      |
VulnerabilitiesCrises are inevitable. The incidence of crises is not a new phenomenon, but increasingly catastrophic results have validated their relevance. Issues management helps an organization become aware of possible crises and plan accordingly. Issues management helps remove unexpected and sudden factors, defusing a situation before a crisis occurs. Issues management is often thought of as a proactive practice and can identify positive opportunities. Practicing issues management improves an organization's awareness of its community and ways to positively involve itself. However, sometimes all the planning in the world cannot forestall a crisis. Crisis management is a method for planning for dealing with an unexpected event in an organization. Many businesses seem to avoid preparing for crisis management. They believe that crises will not happen in their industry/field or that they are so well managed they can go through a crisis without a plan. Typical misnomers include crisis events only happen to other organizations, insurance policies cover losses or work interruption that may emerge from the crisis, there are no resources or the time to establish plans or readiness requirements, and it is impossible to plan for tomorrow's uncertainties. The public relations aspect of crisis management is critical. An effective crisis communication strategy must include identifying and developing a crisis management team, appointing appropriate spokespersons, identifying areas of high risk, and structuring, implementing, and maintaining a crisis communication plan with checklists and contact lists. Communication plans are effective if they decrease the trauma of the entire organization and maintain or promote the organization's image. Conversely, ineffective plans could perpetuate doom. Business ContinuityBusiness continuity planning is the creation and validation of a practiced logistical plan for how an organization will recover and restore partially or completely interrupted critical (urgent) functions within a predetermined time after a disaster or extended disruption. The logistical plan is called a business continuity plan. In plain language, business continuity planning is working out how to stay in business in the event of disaster. Disruptions include local incidents like building fires, regional incidents like earthquakes, or national incidents like pandemic illnesses. Preparation and advanced planning can also reduce the likelihood and severity of chemical, biological, and radiological attack. However, it can be difficult for building managers to determine key vulnerabilities and prioritize implementation of mitigation strategies. Business continuity planning includes
There are a number of components in a continuity plan that must be carefully discussed, organized, and implemented to be effective. Each component is like a link in a chain, whereas if one is not sufficiently addressed the rest of the plan can fail. The plan must:
|
 |
Home | About Us | Assessments | Vulnerability | Contact Us — Hazard Assessment © 2008-2011 Affordable Small Business Web Site Design brought to you by Web Works |
 |