The impact of using outsourcing strategy by humanitarian organizations on logistical performance: An empirical investigation from a developing country

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Abstract

This paper empirically investigates the potential benefits of outsourcing humanitarian logistics activities to commercial logistics service providers (LSPs) to improve rescue missions in the Al Zaatari Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. The study uses a quantitative research approach, a survey data set of 140 questionnaires was collected from the managers and managerial staff dealing with logistical activities. First, a comprehensive review of related literature was performed to guide this research and then to test the main hypotheses of this study, correlation and regression analysis were carried out. The findings confirmed that humanitarian organizations in Al Zaatary camp can get benefits from collaborating with LSPs on delivering primary logistic services (shelter, food, medicine, transportation, etc.) (Nurmala, de Leeuw, & Dullaert, 2017). Moreover, the findings showed that outsourcing is preferred in the response phase (Vega & Roussat, 2015). This paper contributes to the growing body of knowledge on humanitarian logistics in ways that fills a gap by empirically investigate the phenomenon, as well as it is considered well timed in the context of the still current situation due to political instability in the region. As far as the authors are aware, this research represents the first study within the humanitarian logistics sector in Jordan.

Keywords: Outsourcing, Humanitarian Logistics Performance, Commercial Logistics, Logistic Service Provider, Al Zaatari Refugee Camp, Roles of LSP

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — F.R. and A.S.H.Y.; Methodology — A.S.H.Y. and B.M.R.; Formal Analysis — F.R. and A.S.H.Y.; Investigation — M.D. and A.A.A.; Resources – F.R. and B.M.R.; Data Curation - M.A.-D. and A.S.H.Y.; Writing — Original Draft — F.R. and B.M.R.; Writing — Review & Editing — B.M.R., A.S.H.Y., and M.A.-D.; Project Administration — F.R. and B.M.R.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: D02, M10, M160, O200

Received: 23.01.2021
Accepted: 19.04.2021
Published online: 21.04.2021

How to cite this paper: Rifai, F., Ramadan, B. M., Yousif, A. S. H., Al-Dweiri, M., & Alsmadi, A. A. (2021). The impact of using outsourcing strategy by humanitarian organizations on logistical performance: An empirical investigation from a developing country. Journal of Governance & Regulation, 10(2), 118–133. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv10i2art11