Impact of pandemics on humanitarian retailing operations: A voucher's case

Navid Mohamadi, Hataw Bakhishi, Sandra Transchel, Maria Besiou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

In 2020, the world started a fight against a pandemic that has severely disrupted commercial and humanitarian supply chains. Humanitarian organizations (HOs), like the World Food Programme (WFP), adjusted their programs in order to manage this pandemic. One such program is cash and voucher assistance (CVA), which is used to bolster beneficiaries' freedom of choice regarding their consumption. In this vein, WFP supports local retailers to provide CVA to beneficiaries who do not have access to a functioning market. However, the operations of these stores can suffer from a very high transmission risk of COVID-19 unless preventive measures are put in place to reduce it. This paper discusses strategies that retailers and HOs can enact to maximize their service and dignity levels while minimizing transmission risk under a CVA program during a pandemic. We argue that HOs providing CVA programs can improve their assistance during a pandemic by implementing strategies that impact the retailing operations of their retailers.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1512-1528
Number of pages17
JournalProduction and Operations Management
Volume32
Issue number5
Early online dateFeb 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cash and vouchers assistance
  • Competition
  • Humanitarian operations
  • Pandemics
  • Retail operations
  • Simulation

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