Proposal for Improvement of Business Continuity Management (Bcm) Based on Lessons From the Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract

For most Japanese companies and organizations, the enormous damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) was greater than expected. In addition to the great tsunami and the earthquake motion, the lack of electricity, fuel and other supplies disturbed recovery efforts and activities for business continuity. This should be considered an important constraint factor of large earthquakes. The Japanese government and industries should utilize the lessons of the GEJE and execute effective countermeasures, considering the concern of other great earthquakes occurring in Japan in the near future.Of the countermeasures, improving the earthquake-resistance of buildings and facilities is the most basic approach. In addition, the spread of a BCP (Business Continuity Plan) and BCM (Business Continuity Management) to private and public organizations is also indispensable. Based on the lessons of the GEJE, BCM should more clearly include the standpoint of supply chain management, and emphasize "alternate strategy" more. The central and local governments are requested, in addition, to develop their own BCP and to prepare prerequisites for the BCM of private sectors, such as showing damage estimations in detail and improving related frameworks.

Integrating earthquake early warnings into business continuity and organisational resilience: lessons learned from Mexico City

“…Training, education and exercising are the pillars of effective BC and OR, and without adequate processes and strategies in place, also the other measures lose effectiveness (e.g., Blyth, 2009;Gibson and Tarrant, 2010;ISO22301:2019). They are essential for enabling response flexibility (BS 65000:2019), while the use of drills and exercise (both simulations, tabletop, and integrated) could make the difference in testing BC strategies (e.g., Blyth, 2009;Elliot et al 2010;Maruya, 2013;Alexander, 2015). Johnson et al (2016) argued that the EEW system's implementation must be supported by training strategies and practices that are not self-standing but must be adequately explained and understood, assuring communication and information sharing between the companies and first responders.…”

“…Effective governance is vital to encourage innovation and investment, while legal and regulatory constraints are necessary for strategies and actions (see, for example, Elliot, Swartz, and Herbane, 2010; BSI, 2014). Japan's experience highlights the need to enforce the process of accountability across sectors, integrating bottom-up and top-down perspectives (see, for example, Maruya, 2013;Velazquez et al, 2020). According to Maruya (2013, p. 21), 'public and private organisations should advance simultaneously to strengthen their BC ability'.…”

“…Studies such as the one by Whitman et al (2014) analysed OR within the context of specific natural hazard events but did not include EEW. In Japan, Maruya (2013) investigated the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 for BC without mentioning the use of EEW, while an earlier study by Horiuchi (2009) focused just on the healthcare sector. In California, United States, Goltz (2002) first and then Johnson et al (2016) more lately explored the benefits of EEW for organisations but did not consider aspects of BC or OR.…”

Radiological protection challenges facing business activities affected by a nuclear accident: some lessons from the management of the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

“…From this perspective, for business activities located in the vicinity of nuclear installations, the emphasis should be on the integration of the nuclear risk, alongside with natural and technological risks, in the preparation of business continuity plans (Maruya, 2013;Hatton et al, 2016). To this end, a dialogue between socio-economic and local stakeholders should be established as part of preparedness plans for recovery, to identify the specific challenges for the resumption of socio-economic activities in the areas that would be affected by an accident.…”

Nursing faculty members’ experience in the disaster area following the Great East Japan Earthquake: Focus on disaster prevention

“…Higher education institutions are responsible for various roles during a disaster, in addition to those of the elementary and junior high schools. The roles include: implementing entrance examinations, keeping campuses open, and implementing seasonal work such as entrance briefings, graduation exams, periodic exams, and unit credential exams (Maruya, 2013a;Maruya, 2013b).…”