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Article
Centralized vehicle leasing in humanitarian fleet management: The UNHCR case
Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management
(2015)
Abstract
Purpose
Fleet management is a key function in humanitarian organizations, but is not always recognized as such. This results in poor performance and negative impacts on the organization. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrates how the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) managed to substantially improve its fleet management through the introduction of an Internal Leasing Program (ILP), in which headquarters procures vehicles and leases them to field offices.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper develops a framework for fleet management based on a longitudinal case study with UNHCR. It compares fleet performance indicators before and after implementation of an ILP.
Findings
At UNHCR, vehicle procurement was driven by availability of funding. Fleet management was highly decentralized and field offices had limited awareness of its importance. These systems and behaviors led to major challenges for the organization. The introduction of the ILP positively impacted fleet management at UNHCR by reducing fleet size, average age of fleet and procurement costs.
Practical implications
This paper provides fleet managers with a tool for analyzing their fleet. The frameworks and actions described in this paper contain practical recommendations for achieving a well-performing fleet.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to analyze fleet management before and after introduction of an ILP. It describes the benefits of this model based on empirical data, and develops frameworks to be used by researchers and practitioners.
Keywords
- Humanitarian operations,
- Internal Leasing Program,
- Vehicle fleet management
Disciplines
Publication Date
December 7, 2015
DOI
10.1108/JHLSCM-07-2015-0034
Citation Information
Nathan Kunz, Luk N. Van Wassenhove, Rob McConnell and Ketil Hov. "Centralized vehicle leasing in humanitarian fleet management: The UNHCR case" Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management Vol. 5 Iss. 3 (2015) p. 387 - 404 ISSN: 2042-6747 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/nathan_kunz/6/