Using business continuity methodology for improving national disaster risk management

Abstract

Crises affecting societies at a national level have regularly highlighted the importance of societies being prepared and resilient. There is a lack of standardized and proven procedures to ensure continuity of vital societal functions at a national level, as demonstrated in the recent COVID‐19 pandemic. This article investigates how the methodology of business continuity management (BCM) can be used at a national level to increase resilience and societal safety. The article shows that a societal safety approach, where critical societal functions are based on societal values and basic individual needs, can be a fundamental platform for national continuity management. National risk assessments (NRAs), refer to the process and documentation of assessing risks at a national level. NRAs in three Nordic countries where societal safety is the basis for national disaster risk management (DRM) is analyzed, and in two other countries, which have worked extensively with NRAs. This article presents several possibilities and problems inherent in using the BCM process and methodology for national DRM. Finally, a rough proposal is given on how DRM can be developed at the national level with the help of concepts and methods from BCM that would increase societal safety.

Black Sme’s and Covid-19: A South African Perspective on Risks in the Automotive Industry and Why Those Risks Should Be Managed

“…Black SMEs are highly susceptible to risks in the external environment, as evidenced during COVID-19 (Hsiao et al, 2022;. This requires a comprehensive understanding and risk identification relating to Black SMEs so that a proper resilience approach can be identified (Jaroslav et al, 2014;Tómasson, 2022). The sustainability of Black SMEs is vested in the ability to manage the internal and external risk environments and effectively respond thereto (Gentjan et al, 2019;Hock-Doepgen et al, 2021).…”

“…Therefore, risk management cannot be done in isolation; it must consider various other factors that may give rise to other risks adversely impacting the resilience of Black SMEs. Comprehensive risk management is essential for a holistic approach to building resilience (Tómasson, 2022).…”

Reviewing Third-Party Risk Management: Best Practices in Accounting and Cybersecurity for Superannuation Organizations

“…Evaluating the business continuity and contingency plans of these vendors is essential to ensure that operations can continue seamlessly even in the face of disruptions. This involves a thorough examination of their strategies for maintaining service levels during unforeseen events, such as natural disasters, technological failures, or other crises (Riglietti, Piraina & Trucco, 2022, Tómasson, 2023, Uddin et al, 2022. The comprehensive nature of planning involves envisioning and preparing for disruptions caused by various factors.…”

Business continuity management and organizational resilience: A small and medium enterprises (SMEs) perspective

“…In this view, practitioners can operationalize the proposed framework by defining a set of tasks, milestones and metrics through which implementing and monitoring the overall BCM process and infrastructure are possible. This would realize a fundamental shift that sees transformed the traditional postemergency responses into preemergency activities (Tómasson, 2023), thus making organizations more prepared for transformations and systemic changes (Sánchez & De Batista, 2023). More specifically, the concept of probability that is crucial in managing known risks is complemented by the role that knowledge (and lack of knowledge) plays for realizing and comprehending the aspects related to risks (Aven, 2017), which essentially characterize the resilience of organizations.…”

“…In this view, practitioners can operationalize the proposed framework by defining a set of tasks, milestones and metrics through which implementing and monitoring the overall BCM process and infrastructure are possible. This would realize a fundamental shift that sees transformed the traditional postemergency responses into preemergency activities (Tómasson, 2023), thus making organizations more prepared for transformations and systemic changes (Sánchez & De Batista, 2023).…”