Nashville Essay Example For Students

Nashville Essay Until the late 1770s Middle Tennessee was to a great extent unexplored, until an unforeseen of men and domesticated animals made the troublesome trek from Hillsborough, N.C. They went during the coldest winter of the century in absolute detachment in the lacking domain. They showed up on Christmas day 1779, and were met a half year later by ladies and youngsters. A youngster network had been made. Extension happened very quickly for this little cultivating network. Simultaneously the Colonies had battled for and won their freedom from England, and the new settlement immediately started to build up an administration and guarantee singular property rights. Nashville was established by James Robertson and named after Francis Nash, who was the assistant of the district at Hillsborough, N.C. Afterward, as the focal point of the cotton exchange Nashville thrived. It additionally filled in as a key stream port and later as a middle for railways. Today Nashville is referred to by numerous names, for example, Music City, U.S.A., Country Music Capital of the World, Home of the Nashville Sound, Home of the Grand Old Opry, and the Athens of the South. Broadly Nashville positions among the top with New York and Los Angeles as the focal point of the chronicle business. This gets numerous imperative vacationers who help the citys economy. Nashville is home to many account studios, music distributers, record organizations, and operators, just as several gifted performers looking to catch their consideration. Opry Land U.S.A. is the backbone of Nashvilles diversion scene. It is a tremendous complex that normally includes enormous name music acts, and has been the home of the Grand Ole Opry since 1974. The Grand Ole Opry is considered by some to be the most compelling and uplifting program throughout the entire existence of American music. It started in 1925, and has given the country 75 years of broadcasting. The program has across the country reach and has started the offer of a huge number of records just as the minds and vocations of innumerable artists. There are 22,030 organizations and more than 800 ventures in Nashville starting at 1992. A portion of these ventures incorporate elastic items, pontoons and flatboats, airplane parts, compost, meatpacking, and auxiliary steel. The work power is 267,608 individuals, which is 68.9 percent of the populace. The workforce is contained 137,494 guys and 130,114 females. The pay per capita is 14,490 dollars, however the middle family pay is 34,009 dollars. This leaves 12.79 percent of the citys populace under the neediness level. (See chart number 1 connected on back.) The all out populace of the focal city is 488,374 individuals. The socioeconomics of the populace are 73.86 percent white, 24.32 percent dark, 0.29 percent American Indian, 1.27 percent Asian, 0.85 percent Hispanic and 0.26 other. The number of inhabitants in Nashville is 97.51 percent local conceived. There is a lot to do in Nashville. The city has 72 complete libraries, which incorporates 16 open. These libraries have 1,856,676 books available for use and serve 531,200 individuals. There are colleges in Nashville too, which earned one of its monikers, the Athens of the South. In 1872 Vanderbilt University was established. The city likewise gloats Fisk University that was established in 1866 and Tennessee State University, which was established in 1892. Numerous celebrated structures and homes can be found in Nashville. Andrew Jacksons home, the Hermitage, Belle Meade worked in 1853, and the capital implicit 1859 are largely prominent. Andrew Jackson, Nashvilles first resident, showed up in Nashville throughout the winter of 1788. As a legal counselor he before long turned into a huge landholder by trading legitimate administrations for land. Later he and his significant other, Rachel Donelson, assembled the Hermitage. The Hermitage is only east of town. This memorable home spreads more than 625 sections of land and incorporates a smokehouse, carriage house, and a Greek Revival home. Numerous visitors visit the Hermitage every year; it is the third most visited presidential home. It is even furnished with a blessing shop and is supported by Nissan. Workmanship Scams EssayOne hundred years after the fact somewhere in the range of 1960 and 1980, Nashvilles Davidson County experienced gigantic development as its populace grew 20 percent. Davidson County had encountered current suburbanation during the post World War II time. Their populace had expanded from 400,000 to 478,000.6. Individuals started to leave the midtown zone because of such factors as a less complex way of life, and progressively moderate lodging. The citys populace development rate had declined as the number of inhabitants in the encompassing regions expanded. While the number of inhabitants in Nashville has expanded since 1960, the individual per square mile proportion has diminished. In 1960, 751 individuals lived inside a square mile. In 1970, 332 individuals lived inside a square mile. In 1980 the figure was 210, and in 1990 the measurement rose to 278 individuals for every square mile. This information recommends the all out zone of the city is expanding. While the populace is expanding so is Nashvilles by and large land mass. As indicated by the 1990 registration Nashville, Tennessee had an absolute populace of 488,374. Of the five areas I decided to watch, Dickson had the least with 25,061 individuals. Cheatam had 27,180 individuals and Robertson had 41,994. Rutherford had a populace of 118,570, while Davidson had the a great many people with 510,784. Nashvilles populace changed 8.6 percent as indicated by the 1990 registration. Rutherfords populace changed the most at 53.1 percent. Cheatam was second with a 32.2 percent change. Dickson was next with a 21.5 percent change, and they were trailed by Robertson County, which had a 18.2 percent change in populace. Davidson was rearward in percent of populace change with 8.4 percent. Out of the five provinces Cheatam had the most elevated salary per capita with $15,195. Rutherford had $12,536 and Robertson had $12,077. Davidson followed with $11,868 and Dickson had the most minimal pay per capita with $11,162. Nashville had a middle lodging pay estimation of $74,400 in 1990. These numbers are good when contrasted with the per capita salary. Cheatam still had the most noteworthy with a middle lodging estimation of $76,000. Rutherford was second with a lodging estimation of $71,800. Davidson was third with $64,400. Next was Robertson with $61,300. Dickson had the most reduced middle an incentive with $54,000. (See chart number 2 connected on back.)Nashville found the middle value of 8,665 genuine wrongdoings for each 100,000 individuals. Davidson had the most noteworthy rate with 8,721 violations for every 100,000. Rutherford was second with 5,043 genuine violations. Dickson had 4,078 genuine wrongdoings and Robertson had 4,013. Cheatam had the least genuine wrongdoings with 3,358 for each 100,000 individuals. The ethnic cosmetics of Nashville has not changed a lot in the course of recent years. In 1960 the level of non-whites was 19.2 percent. In 1970, 96,265 individuals out of 541,106 were non-white. In 1980, 16.1 percent of Nashvilles populace was non-white, and in 1990 the figure was 15.7 percent. (See charts number 3 through 6 connected on back.)Nashvilles complete populace rank has expanded in the course of recent years. In 1960 Nashville was positioned 61st in by and large populace with 399,143 individuals. In 1970 they were positioned 60th with 541,106 individuals. In 1980 Nashville was raked 45th with 706,306 individuals. In 1990 Nashville overshadowed the one million imprint with 1,314,524 individuals. That year they were positioned 38th broadly. The anticipated populace for Nashville in the year 2000 is 1,154,800 individuals. In 2010 the anticipated number of individuals is relied upon to be 1,287,900. Nashville is a flourishing city. It is an ideal blend of history and development. The future weavers for Nashville. As of late inhabitants have communicated their craving for the protection of lacking area and the making of more stops to add to the standard of life in Nashville. A progression of trails interfacing significant park territories is as of now in progress, alongside various different activities later on. Similarly as sure as you can rely on the Grand Ole Opry, you can rely on Nashville to remain wonderful for a considerable length of time to Bibliography:

Pearl Harbor :: essays research papers

I am going to focuse on the relations between the United States and the Japanese after W.W.I and Pearl Harbor. There were a couple of episodes out of this book I felt were extremely fascinating that added to the United States and Japanese doubts and erroneous conclusions throughout the following twent or thirty years until the relations wound up in war after the amazing terriblr=e fear based oppressor bombarding of Pearl Harbor. Accordingly, causing the beginning of World War II. The primary episode that I needed to talk about out of this book occurred in 1922. In 1922 the large powers (which were all European aside from the United States and Japan from a settlement at a Washington Conference.) In this meeting the forces consented to shape a multilateralist reality with one another and the world. In this meeting the forces consented to frame a kind of tranquil concurrence and demobilization among themselves and the world. What was misjudged by the significant forces was that they accepted that harmony and demobilization was needed by all the individuals from the gathering which was not the case what so ever. The forces accepted that they would shape a national network that common a similar enthusiasm by all the significantly different countries. When itbecame realized that the profoundly various nations didn't have the equivalent interst there was not a national law board of trustees (like today; NATO) to maintain the laws that were made by the Washington Com mittee so the possibility of this multilateralist state was dropped and ill will proceeded for quite a long time at once until things got crazy and despise ran quick. The second episode that I need to examine is the Manchurian Incident of September 1931. The United States was somewhere down in a financial emergency and focused on remaining detached from different nations in Europe in light of the fact that the US dreaded another war could occur. Regardless of whether the United States would have not been segregated they come up short on the ability to impact different nations around the globe. This contention happened in light of the fact that the Japanese confronted a great deal of issues on the world scene and local issues made the Japanese go from a multilateralist condition (like they consented to do after W.W.I) to looking for a self-sufficient condition of being in their international strategy. In this self-sufficient express the Japanese needed to shape a stron military and political impact over Asia for themselves instead of the West.

USA Wins 2nd in International Math Olympiad

USA Wins 2nd in International Math Olympiad On July 6, the world eagerly watched as London was named the host of the 2012 Summer Olympics. And this coming February (while were evaluating Class of 2010 applications), Torino, Italy, will host the 2006 Winter Olympics. But these athletic games are not the only highly anticipated international olympiads. Every summer, countries from across the world send teams of 4-6 high school students to represent their nation in international math science olympiads. Competitions are held for such disciplines as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Informatics. Today, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) the oldest of the competitions concluded in Merida, Mexico. This year, 513 competitors from 93 competing countries participated. Contestants attempt to solve 6 math problems over 9 hours (if this sounds easy, you should check out the problems themselves here). The problems are stated in a straightforward fashion, making them look deceptively simple. Take, for example, one of this years hardest problems: In a mathematical competition, 6 problems were posed to the contestants. Each pair of problems was solved by more than 2/5 of the contestants. Nobody solved all 6 problems. Show that there were at least 2 contestants who each solved exactly 5 problems. Each of the 6 problems is graded from 0-7 points, with partial credit given (on the above problem, the average score was 1.35, and the median was 0). The top 1/12 of students each year are given a Gold Medal; the next 2/12, a Silver Medal; and the next 3/12, a Bronze Medal. Also, the scores of the (maximum of) 6 team members are tallied for a country team score. This year, the top two spots remained unchanged from last year, with perennial powerhouse the Peoples Republic of China winning and the United States once again finishing second in the world. Rounding out the top 5 were the teams from Russia, Iran, and South Korea. The six members of the US team included three members of the MIT Class of 2009: Hyun Soo Kim (Gold Medal), Thomas Mildorf (Gold Medal), and Eric Price (Gold Medal). Way to go, Hyun Soo, Thomas and Eric! Other MIT 09s have competed in the different international olympiads, and not just for the US but also international students competing for their home country. (Also see this previous entry about another big math contest, the Putnam Competition) All this may leave you wondering have any MIT folks competed in the, um, real Olympics? Yes, beginning with the first Olympic Games in 1894 (Thomas Pelham Curtis 1894, 110m hurdles) up to the most recent Olympics in 2004 (Steve Tucker 91, rowing). Wouldnt it be cool, though, if our society celebrated achievements in the academic arena as much as achievements in the sporting arena?

Essay about A Personal Trip to Mexico and The Mexican...

The Mexican Revolution was an attempt to overthrow a dictatorial tyrant, Porfirio Diaz that ruled the country of Mexico for decades. His autonomic attitude and self-centered beliefs eventually angered the people, although he successfully tried and failed to bring to life prosperity to the country as well as strengthen the ties with the United States. As I travel through the country of Mexico battered by hardships and misery, I take notes, write down what I observe over the course of my journey, and interview the people of the run downed country, obtaining a first hand glimpse of a life under complete control. Like a fly on the wall, my eyewitness accounts prove evidence of turmoil within Mexico in which the people face adversity to over†¦show more content†¦As I walk down the street, tortilla stands crowd the corners of intersections of the streets as the aroma of tortillas suffocate my nostrils. Directly next to the steaming tortillas, is a meat rotisserie with a rotating chunk of Al Pator cooking on a low flame for hours prior to lunch. As Mexicans get ready to go to work, the aroma of pan dulce drowns out the aroma of tortillas attracting locals to grab a couple of breads and a cup of coffee before they are on their way. As the day progresses on, gunshots rang out and quickly I threw myself to the ground, protecting my neck and head. Five minutes have passed and the gunfire still has not ceased. Like a soldier in training, I crawled my way to an alley where a dumpster sat all alone. Fearing for my life, I pried open the top of the trash can and jumped quickly inside. Unaware of what was inside, I simply did not care, as my life was more valuable. Ten minutes have now passed and finally the gun battle has been terminated. As I open the lid of the trash can, I can hear voices, yelling, screaming, and crying. Curious as to what has just happened, I jump out of the trashcan and begin to walk back towards the street. Upon arrival, the amount of bodies and bloodshed was unbelievable. At least three bodies littered every corner of the intersection. All I could wonder and ask myself was, â€Å"For what? Why?† Seeking for protection, I headed south deep into the city where I hoped to see peace. Boy was I wrong. As I turnedShow MoreRelatedRe-Visioning the Mexican Revolution1119 Words   |  4 Pa gesRevisioning the Mexican Revolution The archetypal image of the Mexican Revolution is of a man with a bandolier across his chest, his face smeared with dust and exhaustion, the light of truth in his eyes. But that image is fundamentally limited, run through a lens that blocks out gender,that omits from the narrative of the Mexican Revolution the presence of women as warriors. In the standard narratives of the revolution woman appear standing by their men. But in Elena Poniatowskas Las Soldaderas:Read MoreThe Underdogs And Manuel Puigs Kiss Of The Spider Woman1314 Words   |  6 PagesAmerica experienced adversities throughout the 20th century, with several countries toppling into war. In each instance, no matter the country, war materialized due to a repressive military government. In Mexico and Argentina, an overbearing government was the chief cause of their corresponding revolutions. These events resulted in creative inspiration in the writing of two novels: Mariano Azuela’s The Underdogs and Manuel Puigâ⠂¬â„¢s Kiss of the Spider Woman. Enclosed in each novel is a revolutionary leaderRead MoreDoing Business in Mexico1776 Words   |  8 PagesExecutive Summary To be given an opportunity to do business in Mexico, one must understand where to start and how to deal with a totally different social and cultural environment from what one is accustom too. To succeed in making a good first impression and to carry out any type of business transaction, it is important to understand what these differences are. When conducting business in Mexico, there are specific things that must be understood and complied with. Just understanding how importantRead MoreAge Rituals For Females : The Bat Mitzvah, The Quinceanera, And The Sunrise Ceremony1422 Words   |  6 PagesWithin the human lifespan, there are milestones setups that are in increments based on how many times we have revolved around the Sun. The ride around the Sun starts the day we are born, and each time we have made a full revolution we celebrate a birthday. Interestingly enough, cultures around the world have decided that after so many birthdays, a child has reached the coming of age and is celebrated through some type of ritual. I quote the coming of age because it is practiced differently fromRead MoreAnalysis Of Cesar Chavez Union Leader984 Words   |  4 Pagesconfrontations between its members. In 1977 the two organizations reached an agreement, which recognized the exclusive right to the UFW among agricultural workers. I believe that Cesar Chavez early experiences shaped him and firmly rooted in a rich Mexican-American tradition, because of this, his adult life was open to new influences that he later used to unite people of many nationalities and beliefs. Throughout his life, Cà ©sar follows the teachings of his grandmother, he reflected his mother sRead MoreChicano Murals in Los Angeles3931 Words   |  16 Pagesexpressing opposition. In Mexico, after the Mexican Revolution of 1917, the government commissioned a vast number of mural projects to transmit its revisionist history of the country, and celebrate the empowerment of the underclass in their recent victory. Predominate themes were cultural reclamation, history, pre-conquest civilization, anti-colonialism, anti-bourgeoisie sentiment, celebration of the working class, and highlighting the beauty and struggle of life as a Mexican. This movement moved northRead MoreThe Battle Of The Alamo3666 Words   |  15 PagesKeren Lee Mr. Lewis AP US History 1 2 December 2014 The Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo was a devastating battle between the Texan and Mexican Army that occurred in the midst of the Texas Revolution and had an everlasting effect on the country and then state of Texas. The Alamo wasn’t built with the intention of being a fort. The Event- The Alamo In the early 1700s the Spanish set up a mission in Texas to house local Native Americans and convert individuals to Catholicism. The missionRead MoreThe Texas Revolution: Its Many Faces3195 Words   |  13 PagesThe Texas Revolution:Its Many Faces The Texas Revolution, why is it so important? Why is there so many arguments over it? Truth is this historical subject is very controversial and it can be seen through the work of many authors. In this case I have decided to research 4 authors and their dedicated work on the history of the Texas Revolution. From the historical documents of Sam Houston to retracing his steps through photographic representation. These authors put in a lot of time andRead MoreSpanish and English Exploration Essay1199 Words   |  5 PagesNative Americans, making it easier to become dominant over them This also allowed them to use the enslaved natives to help grow crops and mine gold. The Spanish began conquering more of the New World, from northern Mexico to southern Chile. . Hernan Cortes began this with a march into Mexico after being convinced by the governor of Cuba that there was gold to be had belonging to the Aztecs. This also brought silver, textiles, and jewelry also came with the conq uests. Many of the explorers were alsoRead MoreAaron Burrs Disgrace in the Burr Conspiracy Essay786 Words   |  4 PagesJustice of the United States. Finally, there was James Wilkinson, general of the army, once Burr’s associate and at trial his chief accuser. With these principal players, the trial in the U.S. Circuit Court at Richmond was as much high political and personal drama as it was a judicial proceeding The Burr Conspiracy originated from a series of discussions over the winter of 1804-05 between Burr and his longstanding friend, General James Wilkinson. In Cincinnati, Burr visited with former Ohio Senator Jonathan

Essay on Juvenile Offenders - 699 Words

Juvenile Offenders Should Juveniles be waived to adult court Philosophy 14 Nov 98 Should juveniles be waived to adult court. There has been tension between teens (pre-teens) and adults for thousands of years, and the question how to deal with the youth of a culture, in a punishment sense, has been with us for just as long. Socrates, for example, stated that children show little respect for there elders. Since Socrates time largely due to the spread of guns and drugs, younger and younger children are committing violent crimes. Children that have special needs or have committed a criminal act have been subject to state protection since, 1838. The first juvenile court was established in Chicago in 1890. The assumption, that was made†¦show more content†¦In cases where the offender is younger than 16 the prosecutor must show why the juvenile should be waived. One of main issues of side A, is that if the offender is too old the sentence would not be severe enough for the crime that had been committ ed. Another issue is the overcrowding of the juvenile justice system. Many of the offenders in the juvenile system, if a few years older, would have already been sentenced to life sentences in an adult court. Side A does not believe that a persons age should be the lone determining factor for non-waiver. While side A does believe that there are a great many negative influences on todays youth, they believe that these circumstances do not dismiss that crimes that have been committed. The core belief that most of the side A advocates share is, the belief that the small percentage of the juveniles that are committing the serious crimes are past the point where a juvenile court could be of any help. Side A truly feels that by allowing serious juvenile offenders to be waived to adult court, thus receiving a stiffer sentence, the community, as a hole, will be much better served. Side B believes, essentially, that no child (juvenile) should be waived. Side B sees several key factors for th e rise in juvenile crime. These reasons are ones that are out of the control ofShow MoreRelatedIs Juvenile Sex Offenders?1741 Words   |  7 PagesI. Juvenile Sex Offenders The focus of this paper is juvenile sex offenders. We believe that this population is in need of more intensive community-based services, especially for those who are registered as a Megan’s Law Offender and have to follow the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Process. Three case studies will be illustrated in order to demonstrate our motivation to pursue social justice for this population. In summer of 2015, I (Dalynet) sat on a courtroom witnessing how a CarlRead MoreJuvenile Sex Offenders6865 Words   |  28 PagesResearch Paper 2 Juvenile sex offenders are frequently treated in the same manner as their adult counterparts with regards to punishment and sex offender registering. â€Å"Nationally, juvenile sex offenders make up 20% of all individuals charged with sexual offenses (McGinnis, 2006).† Placing a sex offender label on a juvenile may unjustifiably put restrictions on his or her opportunities in adulthood so it is for this reason that cases involving juvenile sex offenders should be prosecuted cautiouslyRead MoreJuvenile Female Sex Offenders : Offender And Offence Characteristics933 Words   |  4 PagesWriting Assignment #1 CRIJ 2313-Dr.Koenigsberg 9/17/14 Juvenile Female Sex Offenders Wijkman, Miriam, Catrien Bijleveld, and Jan Hendriks. Juvenile Female Sex Offenders: Offender And Offence Characteristics. European Journal Of Criminology 11.1 (2013): 23-38. European Journal Of Criminology. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. http://euc.sagepub.com/content/11/1/23. For this critical paper I evaluated the article, Juvenile Female Sex Offenders: Offender And Offence Characteristics†. This article conforms toRead MoreBenefits Of Treatment For Juvenile Offenders1934 Words   |  8 Pages The Benefits of Treatment for Juvenile Offenders Tompkins, Patrice Texas State University The Benefits of Treatment for Juvenile Offenders The juvenile justice system is broken in the United States but Louisiana, among many other states, is focusing their efforts into treatment over the incarceration of juvenile offenders According to the New York Times (2015), Louisiana has become a juvenile justice reform leader. State and local leaders have been working hard to make dramaticRead MoreLaws of Juvenile Sexual Offenders Essay1690 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile Sexual Offenders: Should the Laws Be Adjusted? In today’s society of internet sex crimes being broadcast on the evening news and 60 Minutes doing specials at least once a month. Are we paying enough attention to other sexual crimes and problems, such as the laws pertaining to juvenile sex offenders and their victims? Could more be done to help and protect the perpetrators, victims and their families? It is my opinion that the laws pertaining to juvenile sex offenders need to be adjustedRead MoreJuvenile Sex Offenders Essay example2573 Words   |  11 PagesApproximately 20% of all people charged with a sexual offense are juveniles. Among adult sex offenders, almost 50% report that their first offense occurred during their adolescence. (FBI, 1993) There are many different opinions, treatment options and legislation to manage the growing numbers of juvenile sex offenders. In today’s society the psychological and behavioral modification treatments used to manage juvenile sex offenders is also a growing concern. To understand and determine the proposedRead MoreMandatory Incarceration For Chronic Juvenile Offenders1355 Words   |  6 Pagesresearching materials of mandatory incarceration for chronic juvenile offenders, I had to define ‘What is a chronic juvenile offender?’ It is a young individual who are chronic reoffenders that is arrested on average two years earlier than juvenile offender (age usually 11 or younger). â€Å"The threshold in chronic offending for number of arrests is five. Therefore, youth arrested for the sixth time are extremely likely to later become young chronic offenders. So the use of arrests seems to be more appropriateRead MoreFemale Juvenile Offenders And The Need For Programs2286 Words   |  10 Pages Female Juvenile Offenders and the Need for Programs Sarah Pepe Alvernia University â€Æ' Abstract A major issue in today’s society is female juvenile offenders and the lack of programs available to them. This sparks the great need for programs for them. Females differ greatly from males and require different programs due to the emotional and mental changes between the two. Different approaches and ways to cope as well as heal are required more for girls rather than highly structured and strict approachesRead MorePrison State Of Kentucky And Juvenile Offenders920 Words   |  4 PagesIn the film Prison State, the focus was on the juveniles in the state of Kentucky, specifically individuals living in the Beecher Terrace neighborhood. Beecher Terrace is a low-income area that the majority of detainees lived in. Because individuals grew up in poverty they were predisposed to other risk factors that increased their likelihood of becoming a juvenile delinquent and an adult offender later on in life. Two major issues in the state of Kentucky were the over-crowdedness in the pri sonsRead MoreEfficacy of Sexual Offender Treatment: Juvenile Sexual Offenders with Mental Health Diagnosis2450 Words   |  10 PagesEfficacy of Sexual Offender Treatment: Juvenile Sexual Offenders with Mental Health Diagnosis Lynetric Rivers Liberty University Abstract Juvenile sex offending has been on the rise over the past ten years. Juvenile sex offenders are best described between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. It has often been thought the percentage of sexual disorders in relation to juvenile sex offenders have been low. It is very possible they have simply been misdiagnosed. Dr. Fong describes hypersexual

On Racism Essay - 727 Words

On Racism Racism can be described as a belief in the superiority of a particular race; hostility or discrimination against members of a different race. The Bible Genesis 1:26-27, 2:19-20 Then God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, and male and female he created them. So from the soil God fashioned all the wild beasts and birds of heaven. These he brought to man to see what he would call them; each†¦show more content†¦Jesus preached against racism and there are many other examples of this like in Genesis. Baptist: The kingdom of God knows no prejudice and no discrimination. In fact, it might be better to say that it discriminates on favour of the poor, the weak and the marginalised. The Church therefore has the responsibility to listen to these groups, to work with them and to support their attempts to improve their own conditions. The Baptist statement mirrors one of Jesus own teachings, the Beatitudes, one of which says: Happy are those who are persecuted in the cause of right; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Or Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you because of me and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. The Baptist church says that they have a responsibility to help the poor and persecuted. This is also like the Good Samaritan, or helping those less fortunate no matter what the colour or creed. Methodists Whatever our skin colour or background, we are one in our common humanity and one in Christ. All are equal before God. Adverse discrimination on the basis of or cultural characteristics contradicts our common humanity and the Gospel. To judge anyone adversely solely on account of his or her membership of a class or a racial group is to violate his or her statusShow MoreRelatedRacism : Racism And Racism1544 Words   |  7 PagesTo understand whether or not racism is learnt, we first have to divulge into the nature of racism. It is usually assumed that racism has been a part of civilisation since civilisation started, that it is embedded into how people work and that no matter what, it will always exist. Another assumption is that racism derives from the capitalism of the slave trade by white elitist men seeking to dehumanize people for economic gain, and used racism as a way to mask their financial motives to justify enslavementRead MoreRacism : Racism And Racism1003 Words   |  5 Pagesracism: Racism-â€Å"the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.† Imagine, 5 black men. Singing a church song still faithful for hope. Chained and cuffed together. Flies follow them as they walk by in the dry hot desert. With the white oppressor behind them yelling nasty words that poison their brain. Yet they still sing and wait and keep faith. In some statesRead MoreRacism : Racism And Racism953 Words   |  4 PagesRacism in America â€Å"Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and it deserves to be met head-on and stamped out.† - Pierre Berton Racism is the unjust hate for any people who are simply different for a various array of reasons. It is all around us and always will be, but that does not give us the right to be passive on the subject. This discrimination against culturally diverse people is hurting our â€Å" land of the free†, one racist remark at a time.Read MoreRacism : Racism And Racism1181 Words   |  5 PagesThis issue of racism is popular by name but tends to be sugar coated by the way people see it. In order to truly understand racism you need to take a bite into the topic in order to get a taste of what it is really like. Racism comes in many different forms and can be seen many different ways. But why even care about racism at all? Why does it even matter? One would think that with such a harsh background regarding racism in America it would no longer exist in society today. But sadly that is notRead MoreRacism : Racism And Racism989 Words   |  4 PagesRacism in America Racism discrimination has been one of our society’s most horrible social problems. In the words of the famous Martin Luther King judging an individual by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character can be a very dehumanizing experience that can have lasting effects on an individual life. Racism in America has not come to a cease. Racism promotes negative personal relations between people of different cultures. I believe slavery started around the 1500sRead MoreRacism : Racism And Racism996 Words   |  4 PagesCovert Racism Introduction Racism; ‘the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others’ (Collins English Dictionary 2012) and thus leading to ‘abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of another race on the basis of such a belief’ (Collins English Dictionary 2012). Over time, racism has transformed from a blatant and overt form into a passive style of prejudice and discriminationRead MoreRacism : Racism And Racism1094 Words   |  5 PagesRacism has been an issue that has caused controversial debates for years. It is a topic that stirs up lots of emotions within people and continues to be an argument for all. When there has been a shooting between a white and a colored or a cop and a colored person, people blame it on racism. They state that since the white cop shot the black man it simply means the cop was racist. Then the people want to speak that justice needs to be served and the cop needs to be put in prison or released fromRead MoreRacism : Racism And Racism1751 Words   |  8 PagesRacism Social Justice Topic Issue Corbin Metz H R – 3013 University of Oklahoma Racism Social Justice Topic Issue Today in our society, racism is a very popular social justice topic issue, which affects many of the lives of those around us on a daily basis. Individuals as well as organizations and institutions widely commit the act of racism and these issues are embedded in their policies, procedures, and practices (Calgary). The first signs of racism beginning to arise in the worldRead MoreRacism : Racism And Racism1971 Words   |  8 PagesRacism has come to be a very important topic in today’s society. Many are talking about the injustices when it comes mostly when it comes to African-Americans and Caucasians in authority. Many have deemed the incidents of Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, the Spring Valley High School video, and even the Charleston Shooting to name a few as reactions to racism. Out of the people talking about these events, only a few really know the meaning of racismRead MoreRacism : Racism And Racism2243 Words   |  9 PagesRacism, a topic which has become especially touchy in modern times. It is quite clear that racism is alive not only in the United States, but across the globe. Though the topic is widely talked about, nobody really does anything to stop it. People will be quick to elaborate on the fact that it should be stopped, then make no changes themselves. Yet do they truly understand the concepts of racism and what it really means to be racist? Granted everybody understands that it is racist to hate a group

BBA for International Journal of Innovation- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theBBA for International Journal of Innovation Management. Answer: Introduction This paper discusses how the organizations make use of the off-set team. Face to face teamwork is where individuals in the workplace directly meet with each other in the someplace instead of using other means of communication such as phones, email. Etc. The Impressions Corporation was using face to face then later on changed to the use of the social media to help facilitate there the way of communication (Abdalkhaleq, Tolan and Brown 2017). An example of off-set team work is where the employees of the Impression compressions changed from doing their jobs at home instead of doing them in their offices at their places of work. The use of off-site teamwork in the workplace can benefit organizations in many ways. For example, it lowers costs, enables growth in the organization and prevents interruptions and distractions that are capable of lowering productivity. This paper is divided into different parts. The first part discusses whether the disagreement between two employees of an organ ization can be mended. The second part discusses the mistakes that Craig makes in managing and leading the team. The third part explains the kind of conflicts and how they can be resolved by the HRM and the team manager. The fourth part enlightens the ineffectiveness of the off-set team and how it can be improved (Crowley and Bourke 2017.) How to mend the rift between Allison and Penny The rift between Penny and Allison can be mended by both the HRM and the Team manager. Penny is provoked, Allison is angry. The difficulty is, both Penny and Allison work-site, this creates for their manager who is Craig. The research indicates that not only can a rift team be corrected, but that anyone that participates is responsible for fixing the rift, even without the help of the team Peers or Leader. Craig should first give both the parties enough time of solving their own disputes (Hartley and McGaughey, 2018). The Manager should take action only when the issue cannot be controlled by the two parties, and the rift is interfering with the work of the organization or disrupting the work of other employees. He should identify the causes of the dispute whether it is interpersonal and work-related and possess structural root. The manager should resolve the rift between the two employees without alienating or offending each party. A bad approach by the manager could decrease product ivity, create irreversible barriers and lowers the morale of the two parties. Craig should, therefore, develop the goal of keeping every member focused on solving their disputes and he should not be sidetracked by political and personal issues. Working with difficult employees can be hard. The experienced manager should understand how to differentiate emotions derived from the work when dealing with the issues of the employees (Penwell, Ward, Kirkpatrick, Smith and Abouljoudm 2018). The manager should avoid concentrating on the negative personality of the employee's traits; the smart manager should put their focus on task, results, and projects. Craig should create suitable working environment for both the two parties. He should meet the two parties at the closed door to enables the two parties a chance to share and air in a considered and calm way. Mistakes that Craig make in managing and leading the team and how to solve the mistakes The mistake that Craig makes in managing and leading the team is that he has been working outside the office and this prevents him from monitoring how other members of the organization in the department perform their duties. Craig as the HRM was unable to sign the work to each member (Thompson, Poulston and Neill 2017). Both Allison and Penny have been performing their work without the knowledge of the HRM. This prevents Craig from keeping in touch with the team in his department. To solve the conflict between the two members of the team, Craig as a manager should delegate the duty to each of the members hence this will bring about specialization and prevent future disagreement. Craig should develop a modern set of skills, as well as making use of new techniques and tools. This will enable him as the manager to acquire major management activities of motivating, developing, organizing and sharing with the team (Finnesgard, Pandian, Kendrick and Farley 2018). Type of conflict and how the managers can solve it in the organization The type of conflict evident in the off-set team is the Emotional conflict. This type of conflict occurs due to insecurity, personality conflict, and jealousy (Certo 2018). To resolve the conflict, Maggie and Craig should employ the use of the 5 common styles, or approaches to solving the negative conflict. The five approaches include avoiding, dominating, collaborating, accommodating and compromising (Greer, Schouten and Dannals 2018). Things that portrays that the off-set team is ineffective include: There is low unity of the members, therefore, the members of the group do not have common objectives and the personal feelings of the members are also hidden. To improve the effectiveness in the team, Craig who is the Manager should set a plan with the intention of taking the action by: addressing the issues that cause ineffectiveness with the team, he should also allocate an individual to challenge the ineffective member in the team and the manager should also work with the members of the team to establish a plan of correction (Flythe et.al 2017). The manager should ensure that errant team should be treated with a firm hand and tough-talking is the best option. The manager should, therefore, choose the best solution to solve the problems of the team (Rahim 2017). Conclusion The use of off-set teamwork in the organization is essential as it helps in improving the performance of any firm. The off-set teamwork also allows the members to perform other duties and employees can also work from their home. The off-set teamwork is full of the advantages but if not well managed it can make an organization to be ineffective in its performance. The managers should work together as a group with all the members, encourage and communicate with the entire team for the purpose of fulfilling the set goals. The manager should come up with a workplace that fosters unity, collaboration, and encouragement. Working in groups, team members may sometimes be ineffective which can negatively affect the organization thereby preventing them from improving their performance. References Abdalkhaleq, A., Tolan, M.P. and Brown, B., 2017, November. Organisational and Work Flow Design for Workover Activities in a Giant Mature Oilfield. InSPE Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition Conference. Society of Petroleum Engineers. Certo, S.C., 2018.Supervision: Concepts and skill-building. McGraw-Hill Education. Crowley, F. and Bourke, J., 2017. The influence of human resource management systems on innovation: Evidence from Irish manufacturing and service firms.International Journal of Innovation Management,21(01), p.1750003. Finnesgard, E.J., Pandian, T.K., Kendrick, M.L. and Farley, D.R., 2018. Do not break up the surgical team! Familiarity and expertise affect operative time in complex surgery.The American Journal of Surgery,215(3), pp.447-449. Flythe, J.E., Narendra, J.H., Dorough, A., Oberlander, J., Ordish, A., Wilkie, C. and Dember, L.M., 2017. Perspectives on Research Participation and Facilitation Among Dialysis Patients, Clinic Personnel, and Medical Providers: A Focus Group Study.American Journal of Kidney Diseases. Greer, L.L., de Jong, B.A., Schouten, M.E. and Dannals, J.E., 2018. Why and When Hierarchy Impacts Team Effectiveness: A Meta-Analytic Integration. Hartley, L. and McGaughey, F., 2018. Using Online and Face-to-Face Simulations in Human Rights Tertiary Teaching: A Comparative Analysis.Journal of Human Rights Practice. Penwell-Waines, L., Ward, W., Kirkpatrick, H., Smith, P. and Abouljoud, M., 2018. Perspectives on Healthcare Provider Well-Being: Looking Back, Moving Forward.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings, pp.1-10. Rahim, M.A., 2017.Managing conflict in organizations. Routledge. Ramasamy, A., Inore, I. and Sauna, R., 2017. A Study on Implications of Implementing Green HRM in the Corporate Bodies with Special Reference to Developing Nations.International Journal of Business and Management,12(9), p.117. Thompson, D., Poulston, J. and Neill, L., 2017. How satisfying is real work? An analysis of student feedback on applied learning in a hospitality degree.Journal of hospitality, leisure, sport tourism education,20, pp.110-121.

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Feminist approaches to womens writing essays

Feminist approaches to women's writing essays Feminism refers to the theory or set of principles according to which women refuse to acknowledge the importance of men in their lives. They reject the notion that men and women complement each other and that they need to walk together to keep the wheel of life running. Feminism has not only affected politics or business organizations, but has left a deep impact on the world of literature too where several women writers have adopted feminist stance. The stories written by these writers and the characters they created, all reflected a deeply feminist streak. In most of these works, a woman is assigned the lead role so she could speak for the writer. Fay Weldon is among one such British feminist writer whose novels have been considered controversial by many as they reflect conflicting forms of feminism. Weldon's novels have been widely read and most of them received rave reviews upon their publication, however there are still some critics who feel that Weldon doesn't always portray men-women relationship in the most accurate manner. In other words, these critics are of the view that Fay Weldon is not as keen or astute an observer of male-female relationship as Karen Durbin in her review of one of Weldon's novels writes: What we are shown is the bad stuff, convincingly portrayed, but standing alone, a vision of punishment and torture, and one-sided torture at that, the relationship of monsters and victims. At some point, we stop believing. Life is more complicated than that, the war between men and women is more complicated than that (if it weren't, women would have walked off the battlefield by now), and novels have to be more complicated than that. There is a good novel here, but it's caught inside a tract. (34 quoted in Hogeland 1994) Weldon has usually given a negative portrayal of men in the lives of her heroines. She appears to believ...

Enterpreneurship in action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enterpreneurship in action - Essay Example Their Advanced Information Based Allocation system automates allocation, booking and real time online tracking with super-sonic efficiency, enabling the company to manage a near limitless number of couriers with an exceptional customer service. Customers enter their collection and delivery addresses on the website, and the system sends the details to the courier best placed to do the job. The company has already made its mark in the previously inefficient world of courier services. Its website boasts an average delivery time of just 40 minutes. Annual sales have grown from ?100,000 to ?1m in recent years. Fast Courier has doubled in size over the last twelve months, and is on target to double again during 2013 with 40 vehicles. Next on the agenda is moving from Portsmouth to offer the courier services to other cities. There might be limited scope for the volume of business in Portsmouth; the scope is endless in other cities. Objectives The company wants to expand business across vari ous cities of United Kingdom. They are emphasizing on adopting state of art technology to provide fast courier service. Fast Courier Ltd is using eco friendly cars to provide service to customers. They want to improve online tracking system to increase efficiency in service delivery. The company has the objective to expand courier delivery network outside Portsmouth. Mission The company has a mission to provide eco friendly courier service. They want provide service beyond the expectation of customers. Company Summary The company was founded by Tina and Mike in the year 2009. Start up cost of the business was ?380,000. They gave importance to provide fast courier service to customers from day one. They have used state of art technologies like online parcel tracking to improve value delivery process. Company Ownership Tina and Mike is the owner of the company. Tina supervises technical aspects of the courier service and Mike concentrates on finance and marketing activities of the com pany. Market Trend in Courier Industry Courier industry has direct relationship with logistics sector. Logistics service includes air freight, transportation of parcels, street haulage, luggage compartment and warehousing, freights and postal services. There is more than 2,320,000 people working in supply chain and logistic sectors, which contributes 8% of the United Kingdom’s workforce. Logistic sector contributes nearly ?86.54 billion to GDP of the country. Cycle courier service is essential to provide fast service to customers in some cities due to heavy traffic congestion. There are more than ninety thousand people working in the courier industry of the country. There are more than 10,800 workplaces across the country. National and regional data East Midlands – There are almost 156,600 employees work in the logistic sector. Out of these 156,600 employees, 6,800 people are associated with courier industry, which contributes 4% of the logistics supply chain departmen t of the region. East England –

SHAME OF THE NATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SHAME OF THE NATION - Essay Example Nowadays it is used to think that democratic views and principles of equality play an overwhelming role throughout the world. However, an outstanding author and public activist Jonathan Kozol makes the emphasis that even the most democratic country, the USA, still has numerous examples of racial inequality.Making school segregation as an extremely significant problem in contemporary America, Jonathan Kozol and other numerous authors proclaim the necessity to solve it and develop democratic values as those, which lead to national prosperity and global piece. From the beginning of the 90s of the XXth century the process of school segregation has increased in a great extent. As a contemporary researcher mentions, "In 1992 nine schools in the Twin Cities area had a majority of students of color. By 2006, that number had increased to 248" (Magnusson 3). Another author also supports and proves the opinion of segregation turning back: "Resegregation, which took hold in the early 1990s after three Supreme Court decisions from 1991 to 1995 limiting desegregation orders, is continuing to grow in all parts of the country for both African Americans and Latinos.." (Orfield and Lee 5). Geographically, as the majority of researchers mention, the process of new segregation mostly occupies the territory of American South and West, since the structure of population introduces high concentration of immigrants there. Being closely connected to general economical aspects, school segregation contains the problems of poverty and discrimination, based on the social status. Undoubtedly, schools for White Americans introduce more conveniences and additional abilities for wealthier population, while schools for poor immigrants do not have the same level of treatment. According to contemporary online sources, "Schools in low-income communities remain highly unequal in terms of funding, qualified teachers, and curriculum..Schools with high levels of poverty have weaker staff, fewer high-ac hieving peers, health and nutrition problems, residential instability, single-parent households, high exposure to crime and gangs.." (Hawkins et al.). As Kozol mentions about suburban computer classes for the non-white, where "according to one student, "we sit there and talk about what we would be doing if we had computers" (Kozol 171). Therefore, racial segregation is closely connected with personal wealthy and social status, which people have today. Jonathan Kozol, being a true teacher and having the ability to investigate the problem of school segregation directly from his own experience, makes the emphasis on unequal status in urban public schools. Considering the differences between education in mega polices and suburbs, Kozol mentions: "in the fall of 2002 that only between a quarter and a third of children in the district had received even a single year of preschool and that less than five percent had been provided with the two years of pre-K instruction that are common in mo st affluent communities" (Kozol 51). Showing that only white suburban have the opportunity to get preschool education, Kozol demonstrates that racial minorities, in fact, have minimum chances to receive a successful formal education. Analyzing factual consequences of current segregation, Kozol and other authors mention considerably difficulties, which segregated students have with the precise process of their education. For instance, poor conditions and unattractive appearance of segregated schools usually cause stressful feeling and the lack of desire to study there. Efficiency-deprived schemes of studying, often overcrowding also

Changing Business Environment of Coca-Cola

Changing Business Environment of Coca-Cola Summary The objective of this research is to study and evaluate the changing business environment of Coca-Cola over the past 5 years. To understand what business environment is one should have a clear idea initially about business. Business can be referred to as an economic act performed by an organization to attain its goals regarding profit, production etc. Any company would be affected by the environment surrounding it. PankajMehra (2008) defined Business Environment as The set of external factors such as the economic factors, socio-cultural factors, government and legal factors, demographic factors, geophysical factors, which are uncontrollable in nature and effects the business decisions of a firm or company. The research thus conducts a PEST analysis of Coca-Cola as well as identifies the environmental and ethical factor affecting the company. After the analysis, suggestions were given that would help the company to cope up with the challenges and changes that is being faced in the cur rent business scenario. PankajMehra, Aspects of Business Environment, 2008, Omega Publications INTRODUCTION During the recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of people who are interested in Business. This was triggered by the flourishing of Far Eastern economies and especially the progress of China. So it is quite important for students to have an idea about business environment so that they can easily understand how business decisions are made and what the impact of each decision is. Generally business environment is divided into two- Micro environment and Macro environment. Another way is to categorize business environment into General and Specific environments. However there exists only minimal difference between these categorizations. There is another approach which views an organization as open system. This is referred to as Systems Model of organization and its environment. Thus business of an organization is thus influenced by a number of external factors which include political, social, and technological and many more. Hence every organization is keenly observing these dynamic forces in order to equip themselves against contingencies. There are a number of methods that help an organization to analyze its surrounding environment. This includes SWOT, PEST, SLEPT etc. PEST analysis has been used in this study and also the ethical and environmental factors are identified. This report looks at the Multi-national beverage company Coca-Cola, the worlds most recognized brand. Coca-Cola is a multinational company operating in almost 200 countries or territories. It is a beverage company and is into the production and distribution of non-alcoholic drinks. The main brand of the company is the aerated drink Coca-Cola or Coke. The company at present owns more than 400 brands across seven continents. Due to this fact, the company is likely to be affected by the fluctuations in the business environment, globally as well as on each country. The company hence introduces innovative strategies and takes business decisions in order to cope up with the turbulent environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coca-Cola_Company John Kew, John Stredwick, (2005), Business environment: managing in a strategic context, CIPD Publishing ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND SOME FACTS Founded: 1886 Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia, USA Chairman and CEO: Muhtar Kent Revenue: USD 31.0 Billion (FY 2009) Employees: 92,400 (Oct 2009) Operations: 200 Countries http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coca-Cola_Company CORPORATE VISION MISSION Vision People: Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be. Portfolio: Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy peoples desires and needs. Partners: Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we create mutual, enduring value. Planet: Be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and support sustainable communities. Profit: Maximize long-term return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities. Productivity: Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization Mission To refresh the world To inspire moments of optimism and happiness To create value and make a difference. http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/ourcompany/mission_vision_values.html DESCRIPTION The journey of Coca-Cola started when the syrup of Coca-Cola was mixed with soda. It was done in a pharmacy in Atlanta, USA. Even today, the company I headquartered in Atlanta. Thus the company began as a soda fountain beverage selling firm. It sold a glass of drink for five cents. The initial progress of the company was quite remarkable, but only when a solid and strong bottling system developed could it emerge as one of the largest corporations as of today. Coca-Cola functions as a franchised distribution system. Thus the company only produces the syrup and it is then sold off to thousands of bottlers around the world. As per the annual report of 2005, the company operates in more than 200 countries. The beverages which bear the trademarks or licenses of Coca-Cola account to almost 1.5 billion. It was declared that Coca-Cola became the first brand in United Kingdom to cross  £1 billion in yearly grocery sales in the year 2010. Coca-Cola today is the worlds most popular brand. The annual company report of 2006 stated that the second most recognized expression in the world after OK is Coca-Cola. The strength of the company lies in it branding. Coca-Colas branding strategy lies on three As- availability, acceptability and affordability. The company competes not only to every carbonated or soft drink available in the world but even considers water as its competitor. For it, every product that has a share in human liquid consumption is its rival. At present Coca-Cola serves almost one billion servings per day. That means every second 12500 bottles are being consumed. The company was able to achieve this only because they made use of the most finest and innovative technologies available. During these 125 years of existence, the company has gone through different strategic paradigm shifts that involve financial re-engineering to debts on offload bottling and from product expansion to progress through distribution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coca-Cola_Company Brand Spotlight: Coca-Cola http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/ourcompany/historybottling.html http://www.scribd.com/doc/14306067/Coca-Cola Business Environment The business environment of an organization is situational. That means every organization have a unique environment of its own. Due to this fact, the external factors influencing the company would also be different. The systems model of an organization and its environment views the organization as an open system. This model advocates that there are two ways in which an organization communicates with its environment. It acquires inputs/ resources from the environment, transforms it into finished product/services and distributes the outputs back. These outputs are meant to meet the needs of customers (Figure 1.1). Environment Organization Environment Money Machinery People Technology Materials Conversion Goods Services Information Waste Figure 1.1: Systems Model John Kew, John Stredwick, (2005), Business environment: managing in a strategic context, CIPD Publishing Analyzing the environment It is not a difficult task for the organization to analyze the task environment as they will have good knowledge about their customers, suppliers etc. But analyzing the general environment is more complex. The different factors in the general environment will have to be first identified. One of the most popular tools for analysis is PEST. This method segregates the environment into four components: Political/legal Economic Socio-cultural Technological PEST analysis was later modified into PESTLE analysis. This was done by splitting the political and legal factors as well as by adding a new factor i.e. environment. The major reason behind this addition was the increasing concern over global warming and other ecological issues. By the year 2000, another method was introduced which was named STEEPLE. This method have a new factor i.e. ethics. This factor was added due to the growing awareness about corporate social responsibility and business ethics. John Kew, John Stredwick, (2005), Business environment: managing in a strategic context, CIPD Publishing Analysis of the environment of Coca-Cola Social Factors: Over the past 5 years the numbers of people who are conscious about their health have increased exponentially. This is especially true in USA where more and more people are practicing healthier lifestyles. Researches indicate that soda and other sweetened drinks are the chief calorie sources in the diet of an American. Due to this fact, doctors and nutritionists advice people to reduce the daily consumption of drinks like Coca-Cola since they can be harmful to their health. In USA, drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi were found to be the main reason for obesity among young children and women. Studies have also revealed that regular intake of Coke and the like products reduce the absorption of minerals like Calcium, Magnesium, Ascorbic acid, Riboflavin and Vitamin A. Thus the company is facing a setback from the home country itself. In 2005, many lawyers and environmentalists charged a lawsuit against Coca-Cola and other soft drinks industry for excessive selling of their brands in school s. Coca-Cola also faced much resistance from the Eastern countries where there was a high consumption of tea and other milk fermented drinks. So the company in 2010 introduced a new drink named Sprite Tea which was a mix of sprite and tea. Before that in 2008, it launched a tea brand named Yuang Ye and Jackie Chan was the brand ambassador of the product. This was launched in China and other eastern countries. In 2004, the company also launched a wellness drink in Japan for women. Apart from that there are number of social ventures into which the company is into. It is providing resources like books and scholarships to needy children. Apart from that it has introduced a program in Pakistan that is into providing basic education to children. In 2004, the company donated à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬50,000 to SOS Kinderdorf, a childrens charity organization in Austria. A sum of 1 million USD was also donated for awareness against HIV/AIDS in 2007. www.thecoca-colacompany.com//10/Coca-Cola_10-K_Item_01ab.pdf http://www.virtualvender.coca-cola.com/ft/index.jsp www.thecoca-colacompany.com//eu_business_social_review2005.pdf www.thecoca-colacompany.com//2007-2008_sustainability_review.pdf http://blog.7xpub.com/2010/02/heaven-earth.html http://www.docshare.com/doc/8487/An-Analysis-of-The-Coca-Cola-Companys-Markets Technological Factors Coca-Cola is always a pioneer institution in bringing out innovative technologies. In 2007, it came up with a new technology that would help customers to have ice-chilled coke wherever they want. This technology will work in such a way that when the cap of the bottle is opened, the mechanism inside will make ice out of the drink inside. The company also introduced this technology in 2008 with a new product called Sprite Super Chilled. In the same year, the company announced to use coolers and vending machines free of HFC in the venues of 2008 Olympic Games to show its commitment towards environment protection. The company developed this technology together with Green Peace. In the year 2009, the company introduced another technology into their vending machines. These Freestyle machines will be having touch screens and the customer can mix up to a variety of 100 drinks at a single time. Popsci.com has named this as the Most Advanced Soda Fountain Ever. In 2009 itself the company introduced bottles which are partially made from plants and hence can be recycled completely. This bottle also has a reduced carbon emission when compared with ordinary plastic bottles. The company has also introduced innovative technologies in the entertainment field. In 2006, the company installed Dhoom 2-Juke boxes in and around Delhi (India). A limited series of Coke bottles were then brought into the market whose labels contained specific codes. When these labels are swiped into the Juke boxes, the customers could see the exclusive visuals of Dhoom 2 movie. http://www.techdigest.tv/2007/09/new_technology_1.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1973430/cocacola_meets_technology_touch_screen.html www.greenpeace.org//en/news//coca-cola-to-champion-our-cool/ http://www.greentechnolog.com/2009/09/cocacolas_new_plant_bottle.html http://www.coca-colaindia.com/media/media_news_releases_detail.aspx?id=189 Economic Factors: The company went through a major economic phase in the past five years. The income tax payment has increased from 1.5 billion USD in 2006 to 1.9 billion USD in 2007. But the capital expenditures have also increased from 1.4 billion USD in 2006 to 2 billion USD in 2008. Still the company managed to have revenue of 31.9 billion USD in 2008. The above graph shows the fluctuations in the stock prices of Coke from September 2009 to February 2010. In 2008, the world faced the global economic crunch and this naturally had an impact on the company. The main reason for this was that 75% of companys sales is derived outside of North America. But, reports revealed that the company was not much affected by the economic downturn. The first quarterly results of 2009 showed that the sales have increased by 2 percent in USA and by 3 percent around the world. This was because the company positioned it well in the international markets. The company also had a remarkable increase in business in India. In 2009, the companys business increased by 31 percent in this country despite the various environmental protests against it. But the final quarter results of 2009 showed a decrease of 18 percent in the companys profit worldwide. In 2010, the company registered revenue of 7.53 billion US dollars in the first quarter. This shows that the company expects to have a bright year ahead. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/16128/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29161172/ http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Coca-Cola_Company_(KO) http://equityclock.com/pictures/CocaColaEnterprisesInc.TechnicalAnalysis_3A38/image_thumb_3.png Environmental Factors: The company has been accused of a number of environmental issues around the world. In India, Coca-Cola has been nicknamed even as Killer Coke in certain areas. It was feared that Coke contains hazardous levels of pesticides that could cause numerous health issues. A study conducted by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, revealed that Coke and Pepsi contains toxins like lindane, DDT, malathion etc. These pesticides if consumed could even result in Cancer or irreparable damage to immune system. CSE also found that the Coke that is sold in India contained 30 times the permitted level of pesticide residues as per European Union regulations. 1n 2005, the Kerala State government banned the production and selling of Coke but it was overturned by the state high court in the same year itself. The company was also blamed for over use of water resources and thus depleting the ground water table. The 16$ bottling plant in Kerala was shut down in 2004 due to severe decay in both quantity and quality of water in the surrounding areas. The plant there uses almost 900,000 litres of water every year for its purposes. According to the renowned environmentalist Vandana Shiva, it takes almost 9 litres of water to produce one litre of Coca-Cola. In the holy city of Varanasi, India, the Coca-Cola plant near the Ganges has been accused for emitting waste water which contained toxins into the river. The packaging of the bottles has also been a cause of concern to the public and alleges to have serious environment impact. The company still claims to be environmental friendly in all its ventures. The Coca-Cola environmental foundation is said to be actively participating in environment issues like waste management, recycling etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_local.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CocaColaIndia.gif Political Factors: As far as the political factors are concerned, they affect the company in meager way. It is because the governmental activity which is the major part of political environment has a little impact over the company. Over the recent years the company met with a lot of protests in India and Middle East. Still it was able to outrival PepsiCo by a small percent. In the last century there have been issues in Israel regarding the construction of a plant over there. The company was accused of boycotting Israel in order to appease the Arab League. These still had an impact over the market of Middle East. The environmental laws have some impact over Coke and other companies operating in the same industry. Over the past two years, the government of India has introduced some modifications to the existing laws that are likely to affect Coke. But the company is introducing changes in the plants as well as implementing proper wastage handling system and this would reduce the impact of these laws. Tax system in India is a little complicated because it involves a variety of regulations. The license needs to be updated every time the production capacity is increased. This can pose certain problems to the company. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coca-Cola_Company Ethical factors: The Coca-Cola Company has been involved into a number of ethical issues over the past. The major controversies include those like violation of human rights and following unethical business practices. The company has been charged of monopolistic and other discriminatory practices which affected its goodwill. In 2005, the European Union found that the companys business methods suppressed competition and hence the company had to end its dealings with bars and shops for stocking its drinks. In the same year itself, Coca-Cola Export Corporation was charged a fine of 68 million dollars for unfair commercial practices. In the early 2000s the company was also criticized for racial discrimination in its US offices and had to pay a hefty fine of 192.5 million dollars. The company is also involved in a number of cases related to environmental degradation, ground water depletion, overuse of pesticides etc. in India. This had affected the reputation of Coca-Cola in India in a major way. http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_local.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola Conclusion To summarize it can be said that Coca-Cola Company has gone through a number of challenging situations in the past five years. The major challenge was the protests from the environmentalists for exploiting the resources. The company has tackled this issue to an extend by agreeing to the demands of the protesters and the governments. But it should put in more effort to get back the reputation it had in third world countries. Innovative technologies that are eco-friendly must be introduced. The company is now into more and more green initiatives which are a very positive sign. If such efforts continue, it would undoubtedly be the most reputed and recognized brand in the world. Recommendations In this current dynamic world scenario, its always best if the organization is well informed about the changes that are being taken place in its business environment. By this way the company can foresee the trends and come up with new strategies to cope up with them. It is recommended that Coca-Cola Company gives importance to some factors. These include: Introduce new programs aimed at public welfare and thus show their true concern for the society. Through this way try to be a model for other companies in following CSR activities. Follow the environmental regulations and norms properly. Make the public aware that the company has and is following strict environmental ethics. New technologies that produce superior quality products and that do not affect the environment must be invented. Understanding the exact needs of customers and try to find solutions to them in a harmless way. References Bibliography PankajMehra, Aspects of Business Environment, 2008, Omega Publications John Kew, John Stredwick, (2005), Business environment: managing in a strategic context, CIPD Publishing

Fidel Castro, the Cuban people’s Leader Essay -- History Castro Histor

Fidel Castro, the Cuban people’s Leader Fidel Castro and the United States of America have a very tense relationship. The current president of Cuba has helped the less fortunate people of Cuba in many ways, but in doing created conflict between the wealthier Cubans who in turn have chosen to seek homes on US soil in Florida. Castro is a very powerful leader who speaks for the people, in general, of Cuba. Since the 1960’s when Castro took power US relations with Cuba have decreased and instead of indifference to each other, hostility has arisen main from the US towards Cuba. Fidel Alexander I Castrate Ruz was born August 13, 1926 in Birà ¡n. He attended Catholic schools before attending the University of Havana graduating with a degree in law. He was a member of a social democratic party named the Ortodoxo Party, which strongly critized the government of Cuba under the control of Fulgenclo Batista. He then ran for election to the Cuban House of Representatives. The elections were never carried out; instead dictator Batista halted the elections thereby ending democracy in Cuba. As a result of Batista actions, Castro attacked on July 26th, 1953 against the Moncada army barracks with 120 men. The attack failed and Fidel was arrested and sentenced to fifteen years but was pardoned after two years. During his trial preceding the sentence he gave his famous speech, â€Å"History Will Absolve Me† (Team 1). After being released he fled to Mexico. During his exile in Mexico he trained and assembled the 26t of July Movement. He gained support fr om Che Guevara before leaving aboard the Granma to invade Cuba in 1956. The revolutionaries returned to Cuba and hid in the Sierra Maestra mountains gaining the support of the peasa... ...cept Fidel Castro’s regime and instead of blockading the country embrace the programs such a great leader has created. Works Cited - BBC News. â€Å"Lift Cuba embargo, Carter tells US.† BBC News 30 February 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1988192.stm>. - Caldara, Jon. â€Å"We Need Cigars; They Need Freedom.† Boulder Daily Camera. 1 June 2003. http://i2i.org/article.aspx?ID=682>. - Castro, Fidel. â€Å"History Will Absolve Me.† Personal Speech. 1953. - Goodman, Josh. â€Å"Help end the embargo; visit Cuba.† The Yale Herald. 17 January 2003. http://www.yaleherald.com/article-p.php?Article=1555>. - Leler, William. â€Å"End the Embargo of Cuba.† Global Exchange. 17 October 2004. http://leler.com/cuba/embargo.html>. - Team 18355. â€Å"Fidel Castro.† Biography. 2 March 2005. http://library.thinkquest.org/18355/fidel_castro.html>.

Business Continuity Plan as a Part of Risk Management

Celem niniejszej pracy jest zaprezentowanie roli i znaczenia Planu Ciaglosci Funkcjonowania Przedsiebiorstwa w calosciowym procesie zarzadzania ryzykiem w firmie oraz przedstawienie przykladowej tresci takiego planu.Rozdzial pierwszy zawiera ogolne wprowadzenie do zagadnienia zarzadzania ryzykiem. Przedstawia on definicje ryzyka w sensie, w jakim jest ono rozumiane w niniejszej pracy. Ponadto, znajduje sie w nim opis wielorakich zagroSen, ktore sa zwiazane z funkcjonowaniem przedsiebiorstwa, a takSe lista metod sluSacych do pomiaru ryzyka oraz opis przykladowych postaw, jakie sa przybierane wobec zagroSen. W rozdziale drugim zaprezentowano pojecie Zarzadzania Ciagloscia Funkcjonowania Przedsiebiorstwa. Znajduje sie tu charakterystyka ewolucji tego zagadnienia oraz wyjasnienie, dlaczego Plan Ciaglosci FunkcjonowaniaPrzedsiebiorstwa jest dokumentem o ogromnym znaczeniu dla firmy i jej interesariuszy. Ponadto, w rozdziale tym poddano dyskusji pewne szeroko rozpowszechnione mity dotyczac e Zarzadzania Ciagloscia Fukncjonowania Przedsiebiorstwa. Ta czesc pracy konczy sie opisem Analizy Wplywu na Przedsiebiorstwo jako glownego narzedzia, ktorym posluguje sie opisywany typ zarzadzania. W rozdziale trzecim przedstawiono rezultaty dokonanej przez autorke analizy roSnych Planow Ciaglosci Funkcjonowania Przedsiebiorstwa i ich szablonow.To studium bylo podstawa do zaprezentowania przykladowej struktury Planu oraz opisu najczesciej spotykanych w nim bledow. Ostatni rozdzial zawiera takSe charakterystyke faz wprowadzania i testowania Planu, ktore sa rownie waSne jak etap jego przygotowania. Wspolczesne przedsiebiorstwa nie moga sobie pozwolic na postawe reaktywna wobec realnych zagroSen, gdyS wydarzenia bedace w stanie zaklocic ich funkcjonowanie sa liczne i moga zaistniec zarowno w wewnetrznym, jak i zawnetrznym srodowisku firmy. Profesjonalnie przygotowany i skrupulatnie 5 aktualniany Plan Ciaglosci Funkcjonowania Przedsiebiorstwa cechuje postawe proaktywna. Jest nie tylko ogromnie pomocny w przezwycieSaniu trudnosci, ale dla interesariuszy firmy stanowi takSe dowod jej wiarygodnosci. MoSna wiec oczekiwac, Se coraz wiecej przedsiebiorstw bedzie sie staralo zdobyc ten nieoceniony atut. 6 ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to present the role and significance of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) in the holistic process of a company’s Risk Management, and to provide a characteristic of exemplary BCP contents. The first chapter contains a general introduction into Risk Management.It delivers the definition of risk as it is understood in the context of the present thesis. Moreover, there is a description of multiple risks which are relevant to a company’s activity, as well as a list of the risk measurement methods and an account of exemplary attitudes towards threats. The second chapter presents the question of Business Continuity Management (BCM). It characterizes the evolution of this concept and explains the reasons why the BCP is a documen t of utmost importance to the company and its stakeholders. What is more, certain wide-spread myths concerning BCM are also disputed there.This part of the thesis ends with a description of Business Impact Analysis as the main tool of Business Continuity Management. The third chapter provides the results of the author’s analysis of various Business Continuity Plans and their templates. That study has been the basis for the presentation of an exemplary structure of a Business Continuity Plan, as well as for the description of the most frequent mistakes which occur in BCPs. The last chapter also contains a characterization of implementation and testing phases which are as significant as the preparation of a Business Continuity Plan.Modern companies cannot afford a reactive stance towards possible threats as the dangers which may disrupt their functioning are multiple and come both from the inner and outer environment. A professionally prepared and carefully updated Business Con tinuity Plan characterizes a proactive attitude. Not only does it significantly help to overcome difficulties, but it is also a convincing proof of the firm’s reliability to all its stakeholders. Therefore, it may be expected that more and more companies will attempt to acquire this invaluable asset. 7 INTRODUCTIONThe present thesis is the result of the author’s interest in various aspects of Risk Management, especially in the procedures which are applied by companies in case their functioning is faced with a serious threat. The most effective method used by business units is called Business Continuity Management (BCM) and focuses on the preparation and implementation of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). The aim of this thesis is to present the role and significance of a Business Continuity Plan in the holistic process of a company’s Risk Management, and to characterize the contents of an exemplary Plan.The first chapter contains a general introduction into Risk Management and includes, inter alia, a description of multiple threats which are relevant to the company’s activity and a list of risk measurement methods. The second chapter discusses the concept of Business Continuity Management, explains the importance of Business Continuity Plan and characterizes the steps which lead to the development and implementation of this document. In the third chapter, there is a description of the contents which should be included in a Business Continuity Plan.That presentation is based on the author’s analysis of various BCPs and their templates. The exemplary materials enclosed in appendices have been provided by Punk, Ziegel & Company, Business Link, London Borough and Wallsal Council. All the translations which are enclosed in the present thesis have been made by the author. The references have been edited in accordance with the traditional Footnote/Endnote System. 8 CHAPTER 1 RISK MANAGEMENT This chapter contains an introduction into the nature and types of risk, as well as a description of the methods by which risk is assessed and managed.All these issues are inseparably connected with the concept of Business Continuity Plan, which aims at making provisions for the whole spectrum of present and future threats that may put a company's proper activity into danger. When a company decides to prepare and implement such a plan, it has to carry out a complex and accurate analysis of all the factors which may influence its operation, so that even the least expected dangers are taken into consideration. The first phase of drafting a BCP requires the recognition of existing and prospective risks, evaluation of their possible impacts and assumption of particular attitudes towards them.These vital steps are covered by Risk Management, which helps to organize the findings and solutions in a logical way. The proactive nature and principles of this comprehensive process will be presented and explained in the following chapte r. 1. 1. The Definition of Risk Risk and uncertainty are inseparable parts of every aspect of life. As Jan Mikolaj writes, â€Å"risk is connected with human activity, while uncertainty applies to the environment. †1 When these terms are used in the scientific context, they must be precisely defined.Some of the authors of economic and financial literature do not stress the difference between them. For example, Allan Willet states that â€Å"risk is objective uncertainty of the occurrence of an undesirable event. †2 In his opinion, â€Å"risk changes in accordance with uncertainty, not with probability level. †3 Similarly, Joseph Sinkey defines risk as â€Å"uncertainty connected with some occurrence or profit 1 2 Jan Mikolaj, Risk Management, (RVS FSI ZU, Zilina 2001), p. 17. Allan Willet, The Economic Theory of Risk Insurance, (Philadelphia 1951), p. . 9 in the future. †4 Frank Reilly thinks that â€Å"risk is the uncertainty that the investment may not bring the expected return. †5 However, the prevailing trend in modern professional literature is to differentiate between them. According to the Dictionary of Economic and Financial Terminology by Bernard and Colli, risk is â€Å"the probability of incurring losses by a business unit as a consequence of making a certain economic decision by this unit. The probability results from the uncertainty of the future. 6 The same source states further that â€Å"the concept of uncertainty is used in the situation when calculus of probability cannot be applied, whereas the term risk concerns recurrent events which possibility of occurrence can be calculated using the calculus of possibility. †7 Similar classification is introduced by Frank Knight. In his opinion, risk is a â€Å"measurable uncertainty,†8 while â€Å"immeasurable uncertainty†9 is uncertainty sense stricto. According to Irving Pfeffer, â€Å"risk is the combination of hazard and is measurable by pr obability mathematics, whereas uncertainty is measured by the level of confidence.Risk is a state of the world while uncertainty is a state of mind. †10 To summarize, risk means â€Å"a condition in which there exists a possibility of deviation from an outcome that is expected or hoped for. †11 Risk â€Å"can be expressed as a probability, ranging from 0 to 100 percent. †12 What is important, although not often mentioned in professional literature, there is not only the negative aspect of risk, but also the positive one. Thus, it is a possibility of loss as well as gain. 3 4 ibid. Joseph Sinkey, Commercial Bank Financial Management, (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. 1992), p. 391. 5 Frank Reilly, Investments, The Dryden Press, (London: Intenational Edition, Collins, 1988), p. 463 6 Bernard and Colli, Slownik ekonomiczny i finansowy, (Wydawnictwo â€Å"KsiaSnica†, 1995), p. 156. 7 ibid. , p. 157. 8 Frank Knight, Risk, Uncertainty and Profit, (Boston: Univ ersity of Boston Press, 1921), p. 233. 9 ibid. 10 Irving Pfeffer, Insurance and Economic Theory, (Illinois: Irvin Inc. Homewood, 1956), p. 42. 11 Reto Gallati, Risk Management and Capital Adequacy, (New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2003), p. 7. 12 ibid. , p. 8. 10 1. 2. Risk in Business ActivityThe volume and diversity of risk obviously depend on a company’s type and branch of economy, but risk as such is a phenomenon which accompanies in its versatile forms any kind and field of business activity. It may come from the external environment of a company as well as from the internal one. For some entrepreneurs, risk is a necessary evil, whereas for others it is an additional motivation, if not the main one. Whatever the point of view is, if a given business activity is to succeed, it is essential to recognize what are the kinds of possible risk, asses their possible impact and acknowledge ways of reacting towards them.Such identification will considerably help in developing a suitable a ttitude, which allows minimizing a potential loss and maximizing a gain. 1. 2. 1. Types of Risk Types of risk which threaten a company’s activity are complex and numerous. Classifications of risk provided by professional literature differ with regard to the assumed criteria. The following comprehensive categorization is based mainly on the division presented in the book Risk Management in Emerging Markets.How to Survive and Prosper by Carl Olsson13: †¢ business risk (also called strategic risk) concerns potential results of inappropriate strategies, inadequate allocation of resources and changes in economic or competitive environment; †¢ market risk is associated with potential results of changes in market prices. It can be divided into: – interest rate risk, –foreign exchange risk, – commodity price risk, Carl Olsson, Risk Management in Emerging Markets. How to Survive and Prosper, (London, Pearson Education United, 2002), pp. 35-36. 13 11 shar es price risk; †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ credit risk means that a debtor may not pay in due time; industry risk regards operating in a particular industry; liquidity risk applies to inability to pay debts because of the lack of available funds; operational risk means potential results of actions by people, processes, and infrastructure; accounting risk concerns a possibility of financial accounts not being in accordance with the reality; reputation risk regards the results of changes in a company’s reputation; country risk is associated with effects which the mother ountry’s and foreign countries’ economic policies may have over the company; sovereign risk applies to lending money to the government or a party guaranteed by the government; political risk means results of changes in political environment; legal/regulatory risk is associated with the consequences of non-compliance with legal or regulatory requirements; environmental/ecological risk applies to the changes in natural environment which affect a company; systemic risk concerns small events which may produce much larges results than expected; technological risk is associated with the consequences of bringing new technology products to the market and introducing new IT systems; natural risk concerns natural and space disasters. All these risks usually appear simultaneously and their effects are synergic. Therefore, none of them should be ignored when considering the company’s situation. After realizing the large number and complex nature of different types of risk involved in all aspects of business activity, a logical step is to try to estimate their potential impact and results. 12 1. 2. 2. Methods of Risk Evaluation An assessment of a particular risk, both internally- and externally-driven, allows taking an appropriate attitude towards it.As Andrzej Stanislaw Barczak writes, such a measu rement involves both subjective and objective elements. 14 The subjective component consists in assuming a priori particular stipulations of a given evaluation tactic, as well as interpreting obtained results in a specific way. The objective constituent derives from the common agreement of the business circle on the methods widely applied to the assessment of risk. Two main types of risk measurement tactics are quantitative risk assessment and qualitative risk assessment. 1. 2. 2. 1. Quantitative Risk Assessment The main conception of quantitative risk assessment is to determine the cost of a given unwelcome occurrence, i. e. o calculate how big the loss would be if an adverse event happened. As it is pointed out in The Security Risk Management Guide, â€Å"it is important to quantify the real possibility of a risk and how much damage, in monetary terms, the threat may cause in order to be able to know how much can be spent to protect against the potential consequence of the threat . †15 This method involves: †¢ evaluation of assets (determining the overall value of a company’s assets, the immediate financial impact of losing the asset and the indirect value of losing the asset); †¢ measurement of the Single Loss Expectancy (SLE), which means â€Å"the total amount of revenue that is lost from a single occurrence of the risk. 16 It is calculated by â€Å"multiplying the asset value by the exposure factor (EF). The 14 Andrzej Stanislaw Barczak, Ryzyko – kategoria obiektywna czy subiektywna? , (Poznan: WSB, 2000), s. 30. 15 Microsoft, The Security Risk Management Guide, (Microsoft Corporation, 2004), p. 19. 16 ibid. , p. 18. 13 exposure factor represents the percentage of loss that a realized threat could have on a certain asset. †17 †¢ assessment of the Annual Rate of Occurrence (ARO), which is â€Å"the number of times that one can reasonably expect the risk to occur during one year. †18 This step is very diffi cult; it bases on historical data and previous experiences, and requires consultation with experts. calculation of the Annual Loss Expectancy (ALE), which stands for â€Å"the total amount of money that an organization will lose in one year if nothing is done to mitigate the risk. †19 This figure is established by multiplying the SLE and the ARO. †¢ valuation of the Cost of Controls (ROSI), i. e. establishing â€Å"accurate estimates on how much acquiring, testing, deploying, operating, and maintaining each control would cost. â€Å"20 It is estimated by using the following equation: (ALE before control) – (ALE after control) – (annual cost of control) = ROSI Although quantitative risk analysis provides clearly defined goals and results, all of the involved calculations are based on subjective estimates, which may prove inaccurate. Moreover, the whole process can be long and costly. 1. 2. 2. 2. Qualitative Risk AssessmentIn opposition to the quantitative method, qualitative risk assessment does not â€Å"assign hard financial values to assets, expected losses, and cost of controls†21 but instead, 17 18 ibid. , p. 19. ibid. , p. 19. 19 ibid. , p. 19. 20 ibid. , p. 19. 21 ibid. , p. 20. 14 â€Å"calculates relative values. †22 It involves distribution of questionnaires among people in the company who have relevant skills and knowledge, and workshops. The questionnaires are designed to discover what assets and controls are already deployed, and the information gathered can be very helpful during the workshops that follow. In the workshops participants identify assets and estimate their relative values.Next they try to figure out what threats each asset may be facing, and then they try to imagine what types of vulnerabilities those threats might exploit in the future. The information security experts and the system administrators typically come up with controls to mitigate the risks for the group to consider and the approx imate cost of each control. Finally, the results are presented to management for consideration during a cost-benefit analysis. 23 This tactic does not require a lot of time and it is not a big burden for the people involved. What is more, the results of the implemented solutions are quickly visible. However, the estimated figures are often perceived as too vague.These two presented approaches are often used together in order to obtain the most comprehensive information about a potential threat. Although scientific methods of risk assessment are helpful in estimating the possible impact which particular occurrences may have on the company’s activity, it is essential to remember that none of the methods can be perceived as 100% trustworthy and absolutely infallible. However, even if it is impossible to predict all threats and provide for all undesirable events, the significance of risk evaluation tactics combined with human knowledge, experience, imagination and intuition canno t be questioned. 1. 3. Risk Management in Business ActivityThe fact that the phenomenon called risk is measurable and its occurrence may be predicted means that it is also possible to take preventive measures and proactive attitude towards it. As Reto Gallati stresses, â€Å"the term Risk Management is a recent creation, but the actual practice of risk management is as old as civilization itself. †24 In everyday life, people face risk in a varying degree all the time and they manage it in a natural way so as to minimize undesired impact and render possible profits. 22 23 ibid. , p. 20. ibid. , p. 20. 15 Certain individuals even enjoy plunging into extraordinarily dangerous situations in order to check how they will cope in difficult moments.However, Andrew Holmes notices that â€Å"at the individual level, if a person takes a risk and fails to manage it properly, the damage is limited to him, and maybe his near relatives,†25 while â€Å"the management of risk for orga nizations is not as simple. †26 As it was presented in the part 1. 2. 1, the company is a subject to various and multiple threats. Holmes stresses that â€Å"ultimately, all risks have a financial impact. †27 The complexity of the required actions aimed at coping with the risk means that â€Å"within the modern corporation, risk management must encapsulate managing strategic, business, operational, and technical risks, rather than those associated with pure finance such as credit, interest rate, and currency risk. †28 Nowadays, Risk Management is not an extra feature added to a company’s basic activity, but â€Å"an essential skill of all modern corporations. †29 All usiness units should realize its great importance, because it is essential not only for their success but simply survival. According to Holmes, a company’s attitude towards the risk depends on its risk sophistication, which can be divided into five stages30: †¢ at the lowest level of sophistication (reactive stance), risks are dealt with only when they turn into live issues or when crisis strikes. There is no effort to recognize and measure possible risks in advance. †¢ At a slightly more sophisticated stage, a company understands the importance of risk management and takes the trouble to identify and manage threats more actively. It tends to seek out the best practice and views adverse events in a wide context. At the next level, there are organizations which acknowledge the need to manage risks throughout the organization and usually develop some form of 24 25 Reto Gallati, Risk Management and Capital Adequacy, (New York: McGraw Hill, 2003), p 11. Andrew Holmes, Risk Management (Oxford: Capstone Publishing, 2002), p. 2. 26 ibid. 27 ibid. 28 ibid. 29 ibid. 30 ibid. , p. 8. 16 risk management framework to ensure consistency of approach. †¢ At the following stage, a company understands the link between risk and reward. It is aware that for eve ry risk there is an associated opportunity which can be exploited. Such a business unit is often a market leader and is willing to take risks to achieve its strategic objectives. At the ultimate level of risk sophistication, there are organizations which integrate risk management with the goal of enhancing shareholder value. Thus, they shift the responsibility for risk management away from the traditional areas of audit and compliance to everyone within the organization. Of course, the active process of Risk Management requires commitment and focus as it means following a deliberate set of actions which are designed to identify, quantify, manage and then monitor the events or actions that could lead to financial loss. Often, there is too little data about a given risk, and therefore, this kind of management may involve a large degree of judgment and assumptions concerning the future. 1 Yet, all the effort is worthwhile as â€Å"successful organizations tend to be excellent risk man agers, not only because they understand the risks they face, but also because of how they manage them. Conversely, those organizations that are poor at risk management spend no time scanning the risk horizon, instead leaving their futures to fate. This invariably means shocks, falling market share, takeovers and missed opportunities. †32 As Holmes reflects, â€Å"risk management is both an art and a science, and being successful depends on how well the two are kept in balance. †33 1. 3. 1. Methods of Risk Management John Holliwell, the managing director of Smith Williamson Consultancy, once said, â€Å"There is nothing wrong with risk.It is the lifeblood of business and the test of entrepreneurs and managers. What matters is how you handle risk and the culture in 31 32 ibid. ibid. 17 which you operate. ’’34 A similar thought is expressed by Clifford Tijok, â€Å"Entrepreneurial behaviour demonstrated in real life entails, i. a. , the ability to enter int o calculated risk, so that return-driven opportunities can be pursued and the ability to identify the relevant risks associated with these opportunities and the decision on appropriate behaviour to address these risks. †35 When a company decides on its risk management techniques, it usually analyses the following features: Table 1. Factors influencing the type of risk management framework required by the organization36ors the type of risk managementframework required by an organizatio FACTORS INFLUENCING RISK MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENT DIMENSIONS TO CONSIDER Strategy risk appetite of owners/risk managers industry geographical coverage aggressive or conservative risk taking or risk averse sunrise or sunset industry; primary, manufacturing, service sector local, national, regional or global is the company critically dependent on critical success factors one or two factors which require close management? volatility is the environment likely to change significantly or unpredictability ? monopoly, few or limited number of osition in industry players, or free market with many players and no barriers to entry is the area of operations highly controlled by regulatory environment legislation and/or regulatory bodies? are regulators intrusive or hands off? 33 34 ibid. ibid. , p. 2. 35 Clifford Tijok, Risk Management in Finance, (Lehrverangstaltung, 2005), p. 8. 36 Carl Olsson, Risk Management in Emerging Markets†¦ pp. 110-111. 18 is deregulation occurring or the level of regulation increasing? management style centralized or decentralized adequate or inadequate people and resources technology resources, financial position – adequate funds available, highly or lowly geared. tatus/ownership Organizational culture Public or privately owned Is the culture strong or weak? are they simple and predictable or nature of risks faced complex/ unpredictable? is the size of risks manageable or is catastrophic risk a cause for concern? Such an analysis leads to adopting one of the main risk management techniques, as presented by Cliff Tijok37: †¢ †¢ †¢ risk limitation – a company establishes its range of tolerance towards a given risk and constantly monitors whether the limits are not breached; risk avoidance – a company chooses the least risky option or none of them; risk transfer – a company reduces or completely transfers specific risks by hedging against a risk (i. e. , obtaining insurance) or diversification.Whatever the approach is, managing risks â€Å"takes a degree of courage and requires the organization to take responsibility for its actions. †38 It is a continuous process, which is â€Å"based on a distinct philosophy and follows a well-defined sequence of steps. †39 After the application of the methods and rules provided by risk management, the obtained data are organized in a clear and logical way. This is the basis which allows the company to go one level up and prepare action schedul es that will be used in case a recognized danger occurs. An essential part of such planning is encompassed by Business Continuity Management and will be discussed in the next chapter. 37 38 Cliff Tijok, Risk Management†¦ pp. 12-13. Andrew Holmes, Risk Management†¦ p. 2. 39 Reto Gallati, Risk Management†¦ p. 11. 19 CHAPTER 2 BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT This chapter provides information on what is Business Continuity Management, when it appeared in the history of management, what purposes it serves and how it should be organized and introduced into a company’s activity. Moreover, it contains a description of the steps which lead to the preparation of a Business Continuity Plan and of the implementation process that follows. Business Continuity Management forms an integral part of Risk Management. It met with particularly deep interest in the 1990s as the result of the frenzy which concerned the year 2000.At that time, there were many anticipated business conti nuity problems, implicated by the date change in computer systems. Business Continuity Management became even a bigger focus of attention in 2001, after the terrorist attack in New York. As Michael Gallagher observes, that huge calamity â€Å"increased awareness of business interruption issues, resulted in a better understanding of critical processes and vulnerabilities and improved co-operation and collaboration between public and private sectors on emergency management questions. †40 Lyndon Bird adds that â€Å"‘business today has far more economic interdependency between regions than ever before. There are often global consequences when risk becomes reality. 41 Yet, at the same time â€Å"there is a growing awareness of what business continuity really is about and why it is so important to both businesses and individuals. †42 8 2. 1. The Concept of Business Continuity Management Business Continuity Management (also called BCM) is defined by the Business Conti nuity Institute as â€Å"a holistic management process which identifies potential Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management, (Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited, 2003), p. 7 41 Lyndon Byrd, â€Å"Business Continuity Management in a shrinking world,† Business Continuity & Risk Management (a supplement distributed in The Times), July 26 2006, p. 2 40 20 mpacts that threaten an organization and provides a framework for building resilience and the capability for an effective response that safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders, reputation, brand and value creating activities. † Its main purpose is to enable the company’s regular functioning, even though everyday operations are disrupted. As Lorraine Lane observes, â€Å"organizations must be capable of withstanding the shocks that can so easily distract management from their primary purpose of meeting and beating their ‘normal’ operational goals. †43 BCM appears as the solutio n that is exactly needed to guarantee such stability to the business. Obviously, BCM looks different in various companies as each organization is a unique system of multiple factors and interdependencies.Dr David Smith explains that â€Å"because of its all-embracing nature, the way BCM is carried out will inevitably be dependent upon, and must reflect, the nature, scale and complexity of an organization’s risk profile, risk appetite and the environment in which it operates. †44 Gallagher supports this view by stating that â€Å"the plan must fit comfortably with the culture and management style of the organization. For example, the type of plan that suits a financial institution would be totally inappropriate in a radio or television broadcasting organization. †45 It is also very important to acknowledge that the company’s BCM must be continuously revised and tested, in order to stay valid and fulfill its tasks. As Dr Smith emphasizes, â€Å"BCM is, by necessity, a dynamic, proactive and ongoing process. It must be kept up-to-date and fit-for-purpose to be effective. 46 Maintaining the validity of proper plans and policies is actually more difficult than establishing them, but this is what constitutes the point of developing BCM by a business. On the following page, there is an approximate structure of steps involved in Business Continuity Management, which is focused on planning. 42 43 ibid. â€Å"Corporate resilience: the new regime,† Business Continuity & Risk Management,†¦, p. 11 44 David Smith, â€Å"Business continuity and crisis management,† Management Quarterly, July 2003, p. 27 45 Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. 43 46 ibid. 21 Scheme 2. 1. Procedures involved in Business Continuity Management47 INPUTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. scope definition desired objectives policies and standards inventory – information, technology, people management commitment financeANALYSIS ASSET ASS ESSMENT BUSINESS IMPACT ANALYSIS TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS 1. analyze BIA and Asset Assessment 2. list technical strategies based on the analysis of each asset and business process in scope 3. document drawbacks and advantages of each listed strategy 1. identify and quantify asset needs 2. document ownership 3. assign weight based on importance 4. assess exposure 5. identify access control and other preventive measures 1. rate processes based on criticality 2. identify dependencies 3. identify custodian 4. identify threats and consequences 5. identify safeguards needed/possible 6. list critical resource requirement 7. quantify acceptable owntime and and losses DEVELOPMENT 1. 2. 3. define continuity goals and chosen strategy in the form of a plan acquire resources needed for preparing and implementing the continuity plan test the plan RESULTS 1. 2. 3. 4. preventive control Business Continuity Plan continuity team training plan for team 47 Padmavathy Ramesh, Business Continuity Planning, (Tata Consultancy services, 2002), p. 28 22 2. 1. 1 The Evolution of BCM As Halls observes, â€Å"Business Continuity Management is a relatively modern idea. Its first mentions can be found in the 1980s, although it was only in the very late 1990s that it became a more widespread as a business discipline. 48 In fact, Business Continuity Management is â€Å"the outcome of a process that started in the early 1970s as computer Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) and then moved through an era where the emphasis was on business continuity planning rather than on management. †49 In that time, computer managers were responsible for DRP. Soon, they realized that â€Å"the concentration of systems and data in itself created new risks; computer operations management introduced formal procedures governing issues such as backup and recovery, access restrictions, physical security, resilience measures such as alternative power supply, and change control. †50 In 1970s, if a big probl em appeared, the tolerated downtime was not measured in hours, but days. Therefore, â€Å"the cost of back-up computers sitting idle in an alternative location waiting for a disaster to happen was prohibitive. However, for some companies, data safety was a priority; no matter at what cost it would be obtained. As Gallagher points out, â€Å"organizations such as banks were in a more vulnerable position and invested considerable resources in installing and testing computers at alternative sites. Back-up tapes or disks were increasingly stored at protected locations well away from the computer centre. †51 Later, in the 1980s, commercial recovery sites offering services started to appear, often on a shared basis. â€Å"This was the start of the sophisticated recovery centers that operate today,†52 notes Gallagher. However, they all concerned mainly IT: â€Å"The disaster recovery plans documented the actions required to safeguard and restore computer operations.These co vered computer processing, computer applications, telecommunications services and data after a disruptive event. The objectives were to 48 49 Michael Halls, â€Å"What is Business Continuity Management? † †¦ Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. 6 50 ibid. 51 ibid. 52 ibid. 23 prevent or at least minimize the impact that such an event would have on the business. †53 Such plans were far from being perfect as â€Å"they were more concerned with, for example, restoring a company’s financial systems to an operational state than with worrying about whether there would be accommodation available to allow the staff of the finance department actually to use the systems. 54 Not much attention was paid to implementing BCL into every aspect of the company’s activity. In 1990s, a significant change in the IT environment took place and the movement from DRP to Business Continuity Planning became considerably quicker. Gallagher confirms tha t â€Å"throughout this decade, and into the 2000s, there were significant changes in the IT approach to DRP/BCP and in what constituted acceptable downtime. The emphasis moved from being mainly on IT to an approach that considered all aspects of an organization’s business and relationships. †55 It is only then that â€Å"BCP has become BCM with the emphasis on management – not just planning.This encompasses the emphasis on risk management and the measures to be taken to reduce risk. BCM is no longer regarded as a project – it is now a program, emphasizing that it is a continuous process rather than a task with a defined enddate. †56 The next step is to make managers of all companies aware of the importance of BCM as â€Å"the increased recognition of BCM means that a greater budget allocation may be available to it. More significantly, the message preached by business continuity practitioners for years that business continuity principles should b e an integrated part of the business planning process may be heard. † 57 2. 1. 2 The Significance of BCMThanks to proper Business Continuity Management, a company has a professional plan which allows acting as quickly and efficiently as possible in case a dangerous 53 54 ibid. ibid. 55 ibid. 56 ibid. 57 ibid. 24 event happens, because â€Å"BCM not only aims to provide continuity in customer service at a minimum acceptable level, it also aims to limit the impact on the financial position of an organization by ensuring that its critical functions continue to operate during a crisis and that the remainder are recovered in a controlled manner. †58 Therefore, when a BCP is applied, there are no chaotic, haphazard attempts to minimize the losses as clear and logical procedures have been devised earlier and communicated to the staff.As Mel Gosling notices, â€Å"decisions made in the first few hours of an event that causes serious disruption to an organization’s opera tions are critical, and actions undertaken in the first few days will have a significant financial impact†59 and â€Å"a company that has an effective and well-tested Business Continuity Plan is more likely to take the right decisions in the first few hours and to subsequently undertake the best actions to limit the impact on its financial position. It has a better chance of incurring significantly less additional expenditure at the time of a disruption. †60 Moreover, â€Å"one of the benefits that implementing business continuity management brings to a firm, which is not immediately apparent, is an understanding of what the business does and what is important to it. †61 In this way, a company can analyze its allocation of resources and improve it, as well as â€Å"find out what is critical and of value, and what can be outsourced or left undone. †62 Besides, certain companies, e. g. , financial institutions, are legally obliged to develop BCM and maintain an effective business continuity plan.It is also becoming increasingly common that businesses require from their suppliers to be presented with their BCM plans. This facilitates the process of assessing the supplier’s infallibility and constitutes an element of developing a sound business relationship. Mel Gosling, â€Å"Why invest in business continuity,† 1 February 2007, . 59 ibid. 60 ibid. 61 ibid. 62 ibid. 62 ibid. 58 25 The investment into Business Continuity Management is beneficial not only in the matter of a business being prepared for multiple diverse crises. It also adds significantly to the company’s reputation and brand image by â€Å"demonstrating effective and efficient governance to the media, markets and stakeholders. 63 Moreover, it enhances the competitive advantage of the business, because to some investors and customers it may be a vital factor in deciding to which company they should entrust their capital. Osborne explains it as follows, à ¢â‚¬Å"To a firm’s shareholders it’s part of investor relations – you are showing your commitment to keeping their investment safe. To a firm’s staff it is labour relations – you are showing your willingness to protect the livelihood of your staff. †64 Furthermore, he stresses that â€Å"it’s customer relations too – you’re demonstrating your commitment to providing a service for them even in the most extreme of circumstances. †65 Last but not least, devising professional plans and keeping them updated increases the company’s credibility in the eyes of nsurers and auditors because they are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of BCM. As Osborne observes, â€Å"Five years ago, auditors simply would have said to their clients, do you have a plan in place? A couple of years ago, they would have wanted to inspect it, to see if every contingency was covered and how practical it appeared to be. Nowadays, they will ask how it worked in practice. When it was last tested and what were the results? †66 What is more, â€Å"insurers like to see evidence that all reasonable steps have been taken to understand the past accident record and that actions have been put in place to prevent them from happening again. 67 This is confirmed by Gosling, who states that â€Å"insurance companies themselves are now starting to realize the opportunities that business continuity provides for loss reduction, and it is becoming increasingly common for a condition of insurance cover to be the existence of a business 63 64 David Smith, â€Å"Business continuity and crisis management,† †¦ p. 27 Ask the panel of business continuity experts,† †¦ 65 ibid. 66 ibid. 67 â€Å"Pro-active Risk Management: Avoiding catastrophe. † Business Continuity & Risk Management,†¦, p. 14 26 continuity plan. †68 All in all, devising and implementing an effective BCM plans brings ve rsatile advantages to a company, while the failure to do so â€Å"means taking an unnecessary risk with an organization’s future and profitability. †69 2. 1. 4 Continuity Culture in a Company A vital step in forming Business Continuity Management in a company is to instill a proper attitude in the staff.Michael Gallagher believes that â€Å"it is about creating a continuity culture in the organization. This can be at least as important as producing the actual plans. †70 He also states that â€Å"for BCM to work, it must be driven from the top. â€Å"71 Therefore, senior managers must understand that BCM is â€Å"not just another expense but also a significant resource,’ 72 as Mike Osborne assures. However, the amount of data that has to be taken into consideration while developing preventive measures is overwhelming. Lane points out that â€Å"while responsibility for corporate resilience sits firmly with the executive board, the skills and experience required to combat the growing list of disruptive threats exists throughout the organization. 73 Thus, in large companies, it is a wise move to appoint a full-time Business Continuity Manager, whose tasks are to accumulate the relevant knowledge from all departments and co-ordinate proper procedures, as well as devise professional plans and keep them updated. Smaller businesses may use the services offered by consulting companies. The staff’s awareness of specific procedures ready to be applied in case of any foreseeable disaster enhances their efficiency and identification with the company. Instructing them of the specific plans encourages them to pay bigger attention to the safety issues, which significantly contributes to the BCM process. 68 69Mel Gosling, â€Å"Why invest in business continuity,† †¦ ibid. 70 Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. XI 71 ibid. 72 â€Å"Ask the panel of business continuity experts,† Business Continu ity & Risk Management,†¦, p. 12 73 David Smith, â€Å"Business continuity and crisis management† †¦ p. 27 27 Gallagher explains that â€Å"if the business continuity culture is sufficiently developed, the continuity considerations will be a natural part of the development of the plans. †74 2. 2 BCM and the Company’s Size For the definite majority of large corporations, BCM is a regular part of their activity but, as Gallagher states, â€Å"there is a feeling that it is not a matter of concern to the smaller business. 75 This happens because â€Å"a lot of the emphasis in the business continuity press, and in business continuity material generally, relates to large organizations and to the financial services industry. †76 While â€Å"for the largest corporations and those with enormous sums of money at stake, the complexity of planning is breathtaking,†77 â€Å"small and medium-sized enterprises tend to get ignored when talking about bus iness continuity planning. The planning is more prosaic. The challenges are fewer. And most importantly, their budgets are smaller. †78 Another problem is the fact that â€Å"smaller companies are typically less aware of the correct procedures than larger firms where systems have been developed. 79 The managers of small and medium-sized businesses simply tend to think that their company’s size is a kind of safeguard against a disaster, or that potential recovery will be quick and simple, so â€Å"the process of developing a plan is perceived as too complicated, involving excessive costs and management time. †80 However, Mike Osborne emphasizes that â€Å"the issue for small to medium sized businesses is that they often do not have the inherent resilience that say, a UK multinational has. †81 He warns the managers against an illusive safety feeling as â€Å"smaller firms often trade from a single location and do not benefit from vast armies of support sta ff and Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. 88 Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. 28 76 ibid. 7 Michael Halls, â€Å"What is Business Continuity Management? † Business Continuity & Risk Management,†¦, p. 3 78 Michael Halls, â€Å"Small is still beautiful (but riskier too),† Business Continuity & Risk Management,†¦, p. 10 79 ibid. 80 â€Å"It’s never too late to plan for the future,† Business Continuity & Risk Management,†¦, p. 15 75 74 28 specialists who can react to and recover from an incident. If they are hit by a disaster, the impact is greater then it would be the case in a larger organization. †82 This view is supported by Gallagher, who states, â€Å"Small businesses should remember that their biggest threats do not come from high profile incidents such as earthquakes or terrorist bombs.It is the dozens of relatively minor issues such as prolonged power outages or computer ne twork failures that may cause the problems. The vast majority of problems are caused by people or process failures. †83 He points out that â€Å"this is where the effort and investment should be concentrated. Because of size, the process is simpler and the cost will be proportionally less than for larger organizations. The consequences of not having a plan are, however, likely to be disastrous. †84 Therefore, as Michael Halls stresses, â€Å"Business Continuity Management is a must for companies of all sizes. A small firm that loses its data will go out of business just as surely as a larger one. †85 2. 3 BCM in Relation to InsuranceSome managers wonder why they should engage themselves into Business Continuity Management while their company is insured. To them, devising a BCM plan seems to be an unnecessary waste of time and money, because they think that risks are looked after by the insurers and thus, there is no need to worry. But these are absolutely false c onclusions. As Mark Baylis emphasizes, â€Å"insuring the risk is not the answer, because it is better for the business that the problem does not happen at all. † 86 This view is supported by Gallagher, who states that â€Å"insurance is simply a necessary part of the total business protection and recovery plan – but it is only a part. 87 Although it is true that insurance provides financial aid in case a disaster strikes, the money may 81 82 ibid. ibid. 83 Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. 28 84 ibid. 85 Michael Halls, â€Å"Small is still beautiful (but riskier too),† †¦ 86 Mark Baylis, â€Å"Weak links in the supply chain,† Business Continuity & Risk Management,†¦, p. 11 87 Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. 33 29 arrive after quite a long period. Moreover, â€Å"insurance for loss of profits, or for increased cost of working, will cover only a defined period – which in practice may prove to be inadequate. †88 Besides, â€Å"proving loss of profits can be very difficult.The outcome may be based on historical performance and may not take account of recent market developments. †89 It is also very important to notice that insurance will not â€Å"keep customers supplied or guarantee that market share will be recovered,†90 nor will it â€Å"protect the organization’s reputation and image. †91 Last but not least, as it was mentioned in the previous paragraph, there may be a situation when the insurer refuses to provide a cover unless the company devises a BCM, because nowadays businesses are required to act more actively in protecting themselves from various possible risks. Therefore, it is vital for a firm to have efficient Business Continuity Management in order to obtain insurance on favourable terms.To sum up, managers must remember that â€Å"insurance is reactive – while it has its place, the whole protection proce ss must be more proactive and BCM is the key. †92 2. 4 Business Impact Analysis Business Impact Analysis (also known as BIA) is the most important tool of Business Continuity Management. Gallagher defines it as â€Å"a management-level analysis that identifies the impacts of losing company resources. It measures the effect of resource loss and escalating losses over time in order to provide senior management with reliable data upon which to base decisions on risk mitigation and continuity planning. †93 The BIA process â€Å"identifies and ranks the business processes, 88 89 ibid. , p. 34 ibid. 90 ibid. 91 ibid. 92 ibid. 93 ibid. , p. 146 30 criticalities and dependencies. 94 It is closely related to risk analysis, which was discussed in the previous chapter, therefore, it may base on the materials that have already been gathered during the general Risk Management process in the company. The method by which BIA is carried out â€Å"depends on the nature of the organiza tion – size, structure, local or international, etc. †95 Generally, in order to maximize the efficiency of a BIA processes, standardized questionnaires should be used. They should contain questions which are formed in such a way as to provide information that concerns the following issues: †¢ †¢ the nature of given problems; the impact of the problems, which should be presented from different perspectives, e. g. the company’s reputation, costs involved, loss of future business, etc. †¢ †¢ †¢ the influence that may be caused by the problems at different times of the day, week, month and year; the kind of resilience that may be currently provided in a quick and easy way; the recovery from the addressed problems (time needed for recovery, priorities for resumption, duration of backlog, additional costs, insurance cover); †¢ †¢ the available workarounds and the way they operate; the continuity and recovery requirements, e. g. , acco mmodation, computer systems, etc. 96 After the questionnaires have been filled in, the Business Continuity Manager prepares a comprehensive report which presents the company’s Business Impact Analysis. The report is composed of the following parts: 1. Introduction 2. Executive Summary 3. Background to Study 94 95 ibd. , p. 47 ibid. 96 cf. Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. 57 31 4. Current State Assessment 5. Threats and Vulnerabilities 6. Critical Business Functions/Operations 7. Business Impacts – Operational and Financial 8. Potential Strategies 9. Recommendations 10. Conclusion 11.Appendices97 Thanks to the logical and substantial structure, the report fully represents the current standing of the company, clearly indicates its weak points and realistically describes possible procedures. Business Continuity Management is an extremely important process, which not only enables the assumption of proper attitudes towards multiple threats that endanger a firm’s functioning, but it also significantly deepens the understanding of the business and improves the staff’s morale. Proper implementation of BCM in a company leads to the creation of a Business Continuity Plan, which will be discussed in detail in the following chapter. 32 CHAPTER 3BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN In the previous chapters, the importance of Business Continuity Management was explained and it was stated that devising a Business Continuity Plan is one of the main tasks of this type of management. This chapter provides information on how to construct, implement and test a Business Continuity Plan. Moreover, it contains a description of the most frequent mistakes that appear while drafting a BCP and advises how to avoid them. The exemplary plans and templates on which the analysis is based are attached as Appendices B, C, D, E and F at the end of the present thesis. 3. 1 The Structure of an Exemplary Business Continuity PlanBusiness Continuity Plan s vary in length and are divided into different parts, which mostly depends on the size and type of a company. However, certain sections are vital and thus common for all the plans. They should be organized in such a way as to enable quick access to the required information. These crucial parts will be successively discussed herein. 3. 1. 1 Front Page and Introduction On the front page of a Business Continuity Plan, there should be written the name of the company, the issue date and a distinct lettering stating BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN. Moreover, if the Plan is confidential, it should be indicated on the front page as well. Optional elements inserted here may include contact details for feedback, references, the revision date, etc.These components are followed by an introduction, which consists of a distribution list (copy number, name and location) and a table of contents. 97 cf. Michael Gallagher, Business Continuity Management,†¦, p. 57 33 3. 1. 2 Aim This section should con tain the description of the purpose for which the Plan has been created. It usually gives examples of possible disasters and explains the objectives which the plan is intended to meet in case of a calamity. What is more, a company which wishes to convey an especially powerful message concerning its reliability may include in this part a summary of the extensive works and professional researches which have been involved in the development of the Plan. 3. 1. 3 Critical Functions ChecklistCritical Functions are these activities without which the company would not be able to perform. In order to prepare a Critical Functions Checklist, the following steps should be completed: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ the identification of Critical Functions, e. g. , sales and distribution; the description of the Functions in terms of the impact which may be caused by their interruption in the first 24 h, 48 h, one week and two weeks; the prioritization of the Functions; the ascription of a reasonable timeframe within which the recovery is possible; the determination of resources which will be necessary in the recovery process, such as: a) the staff – the required number of people, their knowledge and skills; b) alternative location – e. g. the staff working at home or provisional premises; together with necessary equipment like computers, cars; c) data – information and documents, e. g. , insurance certificate, service, customers and suppliers details; d) communications – all ways in which customers, suppliers, the staff and media can be contacted in case of disaster. 34 Such a Checklist allows ensuring that â€Å"critical tasks are completed on time and according to a pre-agreed priority schedule. It may also be used to provide a handover document between different shifts in the recovery process. †98 3. 1. 4 Risk Analysis Table This part should contain a table comprising a list of dangers which may interrupt and threaten the activi ty of the company.The matrix presented below may be used to ascribe values to the particular risks with regard to the likelihood of their occurrence and their potential impact. Table 3. 1. 4 Risk Matrix LIKELIHOOD NEGLIGIBLE CATASTROPHIC RARE UNLIKELY POSSIBLE PROBABLE M M M L L H H M L L VH VH H M L VH VH H M L VH VH H M L IMPACT SIGNIFICANT MODERATE MINOR INSIGNIFICANT Legend: L – low, M- medium, H – high, VH – very high Moreover, there may be also attached a list of possible losses, endangered people and equipment, as well as the actions which had to be taken in case a particular risk occurs. 98 Appendix D, p. 77. 35 3. 1. 4 Emergency Response Checklist Such a Checklist greatly facilitates the performance of people involved in fighting a potential adverse event.It also acts a concise register of actions that were taken after the disaster happened. It should be later analyzed, developed and improved. It is preferable that tasks to be completed are organized in the form of a table, together with a column in which the date of termination will be written down. The actions may be listed as follows: †¢ during the first 24 h a) to establish the Actions and Expenses Log, which is a more detailed and comprehensive version of the Emergency Response Checklist; b) to contact emergency services; c) to identify and approximately assess the damage which has been incurred by the staff, equipment, buildings, data, etc. d) to determine the critical functions which have been interrupted; e) to decide on the steps that need to be taken within the recovery process, which is based on the Critical Function Checklist; f) to contact the staff, customers, suppliers, insurers, relevant authorities and other stakeholders in order to assure them that the situation is under control; g) to issue a special PR statement to the media. †¢ daily within the recovery period a) to update the Actions and Expenses Log; b) to provide valid information to the staff, cu stomers, suppliers, insurers, relevant authorities and other stakeholders, as well as the media; †¢ after the recovery period a) to interview the staff with respect to their welfare needs; b) to analyze the Emergency Response Checklist and Actions and Expenses Log in order to introduce possible improvements into the Business Continuity Plan. 36As it can be seen, the response to the crisis should focus on its effects, not on the causes. The reasons of the adverse event should be identified as quickly as possible, but a comprehensive analysis of them must not be performed before the main steps of the recovery process have been taken. 3. 1. 5 Roles and Responsibilities This section should contain information and contact details regarding the people who are responsible for the shape and content of the Business Continuity Plan (e. g. , Business Continuity Manager, the BCM Team). Moreover, there may be included a list of duties which are ascribed to the particular staff members in ca se an adverse event happens.Last but not least, it is necessary to indicate the names and contact details of the co-ordinators of the recovery process, help-line numbers (possibly, with pre-recorded messages) and location of meeting rooms and the Business Recovery Command Centre, together with maps. 3. 1. 6 Contact List In this part, there should be listed the following contact details: †¢ staff members (divided in respect to the departments) and their next of kin a) name, b) address, c) work telephone number, d) home telephone number, e) mobile telephone number, f) e-mail address; †¢ key suppliers a) name, b) provided goods, c) address, d) telephone/fax number, 37 e) e-mail address; †¢ key customers a) name, b) service/good used, c) address, d) telephone/fax number, e) e-mail address; †¢ mergency services (ambulance, fire service, flood line, hospitals, police) a) address, b) telephone number; †¢ utilities (water, telecommunication, gas and electricity comp anies) a) name, b) telephone number, c) e-mail address; †¢ insurers and banks a) name, b) address, c) telephone/fax number, d) e-mail address; †¢ authorities a) name b) address c) telephone/fax number; †¢ media a) name, b