The 2010 Haitian earthquake underscored the fact that disaster response is increasingly complex, multi-sectoral and multi-faceted in character. Nonetheless, disaster relief operations both globally and nationally tend to operate within a highly fragmented context in which potentially overwhelming human and infrastructure needs must be served by limited material and financial aid delivered by disparate humanitarian actors specializing in varying functional domains.  Such a chaotic environment demands highly effective communication, collaboration and coordination among a variety of humanitarian actors if relief efforts are to be successful. Even though the coordination mechanisms of multi-organizational actors during disaster response have been studied in a variety of contexts, much less attention has been paid to how international non-governmental (INGOs) and private sector actors may be able to operate collaboratively in disaster settings.

This dissertation provides a case analysis of the efforts of one set of cross-sectoral humanitarian actors that worked through a network in response to the 2010 Haitian earthquake. This mixed methods case study incorporates interview, personal observation, and survey data from INGO field staff, headquarters personnel, and corporate donor representatives, all of whom were members of the cross-sectoral Partnership for Quality Medical Donation (PQMD) that responded to the 2010 Haitian earthquake.  The inquiry explores what the coordination-related challenges to disaster response are for network members and then examines whether and in what ways a cross-sector network, PQMD in this instance, can effectively mitigate or overcome those obstacles.  This study contributes to the body of disaster coordination and cross-sector network scholarship in two ways. First, the analysis reviews prevailing trends within the cross-sector network and disaster coordination-related literature concerning the requisites and challenges of coordination in humanitarian relief emergencies.  Second, this study augments existing understanding of the extremely complex processes involved in coordinating INGO-business disaster response as part of efforts to mobilize multi-sectoral humanitarian action.

This research suggests that efforts to develop cross-sector networks prior to disaster events can build communication, collaboration and coordination pathways that later enhance coordinated INGO-business disaster response to crises.  It argues that current theoretical horizons in both network and disaster coordination studies need to be broadened. Specifically, this inquiry highlights the importance of incorporating cross-sector networks (i.e., INGO and corporate actors) into all planning efforts aimed at enhancing collaboration and coordination practices in disaster relief.