Businesses and Disasters: Empirical Patterns and Unanswered Questions

Webb, Gary R.; Tierney, Kathleen J.; Dahlhamer, James M.

doi:10.1061/(asce)1527-6988(2000)1:2(83)

Cited by 296 publications

(244 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The reasons for this neglect are three fold: (i) Organizations are difficult to sample and survey in large numbers; (ii) The theoretical lines of inquiry usually direct research activities toward disaster awareness and response among regular citizen or among decision makers; and (iii) Some organizations are wary of the potential consequences of divulging disaster-related information (Auf der Heide 1989). In relation to this current analysis, the few studies focusing on the organizational level suggest that organizations in Memphis/Shelby County do little to prepare for disasters (e.g., Nigg and Tierney 1994;Dahlhamer and D'Souza 1997;Webb et al 2000). Despite the neglect of organizational-level research, a number of factors from the disaster management literature as well as organizational theory help explain why an organization engages in risk-reducing activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…However, very few studies have analyzed responses to disaster risks in Memphis (Edwards 1993;Nigg and Tierney 1994;Dahlhamer and D'Souza 1997;Webb et al 2000) and few in regions where risks have low probabilities and high consequences (Mushkatel and Nigg 1987;Olshansky 1994;Farley 1998;Major 1998;Atwood and Major 2000).…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the pivotal role that organizations play in the economic, political, and social wellbeing of a society, the disaster management literature has largely neglected organizational level research (Tierney 1997;Webb et al 2000). Among the large-n quantitative studies-in particular-the focus has largely been either on household surveys (Jackson 1981;Davis 1989;Dooley et al 1992;Edwards 1993;Farley 1998;Atwood and Major 2000) or on surveys of policy elites active in a community (Drabek et al 1983;Mushkatel and Nigg 1987;Berke and Beatley 1992;May and Birkland 1994;Burby et al 2000;Wood 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Obstacles and Disaster Risk Reduction: Survey of Memphis Organizations

Sadiq

Weible

2010

Nat. Hazards Rev.

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The disaster management literature is replete with surveys at the community and household levels. However, few exist at the organizational level. This study attempts to fill this void by examining the effect of organizational obstacles on disaster risk reduction. The data come from a survey of 227 organizations in Memphis, Tennessee. This study investigates three obstacles to disaster risk reduction: lack of organizational support, lack of information, and lack of financial resources. The findings show that organizations are more likely to engage in low-effort activities indirectly related to risk reduction and are less likely to engage in high-effort activities directly related to risk reduction. The most important obstacle is lack of information about the frequency of disasters, magnitude of disasters, or organizational benefits of reducing disaster risks. Lack of financial resources and lack of organizational support are sometimes positively associated with risk-reducing activities, suggesting that, when organizations engage in risk-reducing activities, some obstacles become more apparent. The study concludes with implications, limitations, and future research strategies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Obstacles and Disaster Risk Reduction: Survey of Memphis Organizations

Sadiq

Weible

2010

Nat. Hazards Rev.

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“…In fact, firm size is the most consistent (Dahlhamer and D'Souza 1997) and important (Webb et al 2000) predictor of hazard adjustments at the organizational level in studies conducted by the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. For example, in a study of 18 chemical companies, Quarantelli et al (1979) found that larger companies engaged in more planning than smaller companies.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of Hazard Adjustments by Large and Small Organizations: Who is Doing the Talking and Who is Doing the Walking?

Sadiq

2011

Risk Hazard & Crisis Pub Pol

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Environmental hazards pose a considerable and genuine threat to the survival of organizations. However, organizations can increase their likelihood of survival by adopting various hazard adjustments. Prior studies on hazard adjustments have found a positive relationship between the adoption of hazard adjustments and organization size. However, no study on hazard adjustments has grouped hazard adjustments into active and passive and studied the relationship between active and passive hazard adjustments and organization size. The author investigates whether large organizations adopt more active and passive hazard adjustments than small organizations, using data from a survey of 227 organizations in Memphis, Tennessee. The results show that large organizations adopt more active and passive hazard adjustments than small organizations and both large and small organizations engage in different types of hazard adjustments.

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“…Furthermore, one should also note that in the post-earthquake period employment prospects tend to be especially poor for females. Several studies (see, for instance, Kroll et al, 1991;Webb et al, 2000) show that the in the aftermath of natural disasters considerable growth is experienced by construction-related businesses, which are male-dominated.…”

Section: Insert Table 3 About Herementioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of the L'Aquila Earthquake on Labour Market Outcomes

Pietro

Mora

2015

Environ Plann C Gov Policy

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In this paper we analyse the effects of the L'Aquila earthquake on labour market outcomes for a period of fifteen months after its occurrence. Our estimates are based on a difference-indifferences strategy that compares residents of L'Aquila with residents of a control area before and after the earthquake. Three main results emerge from our empirical analysis: (1) the earthquake led to a modest, but significant, reduction in the probability of participating in the labour force for a period of nine months after the event; (2) while the employment likelihood decreased in the quarter immediately after the earthquake, it increased in the next four quarters; and (3) there is evidence of significant heterogeneous effects by gender and level of education.

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Businesses and Disasters: Empirical Patterns and Unanswered Questions

Cited by 296 publications

References 7 publications

Obstacles and Disaster Risk Reduction: Survey of Memphis Organizations

Obstacles and Disaster Risk Reduction: Survey of Memphis Organizations

Adoption of Hazard Adjustments by Large and Small Organizations: Who is Doing the Talking and Who is Doing the Walking?

The Effect of the L'Aquila Earthquake on Labour Market Outcomes

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