proposed in the framework, particularly those related to strategic stocks, postponement, and collaboration. Strategies related to sourcing and procurement, however, especially those on supplier relationships, seem to be lacking in both research and practice. Research limitations/implications The study is based on secondary data and could be further developed through case studies based on primary data. Future studies should explore the generalisability of the findings. Practical implications Practitioners can use the framework to identify potential new SCS and how strategies can be combined. Findings can help them to understand the abnormal risks of main concern, how they may impact normal risks, and provide ideas on how to tackle trade-offs between different risks. Social implications The results can support improvements in humanitarian supply chains, which will provide affected people with rapid, cost-efficient, and better-adapted responses. Originality/value The paper connects SCRM and HL to develop a framework and suggests propositions on how humanitarian actors can mitigate supply chain risks. Questioning the focus on strategic stock it suggests complementary or alternative strategies for improving logistics preparedness.
Jahre, Marianne (2017)
Den viktigste logistikken - beredskap og respons i humanitære kriser
, s. 241- 265.
Jahre, Marianne; Pazirandeh, Ala & Wassenhove, Luk N. Van (2016)
Defining logistics preparedness: a framework and research agenda
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a more complete understanding of logistics preparedness. By comparing extant research in preparedness and logistics with findings from empirical analysis of secondary data, the authors develop a definition of and framework for logistics preparedness, along with suggestions for future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach: The authors link the way in which humanitarian organizations define and aim to achieve logistics preparedness with extant academic research. The authors critically analyze public data from 13 organizations that are active in disaster relief and review papers on logistics preparedness and humanitarian logistics. Findings: The authors found that, despite the increased attention, there is no unified understanding across organizations about what constitutes logistics preparedness and how it can contribute to improvements in operations. Based on the review of the academic literature, the authors found that the same is true for humanitarian logistics research. The lack of a common understanding has resulted in low visibility of efforts and lack of knowledge on logistics preparedness. Research limitations/implications: On the basis of extant research and practice, the authors suggest a definition of and framework for logistics preparedness with related suggestions for future studies. Practical implications: Findings can help the humanitarian community gain a better understanding of their efforts related to developing logistics preparedness and can provide a better basis for communicating the need for, and results from, funding in preparedness. Social implications: Results can support improvements in humanitarian supply chains, thereby providing affected people with rapid, cost-efficient, and better-adapted responses. Originality/value: The findings contribute to humanitarian logistics literature, first by identifying the issues related to the lack of a common definition. Second, the authors extend the understanding of what constitutes logistics preparedness by proposing an operationalized framework and definition. Finally, the authors add to the literature by discussing what future topics and types of research may be required.
Humanitarian organizations (HOs) often base their warehouse locations on individuals' experience and knowledge rather than on decision-support tools. Many HOs run separate supply chains for emergency response and ongoing operations. Based on reviews of humanitarian network design literature combined with an in-depth case study of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this paper presents a warehouse location model for joint prepositioning that incorporates political and security situation factors. Although accessibility, co-location, security, and human resources are crucial to the practice of humanitarian operations management, such contextual factors have not been included in existing network optimization models before. We found that when quantified, and modeled, such factors are important determinants of network configuration. In addition, our results suggest that joint prepositioning for emergency response and ongoing operations allows for expansion of the global warehouse network, and reducing cost and response time.
Jahre, Marianne (2016)
On a logistical mission
, s. 123- 136.
Jahre, Marianne & Fabbe-Costes, Nathalie (2015)
How Standards and Modularity can improve Humanitarian Supply Chain Responsiveness: The Case of Emergency Response Units
The construction industry has developed a certain economic logic that reflects the way in which tasks, parts, and units are organized and related to each other in order to create economic benefits in the construction process. The present study examines how four different models in the literature that portray this logic complement and constitute alternatives to understandings of the economic logic of construction industry. Along with transaction cost economics, we have identified three more empirically-based models: a project-oriented model, a supply-chain-oriented model, and a network-oriented model. Associated with different streams of research, these models are discussed in terms of the typical problems and key interdependencies in the construction process they address, and the type of solutions they suggest, including organizing principles for how construction parties should relate to each other. The findings show how examining different models provides a comprehensive, albeit non-exhaustive overview and explanation of why the construction process is organized in the way it is. There is a need for increased awareness of the utilization of models (or combinations of models) and the models must also be seen as arguments in a broader discussion of how the construction process could or should function.
Jahre, Marianne; Dumoulin, Luc, Greenhalgh, Langdon, Hudspeth, Claudia, Limlim, Philip & Spindler, Anna (2012)
Improving health in developing countries - reducing complexity of drug supply chains
Uganda is one of many African countries struggling to develop adequate healthcare, particularly at the last mile of local treatment and regards access to drugs. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to understanding of how reduced supply chain complexity can improve health in developing countries.Based on a study and evaluation that included 50 interviews and 27 site visits of the public healthcare system in Karamoja, north-east Uganda, a mapping of drug supply chains was undertaken to identify causes of stocks-outs and possible solutions. A model for logistics process redesign is used for the analysis and results quantified. The main conclusion is that less supply chain complexity leads to lower costs while also reducing stock-outs because better integration between information and goods flows shortens lead-times and improves efficiency. While the empirical study is extensive, there are uncertainties in the data that must be taken into account. The effects of the suggested solutions remain to be analysed and documented upon implementation.The study was rooted in a practical problem and provides practical solutions in terms of quick wins and more long-term changes to solve problems with stock-outs of life-saving drugs.
The paper provides an understanding as to the applicability of traditional logistics principles in a context characterized by lack of health system infrastructure, financial resources, capacity and competence and contributes with much needed in-depth understanding of humanitarian logistics reality to the academic community
Sohrabpour, V.; Hellström, D. & Jahre, Marianne (2012)
Packaging in developing countries: identifying supply chain needs
There is no unified view as to what partnering in construction actually is. Particularly the relationship dimension of the concept is unclear. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature in order to identify the main assumptions about partnering relationships in construction research and practice. The literature is compared to the Construction Industry Institute’s (CII 1991) frequently cited definition of partnering as a long-term commitment between two or more parties in which shared understanding and trust develop for the benefits of improving construction. The literature review reveals a tendency to focus on project partnering in dyads between clients and contractors and there is also an emphasis on formal tools to develop these relationships, even if social aspects and relationship dynamics are recognised. The paper discusses these findings and suggests that, in order to increase the understanding of the substance and function of partnering relationships, it could be useful to incorporate knowledge from theoretical perspectives that are more in line with the CII definition. Two perspectives that seem particularly interesting in this respect are Supply Chain Management (SCM) and the Industrial Network Approach (INA), both of which focus on long-term relationships between actors beyond the dyad. INA also emphasises the informal aspects of relationship development. Incorporating these dimensions of partnering relationships requires processual and longitudinal studies, which are relatively rare in the contemporary partnering literature.
Interventions to mitigate medicine shortages in (ab)normal times – the case of paracetamol
[Conference Lecture]. Event
Jahre, Marianne & Viana, Joe (2021)
Presentation of MIA and COVID-19 Task Force projects for Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
[Conference Lecture]. Event
Viana, Joe; Jahre, Marianne, Årdal, Christine Oline & Oorschot, Kim E. van (2021)
Defining measures, identifying, and obtaining data to conduct (cost) effectiveness analysis of medicine supply chains
[Conference Lecture]. Event
Jahre, Marianne (2021)
Short of Drugs? Call Upon Operations and Supply Chain Management, Keynote Speech
[Conference Lecture]. Event
Jahre, Marianne & Ahlqvist, Victoria (2021)
Presentation MIA and COVID-19 Task Force for Region Stockholm
[Lecture]. Event
Vries, Harwin de; Jahre, Marianne, Selviaridis, Kostas, Oorschot, Kim Van & Wassenhove, Luk N. Van (2021)
A review of scientific and grey literature on medicine shortages and the need for a research agenda in Operations and Supply Chain Management
[Report Research].
High-income countries are facing a significant and worsening drug shortage problem. This position paper argues that operations and supply chain management (OSCM) could (and perhaps
should) be used more widely to help address this issue: 1) the problem has significant societal impacts, 2) it poses complex questions for stakeholders and finding answers is challenging due to the complex
and dynamic nature of drug supply chains, 3) OSCM scholars are well positioned to provide answers, and 4) the problem introduces fundamentally new research directions for OSCM. To substantiate this,
we carried out a review of key stakeholder reports from six European countries and a systematic
review of academic literature. These show that there is no real agreement among stakeholders about what causes the shortages and that there are few academic studies that examine this. We also show
that stakeholders have suggested many different government measures – ranging from ‘reshoring
production’ to revising procurement policies and increasing stock levels – but that there is little
research that provides evidence on their comparative cost-effectiveness. Based on our findings, we discuss three promising research directions to which our discipline could contribute.
