Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review of humanitarian logistics (HL) that aims to identify trends and suggest some directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach: – This conceptual paper develops a research framework for literature review through qualitative and quantitative content analysis. First, previous literature reviews in HL are updated and detailed. Then, seven classification criteria are added to earlier ones in order to advance the literature analysis. Findings: – The conclusions identify some literature gaps and research opportunities. The main conclusions are the need for more studies into the disaster recovery phase and the need for closer relationships between academia and humanitarian organizations to increase the number of applied research. Research limitations/implications: – The literature is limited to academic peer-reviewed journals because of their academic relevance, accessibility, and ease of searching. Practical implications: – Help potential researchers to set up a research agenda for future work. Social implications: – Reinforce earlier calls to increase truly applied research and improve social impact of the field. Originality/value: – In total, 228 papers that were published in the HL area are reviewed, giving rise to the most extensive literature review in this area. New dimensions for literature review in HL are proposed, which give some new insights into potential research directions.

Events that mobilize large crowds, such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup, present challenging obstacles to operations attempting to deliver goods efficiently in major urban centers. This study presents a logistics business case that implemented a pilot project during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which shifted delivery times to off-hour deliveries (10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.). The pilot project was implemented to identify the constraints and opportunities related to off-hour deliveries in São Paulo, Brazil. Additionally, the project was able to address the congestion and delays experienced during daytime deliveries. The study relied on a partnership forged among a logistics company, a sportswear company, and an academic center, and there was no government support for this case study or project

Desastres têm sido cada vez mais frequentes no mundo, atingindo populações residentes de áreas urbanas e rurais e provocando danos de ordem material e imaterial. A gestão de operações em desastres e, em especial, a logística humanitária são fundamentais para minimizar o sofrimento das vítimas afetadas em todas as fases dos desastres. O presente artigo busca identificar as contribuições acadêmicas nacionais sobre gestão de desastres e logística de operações humanitárias, através de uma revisão da literatura brasileira e de uma comparação com os resultados obtidos na revisão da literatura internacional realizada por Peres et al. (2012), com o intuito de identificar os desafios e oportunidades de pesquisas.

Resumo A gestão da cadeia de suprimentos humanitária envolve que decisões sejam tomadas antes, durante e depois que um desastre acontece, e esta tomada de decisões trata-se de um dos grandes desafios que agentes humanitários devem encarar. O presente estudo desenvolve um modelo conceitual de simulador organizacional para análise de decisões logísticas e, a partir deste modelo conceitual, propõe um jogo logístico humanitário direcionado a permitir que gestores e estudantes de operações humanitárias observem e vivenciem a tomada de decisão nos contextos de desastres. Como metodologia, a pesquisa bibliográfica foi utilizada como base para desenvolvimento do modelo conceitual e para a proposta de jogo humanitário. O modelo conceitual e a proposta de jogo foram aplicados, para validação, a dois estudos de caso relacionados ao combate a fome. A viabilidade e uso do modelo conceitual e do jogo em treinamentos foram validados, assim como sua utilização no suporte a tomada de decisão em gerenciamento de operações humanitárias.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the use of games in humanitarian logistics and disaster management by conducting a systematic review of academic literature to identify trends, gaps and practical contributions over the past decade. Design/methodology/approach: The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 protocol and included peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2024 in English. Searches were conducted in Scopus and Web of Science, last updated in January 2025. A total of 59 studies were included, describing 65 games. Data extraction considered disaster phase, type, game genre, mode, platform, application, audience and time interval. Findings: Most games focus on disaster response (25), with hydrometeorological events (22) being the most addressed. Digital (39), multiplayer (43) and simulation-based games (40) are predominant. The main application is education and training (33), and most games target professionals (34). A significant increase in publications occurred from 2020 onward. Gaps were identified in games addressing mitigation, reconstruction, social disasters and community engagement. Research limitations/implications: The review included only peer-reviewed articles in English indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, excluding games outside academic literature. Game availability and usability were also not verified, suggesting future research should address these gaps. Practical implications: The study offers a structured overview and the creation of an online repository (https://jogoshumanitarios.unimar.br) to facilitate access and adoption of games by researchers, developers and practitioners. Social implications: By promoting awareness, preparedness and decision-making skills, the use of serious games in humanitarian contexts can enhance disaster resilience and community engagement. Broad adoption may support more inclusive, collaborative and socially responsive crisis management strategies. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review to map and categorize academic literature on games in humanitarian logistics and disaster management, providing an open-access repository that bridges knowledge gaps and supports more effective and inclusive game development for crisis preparedness.