Servitization as a competitive difference in humanitarian logistics

This paper presents a literature review and conceptual consideration of servitization in humanitarian logistics. Its purpose is to provide a research agenda for humanitarian logistics scholars and insight for practitioners and by doing so will fill a gap in existing research and practice. The paper uses a literature-based approach that extends concepts usually applied in a commercial context to the area of humanitarian logistics. The paper initiates a discourse on the importance of taking into account servitization in developing and managing effective emergency relief chains. This paper argues that a broader servitization paradigm needs to be integrated for international humanitarian organisations to maintain a competitive advantage. We investigate servitization as a management innovation in international humanitarian organisations and plot a research agenda for HL scholars