Education for sustainable development in humanitarian logistics

Abstract

Purpose

As humanitarian logistics (HL) functions in complicated, changing and ambiguous situations, all people, particularly the educated youth, have to know how to control the situation and assist victims, which are best achieved through formal education and training. Teaching at university has been extensively used in the context of business logistics. However, education in HL is a poorly researched field and, consequently, this article explores education for sustainable development in HL. The study addresses the following research question: How the teaching of HL at university can help to increase HL performance (HLP) and to reduce suffering.

Design/methodology/approach

A covariance-based structure equation modeling (CB-SEM) is implemented on the basis of confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

The results show that the association between the explanatory variables and the dependent variable (HLP) is mediated by sustainability, and that the teaching of HL at university plays a vital role in enhancing HLP and is therefore a very suitable approach for sustainable development in HL. This direct approach is creative, informative and productive practice for both students and teachers.

Originality/value

In spite of the growing number of activities and courses in supply chain and logistics education, no study, to the best of our knowledge, has empirically analyzed the critical topic of whether or not education can bring sustainable development in HL. In order to save lives and reduce the suffering of victims, this study attempts to fill this gap.

Citation

Khan, M., Sarmad, M., Ullah, S. and Bae, J. (2020), "Education for sustainable development in humanitarian logistics", Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 573-602. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHLSCM-03-2020-0022