Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop an existing collaborative research methodology process (Sabri, 2018), contextualise it for application in humanitarian supply chains and test it empirically. Design/methodology/approach: Building on collaborative research methodology and humanitarian supply chain literature, the Sabri’s (2018) collaborative research methodology process is further developed to comprise eight phases of collaborative research contextualised for the humanitarian supply chain domain. The process is applied in a collaborative research case of academia–practitioner knowledge co-creation in a humanitarian supply chain setting, focussing on environmental sustainability improvement. The collaborative case analysis suggests a number of refinements to the elements of the process. This study undertook two cycles of academia–practitioner collaborative research. Findings: In testing the process, a noticeable improvement in the collaboration among different humanitarian stakeholders was observed, leading to improved stakeholder management. The implementation improved the sustainability awareness and social inclusion of the affected population. Rurality, remoteness, security issues and resistance of field staff against change were among the main challenges for supply chain researchers to engage in collaborative research in the humanitarian domain. Originality/value: The paper addresses the rigour‒relevance‒reflectiveness debate in the humanitarian supply chain domain. A collaborative research methodology process derived from action research is further developed using humanitarian literature, and then it is applied in a humanitarian logistics case focussed on environmental sustainability. The present collaborative research process facilitates engaged scholarship among the humanitarian stakeholders, as the researchers’ roles move from observatory to participatory knowledge broker.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 371-409 |
Number of pages | 39 |
Journal | Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 23 Aug 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 10 Dec 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Keywords
- Action research
- Collaborative research
- Humanitarian logistics
- Humanitarian supply chain
- Sustainability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Management Information Systems
- Management Science and Operations Research
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Using collaborative research methodologies in humanitarian supply chains'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Profiles
-
Hossein Zarei
- School of Strategy and Leadership - Lecturer in Business Strategy
Person: Teaching and Research