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PRESS RELEASE
Swine Flu – BCI warns against complacency.
CAVERSHAM, June 15th 2009.
With the WHO raising its alert level to 6, its highest level, the BCI is warning against complacency among businesses in bringing forward their continuity planning to deal with the potential impact of the virus. In a recent survey of its membership - professionals responsible for business continuity planning within organisations - over 60% were working in international organisations that were dealing with the impact of the virus in other countries. The survey showed that national governments and the World Health Organization were the primary sources of information to inform advice given to staff and the development of corporate policies around swine flu. Only 40% admitted that they were well prepared for the impact of swine flu while over 55% felt that had “a bit more to do”.
Commenting, the BCI’s Lyndon Bird FBCI, stated:
“Thankfully the virus has not proved to be as severe as at first indicated, however the WHO and other medical experts are making it clear that we should be preparing for a second wave of this virus that could be much more virulent. Organisations have had a wake-up call and our survey shows that even among the better prepared organisations there is more to do. It is essential that organisations use this time well to bring their plans up to scratch, validate them and make sure they are in the best possible position to deal with any second wave of this virus and thereby minimise its economicand human impact.”
Advice note and case study
BCI, Caversham, UK, 30th April 2009
BCI publishes advice note on how to deal with the potential impact of a swine flu pandemic on an organisation’s operations along with a case study of best practice from BCI Partnership member, BT Group PLC. Read
PRESS RELEASE
UK economy ill-prepared for Flu Pandemic – BCI demands action
BCI, Caversham, UK, 27th April 2009
Any swine flu epidemic will hit the UK economy hard at a time of weakness caused by the recession. Barely a third of UK organisations have a plan in place to deal with staff absences and a majority of companies state they have weak or no plans for flu pandemic (1).
Lyndon Bird FBCI, Director at the Business Continuity Institute commented: "While we all hope that the swine flu pandemic does not become a reality, we are not well enough prepared to deal with the impact of any significant outbreak. Flu pandemics will bring extended staff absence both through direct illness and the closure of schools and child care facilities.
“While larger businesses will have major challenges in keeping their businesses open, it is smaller businesses that we are most concerned about. We are calling on the Government and local authorities to provide a coherent response to enable swift access to vaccines for those organisations most vulnerable to prolonged staff absences”.
Notes
- “A decade of living dangerously”. The Business Continuity Management Report 2009. The Chartered Management Institute.
- Lyndon Bird FBCI is available for interview. Please contact Lee Glendon at the Business Continuity Institute to arrange. +44 7800 552240.
- Useful links:
PRESS RELEASE
Business Continuity and the G20
CAVERSHAM, 1st April 2009 We have contacted our members who are responsible for the Business Continuity Plans of businesses in London affected by the protesters.
We have found out that they are all currently very busy!
The latest research indicates that 65% of London-based organisations are likely to have a Business Continuity Plan, however that still leaves 35% without a plan to handle the disruption to their business operations caused by an event such as the G20 protests. The impact of losing two days’ trade is going to be felt most keenly in small retail businesses.
Some actions that our members are taking:
- Taking all appropriate precautions to protect their people, assets and customer service.
- Ramping up security at local sites in the protest zone and along routes of marches.
- Given advice to staff to work from home and avoid London if at all possible.
- Put Business Continuity Management plans and teams on standby should they be required.
PRESS RELEASE
UK economy loses £11.1 billion a year to major disruptions
The Business Continuity Institute estimates 0.8% of UK GDP is lost due to lack of Business Continuity Management
CAVERSHAM, 24th March 2009 – The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) today announced that it has estimated that the UK economy is losing £11.1 billion a year, the equivalent to 0.8% of UK GDP, to major disruptions due to lack of Business Continuity Management within organisations based in the UK.
Further to the recent Chartered Management Institute’s ‘A Decade of Living Dangerously’ report, the BCI researched key findings across 17 causes of major disruptions to calculate, for the first time, the cost impact to the UK economy. The figure shows that organisations are still not looking seriously at Business Continuity Management to provide a solid framework for managing the impact of potential disruptions and significantly reduce the cost impact to the UK economy.
“In the current economic downturn, customers and suppliers will inevitably go out of business and it is vital that an organisation understands its dependency on critical suppliers. The lack of availability to essential products can have a serious impact on business. Disruptions to the supply chain will be one of the main business continuity concerns for 2009 and will run way into 2010” comments Lyndon Bird FBCI, Technical Director, the BCI. “The BCI has recognised this risk and feels it is important to help advise organisations of all sizes to build a simple and workable plan that will help them overcome and recover from the pressures of an interruption faster.”
The BCI works to help organisations develop greater resiliency against major operational disruptions and will this week help raise the awareness of Business Continuity Management through the annual, Business Continuity Awareness Week. A survival guide and on-line assessment survey, ‘Weathering Difficult Economic Times’ have been designed to help organisations of all sizes evaluate existing Business Continuity Management strategies.
To download and complete the BCI’s online self-assessment survey and survival guide, please click here: http://www.thebci.org/bcmsurvivalguide.html
About Business Continuity Institute (BCI)
Based in Caversham, United Kingdom, The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) was established in 1994 to “promote the art and science of Business Continuity Management” to assist organisations in preparing for and surviving minor and large-scale man-made and natural disasters. The Institute enables members to obtain guidance and support from their fellow practitioners, as well as offers professional training and certification programmes to disseminate and validate the highest standards of competence and ethics. It has more than 4,500 members worldwide in more than 85 countries. For more information, visit http://www.thebci.org
BSI's Partnership with the BCI
BSI has partnered with the Business Continuity Institute to promote the highest standards of professional competence and commercial ethics in the provision and maintenance of business continuity planning and services. Click here for more details.
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PRESS RELEASE
12th February 2009
BCI comment: Lessons to be learned from the widespread and prolonged disruption to UK business due to adverse weather
Read the above release as a PDF
PRESS RELEASE
8th December 2008
BCI welcomes Draft Flood Bill but Greater Resiliency must be a Focus
The Government’s recently announced intention to publish a draft Floods & Water Bill in Spring 2009 is welcomed by the Business Continuity Institute (BCI). The draft Bill follows the Pitt Report’s damning analysis of the causes and consequences of the major flood disruptions in Summer 2007. The BCI, however, wants to see more emphasis on building local resiliency in the face of such events to help local businesses and communities recover faster.
Lyndon Bird FBCI, Technical Director of the BCI, commented:
"The recommendations from the Pitt Report into the Summer ‘07 floods are clear and we hope the Government will use its legislative and financial power to mitigate the impact of future floods1.
"Only through careful planning and open communication between agencies, local government, business and communities can we develop a resiliency to deal with flooding.
"The economic and social impact of these events is high.
"It is likely that localised flooding will continue, so we need to deal with its effects and minimize the impact on business and communities today2. The government has indicated the way forward with the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 where local government was mandated to promote business continuity in an attempt to improve local resiliency. This has, however, not been consistently understood or implemented."
The BCI would like to see the following Pitt Report recommendations prioritised:
RECOMMENDATION 13: Local authorities, in discharging their responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to promote business continuity, should encourage the take-up of property flood resistance and resilience by businesses.
RECOMMENDATION 49: A national flooding exercise should take place at the earliest opportunity in order to test the new arrangements which central government departments are putting into place to deal with flooding and infrastructure emergencies.
RECOMMENDATION 52: In the short term, the Government and infrastructure operators should work together to build a level of resilience into critical infrastructure assets that ensures continuity during a worst-case flood event.
RECOMMENDATION 53: A specific duty should be placed on economic regulators to build resilience in the critical infrastructure.
RECOMMENDATION 54: The Government should extend the duty to undertake business continuity planning to infrastructure operating Category 2 responders to a standard equivalent to BS25999, and that accountability is ensured through an annual benchmarking exercise within each sector.
Ends
Notes
1. The Pitt report described the floods as causing the largest loss of essential services since World War 2. The floods cost 13 lives, 55,000 properties were flooded and insurance payouts totalled some £3billion.
2. The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, quoted in the Pitt Report, stated that “Adaptation is the only response available for the impacts that will occur over the next several decades before mitigation measures can have an effect”.
About the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) Partnership
The BCI Partnership is the corporate division of the Business Continuity Institute, with over 70 members including the founders SunGard, BT, Marsh, ICM Continuity Services, Continuity Shop, Milton Keynes Council and the British Standards Institute. The partnership exists to raise awareness of Business Continuity Management (BCM) as a discipline and to encourage good practice in the operation of BCM. Core activities include running industry workshops; organizing Business Continuity Awareness Week (23rd to 27th March 2009); commissioning research to gain an insight into awareness of the discipline and how it is delivered within organisations; lobbying and campaigning to increase resilience through BCM within the business community; and promoting the importance of using certified professionals when engaging in business continuity management.
About Business Continuity Institute (BCI)
Based in Caversham, United Kingdom, The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) was established in 1994 to “promote the art and science of business continuity management” to assist organisations in preparing for and surviving minor and large-scale man-made and natural disasters. The Institute enables members to obtain guidance and support from their fellow practitioners, as well as offers professional training and certification programmes to disseminate and validate the highest standards of competence and ethics. It has more than 4,500 members worldwide in more than 85 countries. For more information, visit http://www.thebci.org.
Contact:
Lee Glendon
Campaigns Manager
Business Continuity Institute
+44 (0)7800 552240
lee.glendon@thebci.org
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