Journal of business continuity & emergency planning最新文献

Whether starting from scratch or inheriting a business continuity programme that has struggled to meet management expectations, how does one choose the best path forward? When is the right time to leverage external resources, and how does one do so effectively? When should one look to outsource certain parts of the programme, and when does it make sense to rely completely on third-party vendors? This paper discusses the key information to know before making such decisions, providing readers with the tools they need to evaluate vendors properly before entering into a contract, thus helping organisations hire the 'extra help' they need.

Crisis management in large organisations should evolve response structures to prepare better for real-time, enterprise-wide events, and boost overall resilience. This paper proposes that organisations shift from an incident command structure to a more agile approach that reflects changes in business operations. This paper describes the evolution in Liberty Mutual Insurance's US operations practice from a more traditional emergency response team structure to an agile one that seeks to unify crisis teams globally and cross-functionally. The paper concludes that the adoption of a collaborative methodology across disciplines fundamentally increases organisational resilience.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organisations to react swiftly to an evolving crisis and find creative solutions in real time. In a relatively short period, remote access, employee hardware requirements and flexible work schedules have significantly raised people's expectations regarding what constitutes a 'normal' level of preparedness. However, have organisations capitalised on the lessons learned from the event to improve operational practices and business opportunities, or has the situation merely created an illusion of preparedness? This paper describes the incredible strides made over the last two years before exploring the key lessons that have been overlooked and discussing the potentially misleading sense of readiness that threatens to prevail.

To restore, recover and resume operations in the wake of a major interruption to business requires clearly defined goals and the existence of a roadmap to achieve, if not exceed, established expectations. This paper proposes that the use of a qualitative approach to measuring business continuity maturity provides the ideal lens through which to gauge an organisation's current state, identify the gaps that need to be closed, and create that roadmap to resilience. Specifically, the paper argues that looking at how well something is completed or understood provides significantly more value than a yes/no quantitative approach that looks only at if something meets expectations. As any successful programme requires ongoing refinement, this paper is intended both to encourage and challenge practitioners to understand better why - and how - to measure their business continuity programme, as well as provide a foundation for development, with a view to unlocking the opportunity for continued resiliency.

In 2020, business continuity programmes around the world came under the spotlight like never before. This paper investigates whether business continuity professionals have done enough to maintain this newfound attention and leverage the opportunity associated with it. The paper argues that business continuity professionals must build on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 response and work more closely with business leaders. The paper describes practical and tangible ways to do this, including leveraging data and asking leadership for feedback on existing approaches and plans, with a view to maintaining business leaders' focus on business continuity.

This paper examines the substantial spike in fatalities that occurred in El Paso, Texas in late 2020 due to an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 infection. It also considers various explanations for the fatality surge, and the fatality management issues observed during the event. The paper suggests what lessons can be learned from this event, in particular those preventable causes that could be avoided in a future outbreak. The paper also examines the gaps in existing mass fatality management processes as they apply to planning for pandemics and mass fatality crisis standards of care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many officebased workplaces closed and a large proportion of the workforce switched to working remotely. Plans to return to the office, however, have been delayed on several occasions due to surges in cases related to virus variants. Recognising that businesses need to know when and how to return safely to their offices, this paper provides a six-part framework to help guide their decisions regarding workplace re-entry.

This paper examines the concept of panic, drawing on the experience of the people of New Orleans in the lead-up and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Of particular interest is how residents of the city were affected by the response from the city's elite leadership. The paper discusses the lessons learned from this event and provides recommendations to reduce elite panic and improve cooperation between emergency management leaders and those governing the communities, regions and countries they serve, with a view to enhancing social capital.