How important is it to develop a Business Continuity Model (BCM) Essay

How important is it to develop a Business Continuity Model (BCM) strategy Critically assess the three phases of Business Contin - Essay Example However, there are other systems or business continuity models that are more elaborate. For the Institute of Internal Auditors, business continuity management is a â€Å"process by which an organisation prepares for future incidents that could jeopardise the organisation’s core mission and its long-term viability† (2008, p. 3). Some of the incidents that can affect an organisation include fires, earthquakes, and pandemics (Institute of Internal Auditors 2008, p. 3). Meanwhile, the key components of business continuity management are management support, risk assessment and risk mitigation, business impact analysis, business recovery and continuity strategy, awareness and training, exercises and drill, and maintenance (Institute of Internal Auditors 2008, p. 3). For business continuity strategies, the Institute of Internal Auditors (2008, p. 3) has identified that the business continuity strategies that can be adopted include the following 1. Manual work processes when co mputer systems are down; 2. Outsourcing when work can be performed by external companies, competitors, or secondary vendors; 3. Recovery solutions for data; 4. Employment of alternative staffing or mobilisation of other staff members who can perform certain job functions; and 5. Use of alternative facilities. In contrast, the Department of Health of the United Kingdom has a more proactive perspective to business continuity. For the Department of Health of the United Kingdom (2011), the objective of business continuity management is to â€Å"counteract interruptions to business activities and to protect critical business processes from the effects of major failures or disasters†. Business continuity management covers â€Å"controls to identify and reduce risks, limit the consequences of damaging incidents, and ensure the timely resumption of essential operations† (UK Department of Health 2011). The business continuity model adopted by the United Kingdom Deparment of Hea lth is a 10-point model consisting of the following: 1. Project initiation and management; 2. Risks evaluation and control; 3. Business impact analysis; 4. Developing business continuity strategies; 5. Developing and implementing procedures for emergency response and operations; 6. Developing and implementing business continuity plans; 7. Building awareness and training programs; 8. Maintaining and exercising business continuity plans; 9. Formulating public relations and crisis co-ordination plans and response; and 10. Coordination with authorities. Forrester Research (2006, p. 2) defined business continuity mainly in terms of workforce continuity and defined it as â€Å"a strategy that provides for connecting a dispersed workforce to the applications, data, and communications they need in instances where pandemics, strikes, natural disasters, or other events prevent the workforce from reaching a corporate facility†. For Forrester Research (2006, p. 3-4), just like Tammineedi (2010), business continuity involves three phases: business impact analysis, local threat assessment, and business continuity plan development and maintenance. In the Forrester Research’s first phase or business impact analysis, the enterprise must identify the most critical business operations and resources (2006, p. 3). According to Forrester Research (2006, p. 3), the critical resources cover information technology, human resources, business partners,

Life Span Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life Span Development - Research Paper Example Children go through many physical and emotional changes and these years play a very important role in the lives of individuals as its effects last for the rest of the life. According to Erik Erikson’s theory of socio-emotional development, a person develops skills, self-esteem, confidence, a sense of responsibility, and learns about love and family values (Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moore, 1981). By the time a person reaches young adulthood, a person focuses more on interpersonal relationships and looks for a partner to commit to, which increases a sense of belonging. Erikson calls this stage Intimacy vs. Isolation (Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moore, 1981). A study concludes that romantic love in young adults consists three main factors: connectedness, attraction, and painful love (Seiffge-Krenke, Shulman, & Kiessinger, 2001). The relationship of a person with parents, the marital status of parents, and a number of other factors related to different stages of development have a significant effect on the romantic love of young adults (Seiffge-Krenke, Shulman, & Kiessinger, 2001). Selecting a life partner is one of the most important decisions of young adults and has a significant influence on the life of a person. Social Penetration is a term used to define relationships that move from liking to greater closeness and intimacy (Altman & Taylor, 1973).

Schwinn bicycles Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Schwinn bicycles - Case Study Example This research aims to evaluate and present the main strength of the company that lies in its large number of association with the industry segment. The company’s association with the industry dates back to more than a hundred years. Schwinn bicycles was once the market leader in the industry and has a an easy brand recall by the customers. The expertise of manufacturing and other operational aspects also constitute some of the other strngths of the company. A team of deidcated huamn resource base as well as a number of manufacturing units also serve as potential strngths of the company. The major areas of weakness of the company lies in its considerbly degrading market share and its outdated product line that finds very few takers in the market. In addition to this the issue lies with the poor positioning of the company as the customers find the brand and its products outdated and old fashioned that does not meet the expectations of the prospective sutomer segments. The intern al organizational aspects like HR policy and the aspect of sourcing some of the products from Asian nations has also put questions over the aulity aspect of the company’s products. One of the possible alternatives before Schwinn bicycles is a repositioning strategy. Repositioning involves changing the perception about a product or a brand in the minds of the target market audience. The repositioning strategy would involve focusing on innovation and needs of the customers and successfully communicating this change so as to change the perception of the brand and its product in the minds of the target market audience. ... In addition to this scope also exists for the company in unexplored and new markets wherte the company can leverage its association with the industry and its accrued experince to gain customer confidence that can reap benefits for the company. Opportunities also exists for the company in innovating its exiting product line that can help it to make its cash registers ringing and help maintain profitability and sustainability in the long run. Threats Schwinn Bicycles faces threats from its competitors in the market that of late have taken an edge over it in the market by virtue of greater innovation and newer product lines. The company also faces threats from the negative positioning and a poor image among the customers with the brand and its products. The constantly dwinndling market shares along with large number of debt obligations and the extensive levels of competition in the market serves as sources of considerable threats that can generate considerble issues for the organization . Analysis of Alternatives In the light of the issues surrounding the company, it has become imperative for the company to undertake strategic changes in its functioning that can help generate competitive advantage for the organization. Some of the strategic alternatives that can be considered by the company are stated below: One of the possible alternatives before Schwinn bicycles is a repositioning strategy. Repositioning involves changing the perception about a product or a brand in the minds of the target market audience. The repositioning strategy would involve focusing on innovation and needs of the customers and successfully communicating this change so as to change the perception of the brand and its product in the

American Politics and Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American Politics and Foreign Policy - Essay Example The concluding section will draw upon all of this information and the global arguments will be considered when making a finalization about the matter. In April this year, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will consider withdrawing from Europe's key arms control treaty in response to United States' plans to install missile defense systems in Eastern Europe (Danilova, 2007). The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, which was signed in the last few months of the Cold War, has been considered as the foundation of stability in Europe. It places limits on the number of conventional weapons and foreign forces that can be deployed among member nations (Navosti, 2007). This particular aspect provides the backbone to the matter. In the first indication that the United States was losing patience with Moscow's inflexibility on the issue, Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, described Russia's fears simply as "ludicrous" (Columbia Tribune, 2007). "The Russians have thousands of warheads," she told a press conference in Oslo prior to a NATO meeting. "The idea that somehow you can stop the Russian strategic nuclear deterrent with a few interceptors just doesn't make sense" (Columbia Tribune, 2007). Mr. ... Mr. Putin said he had decided to declare a moratorium on an updated version of the treaty because NATO powers had failed to ratify it (Danilova, 2007). The United States and its NATO allies said they would not ratify the treaty until Russia withdrew its troops from Moscow-backed seceding republics in Georgia and Moldova - an argument the Russian Kremlin dismisses as a pretext to allow Washington to boost its military presence in Eastern Europe (Navosti, 2007). Background on the Treaty Negotiated and signed during the final years of the Cold War, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty is often referred to as the "cornerstone of European security" (Crawford, 2002). According to the Reuters Fact box (2007) the treaty, signed on November 19, 1990, eliminated the Soviet Union's overwhelming quantitative advantage in conventional weapons in Europe by setting equal limits on the amount of tanks, armored combat vehicles, heavy artillery, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters that NATO and the former Warsaw Pact could deploy between the Atlantic Ocean and the Ural Mountains (Crawford, 2002). Designed to prevent either alliance from concentrating forces for launching a blitzkrieg-type offensive, the treaty employs a system of concentric zones mandating smaller deployments of tanks, ACVs, and artillery the closer one moves toward the center of Europe (FAS, 1999). While the threat of such an offensive all but disappeared with the breakup of the Warsaw Pact and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the CFE Treaty's weapons limits and inspection regime, which provides an unprecedented degree of transparency on military holdings, continue to play an important role in Europe (FAS, 1999). CFE states-parties overhauled the treaty in November 1999,

European Parliament Elections 2014 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

European Parliament Elections 2014 - Coursework Example The elections involve various parties that included the European People’s Party, Party of European Socialists, Alliance of liberals and Democrats of Europe, the party of the European Left and the party of European Alliance for Freedom among others.  Ã‚   For fairness and equity of distribution of members and the authority span in the union, countries involved all participated in the election of the President to the committee that led and provides oversight mandate to the countries. These have developed to shape politics in the management of affairs of the European Union. Therefore, they provide a control aspect that makes the union stronger and much active economically. As part of the EU integration principles, the elections provide ground for improvement and evaluation of progress to the European Union. Through the formation and the parliament formed, it is much easier to understand and tackle the challenges that face the European Union block and relate to the policy matters of the European Union. These aspects have a picture drawn in the body of the material. For years, the elections of the members of the European Union parliament have remained centred and held during June as for the previous elections. In 2014, the elections were held in May as a gesture to create more time for the election of the president of the European Commission, which would have coincided if not brought backwards. The fact that the Pentecost weekend was to take place at the same time also provide an influence on the changes that came to occur. One of the major roles that the European Union has to play as of current is stabilizing the economy of the member states of the European Union. Since the great recession that started as of June 2009, the whole world has suffered massively due to the economic crisis that has affected many economies (Maier, 2011, p.208). Through these recessionary activities, economies like that of Greece, Cyprus Spain, Portugal and Cyprus massively affected leading to a difficult time in the European Union.   From this time, the effect of the recession hit even into the EU leadership aspects.  Ã‚  

Operations And Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Operations And Operations Management - Essay Example Certainly, all major serviceable areas of an organisation are somehow tangled; all interrelate with and supply support for the others, and the limitations are not for all time obvious among them. Slack (2004, Pg 9-10) suggests that the Operations Team is accountable for the everyday operations of the organisation counting scheduling jobs, coordinating service or goods transfers, updating or loading information, and monitoring organisation performance and security. ''Operations management,'' then, points to making the customary managerial purposes (development, organizing, directing, and scheming) on the organisation 's operations. ... Workforce personnel are accountable chiefly for arranging suggestions concerning the setting up, organizing, and control of operations, while process workers have the genuine ability to conduct the operations (Johnston, 1999, Pg 12-13). In Operations management, according to Johnston (1994, Pg 49-50), a great deal is made of the leader's responsibility in locating the idea, correspondence, engaging in the processes, situation and preserving prospects, and holding his or her answerability. A good deal also is made of nurturing accomplishments at the grassroots stage- authorizing employees to take actions, taking benefits of their additional precise awareness of the customer and market inclinations, importance given to employees from technical proficiency, and pulling down the organisation to go faster in decision-making. During conversion of organisation 's resources into services or goods, the occupied Operations manager must create the hardest options. It is most frequently the manager's judgment to modify a procedure that puts the jobs of a group of employees at danger because employees may not have the systematic skills to job successfully in the fresh progression. And it is the Operation manager's accountability to converse with those workers; to talk about the value on their jobs; to offer the foundation, resources, and alternatives accessible to employees; and to be rigid about the modifications while empathetic about the value. (Slack, 2004, Pg 36-37) If a purpose is recognized as more professionally and with a reduction of expenses carried out by a service provider, the Operations manager plays a position in that assessment and

Crim discus unit4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Crim discus unit4 - Essay Example Edwards F.3 d 117 C. A.8 (mo)1998 (McGraw 2011,para 2). The U.S Circuit Appeal Court upholds the conviction and finds that the District Court did not error in finding the accused guilty. I agree with the innocence project comments because the process of the Court of Appeal errors in stating the facts. The court of appeal misstates that the defendants where first prosecutors suspect while the defendants got arrested after eight (8) years. Secondly, the Court admits evidence of past theft from the Construction Company while there is evidence that nothing got stolen from the site. I agree with the opinion of J O’Connor’s in the case of Virginia v. Black, 538 U.S 343 (2003) (Find Law, 3012, par. 4) that Virginia cross-burning statute, is unconstitutional. The statute provides that, the intention of a person to burn or cross other’s property should be to intimidate. J O’Connor held that some cross burnings area political expression. I disagree with the dissent that the Virginia Statute is Constitutional. The First Amendment of the U.S.A constitution prohibits the making of any law that impedes freedom of religion and infringes the freedom of the press. The freedom is not absolute States can ban expression amounting to threats and unlawful expressions such as pornography. The Virginia statute generalizes burning a cross on others property to be evidence of intimidating hence violating the room for political expression. Therefore, for the statute to declare every burning a cross unlawful and by placing the burden to proof on the defendant remains misplaced and