Supply Chain Visibility, Supply Chain Velocity, Supply Chain Alignment and Humanitarian Supply Chain Relief Agility

Abstract

The research aimed at examining the relationships between supply chain visibility, supply chain velocity, supply chain alignment and supply chain relief agility using a case of humanitarian agencies in responding to Bududa Land Slide disasters in Eastern Uganda. The study was motivated by the fact that although several humanitarian agencies responded by delivering aid to those in need during the aftermath of Bududa landslides in 2010, their humanitarian supply chains were not fast and agile enough to respond to the sudden onset disaster. A cross sectional data was collected from a sample of sixteen (16) humanitarian agencies that were involved in responding to landslide disasters in Bududa district in Eastern Uganda region. A total of 135 usable questionnaires were collected which were used for data analysis. The results indicate significant positive relationships between supply chain visibility, supply chain velocity, supply chain alignment and supply chain relief agility. Findings also revealed that supply chain visibility and supply chain alignment are significant predictors of humanitarian supply chain relief agility. The study has both practical and theoretical implications which are discussed.