Introduction
Currently, businesses are operating in an environment characterized by risks and uncertainties. Despite this phenomenon, identifying and managing such risks and emergencies have always been a great challenge. It is clear that every business can survive and prosper if they ensure that the process of emergency planning & preparedness is one of the key considerations in their business plan and mission (Perry & Lindell, 2003).
Long Essay
You have just been hired as an independent business continuity planner for a busy local restaurant located in a popular tourist area. The restaurant owners have heard a lot about business continuity planning and want to have a plan for their business. In assessing the risk to the restaurant, identify three possible areas of risk. Define and outline three partnerships you will need to establish for the restaurant in order to reduce their risk and explain why you chose each one.
Answers
Areas of Risks Assessment in Business Continuity Planning
The process of risk assessment is critical to every business. It has a significant impact since it determines whether the business continuity planning goals will be successful. During the process of risk assessment, the business continuity planning, as well as its impact analysis assumptions is tested using various risks circumstances. If the threat circumstance formulated is unreasonable and insufficient, then the resulting business continuity become inadequate.
In the assessing the risks of a local restaurant, various areas can be assessed. These areas include identifying the risk, analyzing the risk, and risk evaluation (Bennett, 2007).).
Identifying the Risk
During the process of identifying the risk, the business should formulate realistic and reasonable threat circumstances that may result in significant and intense disruption to the business operations and also prevent the ability to fulfill the expectations of the customers and business partners. Often, businesses tend to overlook some forms of risks and end up considering the most obvious threats such as fire, theft and market competition. In identifying the risk, one has to consider the likelihood of risk occurrence and the resulting impact on the business and its customers. Some of the common risk categories in a local restaurant operation include natural disaster like floods, storms; workplace health and safety; security; economic and financial; personnel issues like human errors, and company organizations, as well as market dynamics such as changes in consumer taste and preference, and level of competition.
Analyzing the Risk
Once the risk has been clearly identified, the business should aim at assessing the impact of the risk. This process entails separating the minor risks from the major risks for efficient management. An important step involves identifying the interaction between the likelihood of the risk and it consequences. This result creates a level of risk assessed as either low, medium, high, or very high. The business can then draft a risk matrix to help in the analysis process. This approach determines the broad range of disruptions to the business.
Risk Evaluation
Risk evaluation is a crucial aspect in risk assessment. In essence, it helps to assess whether the risk identified is acceptable or whether it requires any management. An acceptable risk may occur where the cost of managing the risk surpass the resulting benefits. On the hand, an unacceptable risk should be managed or controlled to eliminate the resulting negative consequences or prevent the likelihood of an unfavorable event (Bennett, 2007).
Levels of Partnerships Needed To Reduce Business Risk
Window Strategy Partnership (WSP)
Window strategy partnership applies partnership as a window to establish new technologies and developments in a business by creating an entry in actual time to their progress. When implemented, it will help the restaurant remain in a flow of ideas, discover multiple directions and minimize risk and uncertainties (Harbir, 2001).
Options Strategy Partnership (OSP)
Options strategy partnership helps to create strategic options for the business and build ability platform that can be applied when a high level of uncertainty occurs. Ultimately, it will help the restaurant management identifies a wide range of options for managing risks.
Positioning Strategy Partnerships (PSP)
Positioning strategy partnerships is appropriate when the business experiences a low level of uncertainty. Thus, the business will partner with another local restaurant business to create a best-in-class advantage to efficiently manage the uncertainty (Harbir, 2001).
Short Essays
Although Emergency planning is distinct from response operations, the two must be linked. List and discuss two advantages of integrating these functions.
Operational Repeatability
The integration allows business agencies to uphold the level of experiences and operational knowledge of the employee, thus creating an efficient record of operations for future plan. If any operational changes have to be made, it is possible to implement such changes.
Inter-Agency Collaboration
Developing a single integrated emergency response plan allows multiple business agencies to share information efficiently during their operations. By applying a common operating process, it speeds up communication between the agencies and promotes clarity on who is accountable for what (Rod, 2013).
Discuss the use and importance of the Joint Field Office (JFO)
Joint Field Office is a federal facility that is formed to create a central position for Federal and State executives with a role for supervision support to enhance prevention, protection, response, and recovery actions. It coordinates activities on operational Federal assistance to various jurisdictions affected during incidences of National Significance.
Discuss the general duties of an Emergency Manager and an Emergency Planner. Discuss the key differences between the two
Emergency Manager (EM) is an official who is responsible for the overall management of the emergency program within their region. EM applies the local emergency operation plan, which involves fire, emergency medical services, volunteers in public work, and other stakeholders in the formulation of plans to respond to emergencies (Lakerveld et al., 2008).
Emergency Planner (EP) refers to the official involved in the collection of strategies and procedures pertaining to emergency operation plans. The EP assigns roles and responsibilities to the EM in managing emergency incidences or planned events in every phase of an incidence occurrence (Lakerveld et al., 2008).
List and explain the steps in the HSEEP exercise cycle.
Foundation phase: The foundation phase involves creating an effective base of support to establish appropriate project management timelines, organize planning conferences, as well as identifying exercise planning team.
Design and Development phase: It identifies various objectives, designs the situation, coordinate documentation processes, formulates logistics, selects evaluation methodologies and plan exercise conduct.
Exercise Conduct phase: The phase entails set up, informing, wrap-up activities, and coordinating.
Evaluation phase: This step involves a formal evaluation of the exercise, improvement plan, and integrated analysis processes. The processes help to identify areas for strengths and improvements of agencies preparedness on the aspect of exercise performance.
Improvement planning phase: During this phase, the corrective actions selected in the evaluation process are assigned to the responsible entities. The actions are then followed for implementation and authenticated during consequent exercises.
Information Sharing and Analysis Centers fulfill many functions, list and describe two.
Information Sharing and Analysis Centers coordinate various secure operating activities (McCarthy et al., 2014).
Vulnerability and Incident Information Sharing: The ISAC collects and disseminates information to help mitigate various risks to specific industrial sectors.
Vulnerability and Threat Analysis: ISAC creates efficient capabilities that support threat analysis. They conduct investigations relating to reported cases.
Discuss the importance and key features of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as it relates to emergency planning.
National Incident Management System refers to a national approach involved in the management of incidences across all jurisdictional levels and functional entities. Essentially, it improves the levels of coordination between various public and private institutions in managing domestic incidents. Some of the features of NIMS include:
Command and Management: it includes Incident Command System that stipulates the operating characteristics and structure of incident management.
Preparedness: It helps to promote efficient incident management through planning, personnel qualification, and equipment acquisition.
Resource Management: NIMS determines clear and standardized mechanisms for describing and mobilizing the recovery of resources in the life cycle of an incident.
Discuss how a jurisdictional emergency operations plan (EOP) is different from a standard operations procedure (SOP)
A jurisdictional emergency operation plan (EOP) is a document stipulating roles to individuals and entities for conducting particular actions during an emergency situation that exceeds the responsibility and capability of a department agency (Drabek & Hoetmer, 1991).
Standard operating procedure (SOP) refers to a document that defines the order of daily activity operation. SOP is applied by companies to promote consistency and quality improvement in the production process. Also, it contains crucial tools that enhance interaction between corporate policies and government regulations.
Define risk communications. Discuss the importance of the proper use of risk communications among local emergency management agencies
A risk communication is a concept that addresses an imminent warning of an intense event with an intention to produce an efficient emergency response.
In local emergency management agencies, risk communication addresses the long-term potential for a threat to occur. It incorporates awareness programs and efforts that are intended to ensure long-term threat adjustment (Marra, 1998).
Explain the importance of a detailed annex within an emergency plan. Discuss the key components of an annex.
Annex is a template that provides clear and detailed guidance to agencies with a specific idea of the possible emergency task prior, during and after emergency situations (Rucks et al., 2011). Some of the major components of a detailed Annex include:
General Concept of Operation: it contains general information related to assignments that need to be completed.
Hazard Control and Assessment: it describes various capabilities and processes that are stipulated by the jurisdiction to help in identifying, analyzing and monitoring emergencies.
Protective Action Selection: it specifies various processes and capacities formulated by the jurisdiction in enhancing protective action strategies and actions.
Public Warning: it specifies various processes and capabilities that the jurisdiction stipulates to enhance dissemination of public threat messages as well as the recommended protective actions that should be implemented.
Identify and discuss the Emergency Support Function (ESF) that covers communications
The emergency support function on communication process aims to provide the reinstatement of a communication network, coordinates the levels of communication support to ensure efficient response efforts, and promotes the transfer of information to various decision makers in emergency management (Department of Homeland Security, 2003). Also, it facilitates stabilization as well as the establishment of systems during incidents.
References
Bennett, J. (2007). Business continuity and availability planning. Infosecurity, 4(3), 38.
Drabek, T.E., & Hoetmer, G.J. (1991). Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government. Washington, DC: ICMA.
Harbir, S. (2001). Strategic partnering: drive growth and reduce risk. University of Pennsylvania: The Wharton School.
Lakerveld, J. V., Haar, S. V. D., & Wartna, S. (2008). The professional development of planners, developers and managers of crisis team exercises. International Journal of Emergency Management, 5(3), 209.
Marra, F.J. (1998). The importance of communication in excellent crisis management. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 13(3), 7.
McCarthy, C., Harnett, K., Carter, A., & Hatipoglu, C. (2014, October). Assessment of the information sharing and analysis center model. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Perry, R. W., & Lindell, M. K. (2003). Preparedness for emergency response: Guidelines for the emergency planning process. Disasters, 27(4), 336–350.
Rod, M. (2013). 5 key benefits to emergency planning and response technology. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from <http://www.hexagonsafetyinfrastructure.com/blog/2015/04/23/5-key-benefits-to-emergency-planning-and-response-technology>
Rucks, A. C., Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., & Lesinger, C. (2011). A continuity of operations planning template: Translating public policy into an effective plan. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 8(1).
