CONSUMER NEWS    RECALLS    COMPLAINT FORM    SCAM ALERTS  


Complain about a product or service

Small Claims Guide | Class Actions | Lemon Law | FAQ | Resources | Newsletters | Spanish
Automotive    Education    Electronics    Family    Finance    Health    Homeowners    Shopping    Travel   
NEWS   Latest |  Archives |  Auto |  Cells, etc. |  Computers |  Financial |  Health |  Homeowners |  Parents |  Privacy |  Scams |  Seniors |  Travel

Global Corporations Struggle to Plan For Pandemic





July 10, 2006

Bird Flu

Bird Flu Not the Only Animal Disease Threat
Bird Flu Vaccine Trials 'Encouraging'
FDA Frets about Flu Drugs' Side Effects
World Not Ready For Bird Flu
Researchers: Bird Flu Pandemic Inevitable
Bird Flu Scare in Virginia
FDA Issues Flu Vaccine Guidelines
FDA Approves First Bird Flu Vaccine
More Flu Bugs Show Resistance To Anti-Virals
Seasonal Flu Shot Might Offer Some Bird Flu Protection
Experts Concerned about Tamiflu Overuse
Study Finds Much Bird Flu Planning is Misplaced
U.S. Orders More Bird Flu Vaccine
Scientists Identify Genetic Changes That Could Lead to Bird Flu Pandemic
Drug Interaction Can Render Tamiflu Ineffective
New Bird Flu Variant Renews Pandemic Concerns
Researchers Find New Weapon Against Flu Virus
Researchers Test Spreadability of Bird Flu Viruses to Humans
GlaxoSmithKline Claims Bird Flu Breaththrough
Global Corporations Struggle to Plan For Pandemic
Flu Pandemic Is "Inevitable," EU Experts Warn
Bird Flu Virus May Have Mutated In Indonesian Cases
Indonesian Nurse May Have Bird Flu
Study Warns of "Chaos" and "Panic" If Bird Flu Strikes
Investigators Find No Evidence Bird Flu Virus Has Mutated
Scientists Fear Bird Flu Virus May Have Mutated
Airlines Queasy About Quarantining Bird Flu Victims
More ...

A significant majority of global corporations currently have either a detailed avian flu pandemic readiness plan in place or are in the process of developing a plan, according to a report released by The Conference Board.

Nearly three-fourths of the 553 responding global companies either have a plan or are well into developing one, and 85 percent of the survey participants began their planning efforts within the last 12 months.

"As concern about the possibility of an avian flu pandemic becomes increasingly widespread across the globe, a large number of companies are taking steps toward adopting a risk mitigation strategy," says Amy Kao, co-author of the report from The Conference Board with David J. Vidal, Research Director, Global Corporate Citizenship, The Conference Board.

"The effectiveness of business plans and the quality of relationships necessary for their successful implementation in times of extreme public, private and social stress remains open to question," Vidal added.

Of the one quarter or so responding companies without a specific avian flu pandemic preparedness strategy, about half of them simply do not see such planning as a current business priority; while 20 percent feel that their existing business continuity plan is adequate to manage the threat.

"Small and privately held companies represent the majority of those without an avian flu plan and are therefore the organizations most vulnerable to the risks of a pandemic," say Kao and Vidal.

Large and publicly held companies appear to be the most advanced in their preparations for a possible avian flu pandemic. Approximately 95 percent of companies with more than $5 billion in sales either have an up-to-date preparedness plan or are in the process of planning. But, 65 percent of companies with less than $100 million do not yet have any plans specifically in place addressing the impact of an influenza pandemic.

"The variability of business responsiveness to planning alone—with large companies more willing and able to do so than smaller companies—underscores vulnerability in the current state of pandemic readiness planning," said Vidal. "Given that successful pandemic containment would require extraordinary levels of business, social, governmental and individual awareness, knowledge, and cooperation, these gaps provide reason for pause."

No Coordination

According to The Conference Board report, the most significant disadvantage in not conducting formal pandemic preparedness planning may be the virtually total absence of coordination with the public sector.

An overwhelming 94 percent of participating companies report that they have not had discussions with any level of government officials about their organization's ability to provide essential services or access to facilities, equipment, or staff during a pandemic.

In addition, the gap in readiness efforts is significantly felt between those companies in critical industries and non-critical industries. A critical industry is defined as those designated by government as vital to national economic continuity in a crisis. Companies in the healthcare, energy/utilities, chemical manufacturing, and computer/technology manufacturing industries ranked at the top for either having a plan in place or being in the process of planning.

Health care and computer/technology manufacturing industries are farther along in their planning efforts, with 30% of those in both industries having a complete plan ready in the event of a pandemic.

Since most companies surveyed began pandemic preparation planning in the last 12 months, survey results showed companies in all phases of planning, from those with a completed pandemic preparedness plan to those in an embryonic stage of having identified a pandemic coordinator but not yet beginning the planning process.

However, the majority fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, either in the process of updating a plan that is already in place or assessing the impact of a pandemic prior to drafting a plan.

In the event of a pandemic, companies are most concerned about the health and welfare of employees, operational continuity, and their telecommuting capabilities to enable employees to work from home.

Identifying critical positions within an organization constitutes a basic first step toward minimizing business disruptions. A third of companies have completed the task; just under half are in the process of identifying critical positions, and the remaining 20 percent have not yet begun the process but plan to do so in the future.

Survey findings indicate that a median of 37 percent of the total workforce within an organization are considered critical for operational continuity. In anticipation of high absenteeism, more than two-thirds of companies plan to continue to depend upon their existing workforce to maintain normal business operations by cross-training employees to be skilled in multiple jobs. Two-thirds of survey participants don't know whether employees who are asked to cover for absentees will be offered additional compensation.

Some companies plan to gather additional human resources by pooling with other organizations and contracting retired workers to come back to work temporarily to ensure that critical positions are filled.

Most companies are expected to rely on IT technologies so employees will be able to continue to work away from the workplace. Seventy percent are currently enhancing existing capabilities to allow employees to work from home or from a satellite facility during a pandemic. Firms say that they intend to use emails, intranets, management briefings and crisis hotlines, when given a choice of which methods of employee communications they plan to use.

"While telecommuting may alleviate some business disruption, the downstream effects stemming from supply chain disruption will likely remain significant," says Kao. "In fact, about half of survey participants predict that impact from delivery and supply chain disruptions will be very serious or extremely serious."

There doesn't seem to be a strong consensus on any specific criterion that would activate an organization's pandemic preparedness plan. Close to one-third of the survey participants report that their plan will be activated when the World Health Organization (WHO) declares Alert Level 4 (increased human-to-human transmission).

Eighteen percent said that their plan would go into effect when a pandemic situation is declared in a country where their organization has operating presence; while 15 percent simply don't know.



Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.


Consumer News

May 16 2008

Recent Recalls & Safety Alerts

READER SERVICES

Print, Email & More

Subscribe

Free consumer newsletters
Sign up now!





Back to the top |

Advertisement


Home | Rogues Gallery | Good Guys | Complaint Form | News | Recalls | Search | Video | FAQ |
Consumer Resources | Small Claims Guide | Lemon Law | Newsletter | Contact Us
Advertise With Us | Testimonials | Newsroom | RSS Feeds | Radio | Job Postings




Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2008 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.