Case Article—Humanitarian Supply Chains and Inventory Management: Planning Medical Supply at the International Committee of the Red Cross

Bublu Thakur-Weigold (), Vera Tilson (), Dessislava A. Pachamanova () and Samah El Sayed Mohamad ()
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Bublu Thakur-Weigold: Department of Logistics Management, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Vera Tilson: Department of Operations Management, Simon Business School, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627
Dessislava A. Pachamanova: Department of Mathematics, Analytics, Science & Technology, Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts 02457
Samah El Sayed Mohamad: International Committee of the Red Cross, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland

INFORMS Transactions on Education, 2025, vol. 25, issue 3, 209-214

Abstract: This case is based on an actual project with the International Committee of the Red Cross. The rich context allows instructors to cover important topics in inventory management, supply chain management, and humanitarian logistics at a level appropriate for different student backgrounds. At a foundational level, the case presents opportunities to practice concepts like cycle stock, safety stock, and service level. Technical audiences can appreciate applications of machine learning and optimization for inventory management. Practice-oriented audiences learn about the challenges of applying commercial operations metrics and heuristics like ABC analysis to humanitarian logistics. Realistic data and models are provided.

Keywords: humanitarian logistics; inventory management; machine learning; change management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:orited:v:25:y:2025:i:3:p:209-214

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