Shelter-Box: A Decade of Disaster Relief begins with a brief description of the 2010 Haiti earthquake which is an important event in Shelter-Box's history regarded as one with sufficient scale and media coverage to shape the way in which Shelter-Box would respond to disasters going forward.
Despite not being the biggest natural disaster to occur since the charity's inception, the 2010 Haiti earthquake occurred at a time where Shelter-Box had earned a reputation for consistent and high quality responses to disasters worldwide. The Asian Tsunami of 2004, where Shelter-Box deployed over 12,000 boxes, remained their largest deployment until Haiti 2010. The strong reputation has led to change in the way donations (of which Shelter-Box is wholly reliant) are generated. For example legacy donations (which tend to be larger) are now more commonplace but often come with conditions attached, e.g., specifying where the money should be used.
The case study provides background information about the charity including mission and objectives before describing the organization's inception in 2001 and the on‐going relationship with Rotary International.
Crucially the case study describes what a 'Shelter-Box' is, e.g., contents and dimensions with information relating to the semi‐standardized nature of the materials.
The case study attempts to describe the first ten years of the organization. Emphasis is placed upon the operations and supply chain activities and in particular around up‐scaling the capability of the organization.
Some focus can also be applied to the human resource which, despite its global reach (through Rotary International), remains a relatively small employer (2011: 40 employees, 2010: 23 employees, 2009: 14 employees), notwithstanding the many more volunteers and associates involved in operations, fundraising and response.
The case study ends with a scenario. Shelter-Box management are meeting to discuss the organization's capabilities and strategy going forward. During the meeting GDACS alerts Shelter-Box to a crisis unfolding in the Philippines at which point management attention turns to a response and the thought that this could emerge as a bigger event than any previously encountered.
1. Which management disciplines does Shelter-Box: A Decade of Disaster Relief address?
2. What are the issues in this case study?
3. State the key elements along the Shelter-Box value chain?
4. Describe the SCM challenges that exist?
5. Describe what quality means to different stakeholder groups in this case study?
6. You have been asked to advise Shelter-Box on its operations strategy for the next three years. What advice would you offer?