**4.1 Coordination and leadership**

A business profit-oriented supply chain may be leaded or coordinated by a core player with a certain strong power, exemplified by a product leading company who own the key technology such as Boeing, or a retailing company who operates the huge retailing network with a comprehensive product range such as Walmart, or a trading company who has a complete network connecting retailers and manufacturers such as Li & Fung. A non-profit-oriented DRS management can only be initiated and operated by a government agency that has the legal authority and social reputation as its core power.

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future.

*Disaster Relief Supply Management*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94008*

leave the possibility for reverse logistics.

level authority.

ment, and reverse logistics.

**4.2 Purchasing for donation**

The DRS reverse logistics starts from the beginning of these material design and manufacturing. The most distinctive feature of DRS is "available just in case". In other words, most of the consumable goods and even equipment must be well prepared but may not be used and would eventually move to the reverse logistics procedures. Therefore, it is critical to coordinate with the item suppliers in the product design stages. A consumable product for disaster relief purposes must be designed easily for inventory holding management and possibly for the secondary market. For example, a tent manufacturer slightly downgrades its product for disaster relief purpose, and buy them back with a predetermined lower price at the planned time for the secondary market. These tents are stored in the warehouses with perfect conditions, thus have almost the same market value as new since most of these tents are not for frequent use or even in single-use on the tourist market. Given the specified usage and characteristics of DRS, it is necessary to coordinate the multiple business partners in the whole product supply chain, from product manufacturing to transportation, not only to ensure the quality and functions needed but also to

During the rescue and relief process after the disaster event occurs, a large amount of relief items rushes into the sites from everywhere. In addition to the leading role of the DRS management in life-saving and reconstruction, government agency also needs to pay attention to material collection, screening, inspection, allocation, proper use, waste control, and surplus items reverse. Different organizations, individual volunteers, international rescue teams and military groups are all converging for life rescuing, but the precise material delivery, proper use, and waste generation issues are often ignored, even by the rescue authority. In the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, a huge amount of different materials was discarded, about one million tents were found useless and eventually reclaimed by a central government

Rescue and relief information systems play a vital role in DRS reverse logistics operations coordination. DRS are delivered to the disaster site in different rescue and relief stages. Alone with the time moving forward, the demand and material information should be more and more clear, but yet properly and timely shared by different organizations. Besides, a large amount of false information and rumors are spreading in different ways. A legal and authorized government information platform is needed to provide the real information of demand, supply, manage-

To encourage the reuse of DRS items, we propose a "Purchasing-as-Donation" marketing strategy for selling relief material surplus in a cause-related marketplace. These organizations or individual consumers, retailers, traders, original suppliers, and donors. For every relief surplus item sold out, the income is calculated as a cash donation to the DRS management. In addition to the attractive price, the market is also promoted by the environment-friendly concept and social responsibility. The original suppliers who buy back their products and send them to other markets can also be rewarded by further purchasing for further DRS inventory. Traders buying and reselling these DRS products are offered further business opportunities in the

This strategy takes advantage of other reusing choices in many ways. Putting aside the economic value that purchasing-as-donation offers, it enables the DRS management to get access to the people in need with alternative sources, not limited to the population supported by aid programs. By using monetary transfers, the proportion of inappropriate deliveries would be controlled at a minimum level.

### *Disaster Relief Supply Management DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94008*

The DRS reverse logistics starts from the beginning of these material design and manufacturing. The most distinctive feature of DRS is "available just in case". In other words, most of the consumable goods and even equipment must be well prepared but may not be used and would eventually move to the reverse logistics procedures. Therefore, it is critical to coordinate with the item suppliers in the product design stages. A consumable product for disaster relief purposes must be designed easily for inventory holding management and possibly for the secondary market. For example, a tent manufacturer slightly downgrades its product for disaster relief purpose, and buy them back with a predetermined lower price at the planned time for the secondary market. These tents are stored in the warehouses with perfect conditions, thus have almost the same market value as new since most of these tents are not for frequent use or even in single-use on the tourist market. Given the specified usage and characteristics of DRS, it is necessary to coordinate the multiple business partners in the whole product supply chain, from product manufacturing to transportation, not only to ensure the quality and functions needed but also to leave the possibility for reverse logistics.

During the rescue and relief process after the disaster event occurs, a large amount of relief items rushes into the sites from everywhere. In addition to the leading role of the DRS management in life-saving and reconstruction, government agency also needs to pay attention to material collection, screening, inspection, allocation, proper use, waste control, and surplus items reverse. Different organizations, individual volunteers, international rescue teams and military groups are all converging for life rescuing, but the precise material delivery, proper use, and waste generation issues are often ignored, even by the rescue authority. In the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, a huge amount of different materials was discarded, about one million tents were found useless and eventually reclaimed by a central government level authority.

Rescue and relief information systems play a vital role in DRS reverse logistics operations coordination. DRS are delivered to the disaster site in different rescue and relief stages. Alone with the time moving forward, the demand and material information should be more and more clear, but yet properly and timely shared by different organizations. Besides, a large amount of false information and rumors are spreading in different ways. A legal and authorized government information platform is needed to provide the real information of demand, supply, management, and reverse logistics.
