Sustainable humanitarian supply chain management: exploring new theory

Disaster response operations aim at helping as many victims as possible in the shortest time, with limited consideration of the socio-economic context. During the disaster rehabilitation phase, the perspective needs to broaden and comprehensively take into account the local environment. We propose a framework of sustainable humanitarian supply chain management (SCM) that facilitates such comprehensive performance. We conceptualize the framework by combining literature from the fields of sustainable and humanitarian SCM. We test the framework through an analytic induction process by means of multiple case studies of four relief organisations. Our framework suggests that supply chain design needs to be aligned not only to relief organisations’ enablers, but also to the population’s long-term requirements as well as any socio-economic and governmental contingency factors. A good fit between these dimensions leads to sustainable performance. The framework provides an instrument for relief organisations to achieve sustainable performance in the disaster rehabilitation phase

Agent based modelling as a decision support system for shadow accounting

We propose the use of agent based modelling to create a shadow account, that is, a secondary account of a business which is used to audit or verify the primary ac¬count. Such a model could be used to test the claims of industries and businesses. For example, the model could determine whether a business is generating enough funds to pay minimum wage. Parameters in the model can be set by observation or a range of values can be tested to determine points at which enough revenue could be generated. We illustrate the potential of agent based modelling as a tool for shadow accounting with a case study of a car wash business

Modern slavery challenges to supply chain management

Purpose – This paper aims to draw attention to the challenges modern slavery poses to supply chain management. Although many international supply chains are (most often unknowingly) connected to slave labour activities, supply chain managers and researchers have so far neglected the issue. This will most likely change as soon as civil society lobbying and new legislation impose increasing litigation and reputational risks on companies operating international supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a definition of slavery; explores potentials for knowledge exchange with other disciplines; discusses management tools for detecting slavery, as well as suitable company responses after its detection; and outlines avenues for future research. Findings – Due to a lack of effective indicators, new tools and indicator systems need to be developed that consider the specific social, cultural and geographical context of supply regions. After detection of slavery, multi-stakeholder partnerships, community-centred approaches and supplier development appear to be effective responses. Research limitations/implications – New theory development in supply chain management (SCM) is urgently needed to facilitate the understanding, avoidance and elimination of slavery in supply chains. As a starting point for future research, the challenges of slavery to SCM are conceptualised, focussing on capabilities and specific institutional context. Practical implications – The paper provides a starting point for the development of practices and tools for identifying and removing slave labour from supply chains. Originality/value – Although representing a substantial threat to current supply chain models, slavery has so far not been addressed in SCM research

An Analysis Pipeline for Genome-wide Association Studies

We developed an efficient pipeline to analyze genome-wide association study single nucleotide polymorphism scan results. Purl scripts were used to convert genotypes called using the BRLMM algorithm into a modified PB format. We computed summary statistics characteristic of our case and control populations including allele counts, missing values, heterozygosity, measures of compliance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and several population difference statistics. In addition, we computed association tests, including exact tests of association for genotypes, alleles, the Cochran-Armitage linear trend test, and dominant, recessive, and overdominant models at every single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). In addition, pairwise linkage disequilbrium statistics were elaborated, using the command line version of HaploView, which was possible by writing a reformatting script. Additional Perl scripts permit loading the results into a MySQL database conjoined with a Generic Genome Browser (gbrowse) for comprehensive visualization. This browser incorporates a download feature that provides actual case and control genotypes to users in associated genomic regions. Thus, re-analysis “on the fly” is possible for casual browser users from anywhere on the Internet

Adoption and transferability of joint interventions to fight modern slavery in food supply chains

More than 50 million people in the world are estimated to be in a situation of modern slavery, the most extreme form of labour exploitation. Many of them are working in sectors such as mining and agriculture, which produce price-sensitive commodity products and where workers are particularly vulnerable. Against this challenge, we analyse a successful intervention against modern slavery in a place that has been labelled the “ground zero of modern slavery in the US”. The Fair Food Programme was established in the tomato growing industry in Immokalee, Florida, and is based on an innovative joint action between farmers, buyers, and workers. We use an agent-based model built on qualitative field data to explain the success of the programme and to investigate whether the programme could be successfully transferred to other contextual settings. We model several market structures and measure the time it takes for all actors in the system to join the Fair Food Programme after a shock event (such as a case of modern slavery being discovered) triggered a dynamic of joint action. Our model shows that a high heterogeneity in farmer sizes leads to an increase in the time taken for them all to join the Fair Food Programme, while a high heterogeneity in buyer sizes speeds up reaching the tipping point towards joint action. We discuss these results and their implications for the transferability of the Fair Food Programme as a voluntary, incentive-driven approach towards tackling modern slavery, to other locations and contexts

The Role of Institutional Uncertainty for Social Sustainability of Companies and Supply Chains

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Wertschöpfungsketten als Herausforderung für Unternehmen

Das nachhaltige Management von Wertschöpfungsketten hat sich als Thema in Wissenschaft und Praxis etabliert. Dabei lassen sich zwei Ansätze unterscheiden, einerseits das Supply Chain Management für nachhaltige Produkte sowie andererseits das Lieferantenmanagement in Bezug auf Risiken und Performance

Das Image von Holz als Schlüssel für die Holzbaubranche

Mit Rückenwind durch Politik und medialer Klimadiskussion versucht die Holzbaubranche ihre Marktanteile auszuweiten. Zentraler Indikator für das Potenzial von Holz als Baustoff stellt das Holzimage dar. Eine Befragung beleuchtet die derzeitige Einstellung in Deutschland gegenüber Holz und dem Holzbau

Understanding labour exploitation in the Spanish agricultural sector using an agent based approach

Using an agent-based model we explore the model of slavery in modern business developed by Crane (2013). Taking the Spanish agricultural sector—specifically the area of Campo de Dalías in Almería where much of Europe's vegetables are grown—as a case, we find that labour exploitation flourishes in communities of like-minded companies that do not care about mainstream norms. We confirm which socio-economic aspects of labour demand/supply lead to slavery, while challenging the assumption that markets which are dominated by few employers are more prone to exploiting workers. We find that, regarding isolation and connectedness of employers, cluster effects and intense inter-employer communication are particularly effective drivers of underpayment if the cluster is homogenous in terms of wage level and if it is isolated from law-abiding employers. This means that employers tend to confirm and reinforce each other in their illegal behaviour, thus creating enclaves in which non-standard norms prevail and worker exploitation is regarded as legitimate. On the other hand, we see that breaking the isolation of employees among each other only increases pay levels if there are law-abiding employers, pointing to the potentially beneficial role social business and entrepreneurs, state-owned companies, or public entrepreneurs could play for transforming labour conditions of entire markets

Oculomotor fatigue and neuropsychological assessments mirror multiple sclerosis fatigue

Fatigue is a major complaint in MS. Up to now no objective assessment tools have been established which hampers any treatment approach. Previous work has indicated an association of fatigue with cognitive measures of attention. Oculomotor tests have been established in healthy individuals as a read-out of fatigue, and to some extent in MS patients. Based on these observations we compared two groups of MS patients, one with fatigue (n=28) and one without fatigue (n=21) and a group of healthy subjects (n=15) with a stand- ardised computerised measure of alertness and an oculomotor stress test. Patients with fatigue showed highly significant changes of their saccade dynamics as defined by the Main Sequence and Phase Plane plots: They showed slowing of saccades, the characteristical fatigue double peak, and an asymmetrical phase plane. Oculomotor tests differentiated significantly between fatigue and fatigabiliy in our MS patients. They also showed significantly worse performance in the alertness test as well as in the oculomotor task. Significantly slower reaction times were observed for tonic alertness in 2 series without a cue (p=.025 and p=.037) but not in phasic alertness with a cue (p=.24 and p=.34). Performance was influenced by disability as well as by affective state. We conclude, when controlling for disability and depression, saccadic stress tests and alertness tests could be used as an objective read-out for fatigability and fatigue in MS patients