Many organisations, both large and small, believe that the type of crises they read about in the daily press will never happen to them.
 
They rarely appreciate the reputational impact a crisis can have upon their company or brand.
 
Moreover, they fail to see just how vulnerable they are - even when risk is staring them in the face.
 
Nor do 'crises' regularly appear on the bottom line, until that is, the enormous recovery costs have to be added to the balance sheet as an expensive post script.
 
The early hours of any incident are critical to its outcome and timely, preventative actions pays dividends that can make the difference between make or break, boom or bust.
 
The intelligent organisation recognises its enemies, knows when they will strike and is proactive in its defence.
 

• A head of state arrives in your hotel to find the main entrance blocked by hordes of aggressive demonstrators protesting about Human Rights.
• Months of planning and co-ordination and thousands of pounds are about to be lost when anarchists threaten your company's AGM.
• Your company becomes the target of anarchists and extremist groups, valuable property is defaced and damaged, production is threatened and employees are intimidated.
• A consignment of your branded baby food becomes contaminated with glass shards.
• A bomb explosion in the City closes your Head Office for weeks on end.
• A disaffected employee intent on revenge, steals intellectual property to be used in his own start-up. He also places a virus into your computer system: destroying files and bringing corporate activities to a deadening halt.
• An expatriate employee is beaten and abducted while driving through a 'no-go area' in a high risk location.
• A family member is kidnapped for ransom by insurgent revolutionaries.
• An extortionist, motivated by financial gain, spreads disinformation and sends your share price spiralling.
• You set up a manufacturing plant in Asia, only to discover that your highly confidential proprietary technology is liable to be replicated and your cutting edge lost within months if not weeks.

• Have you anticipated such scenarios by ensuring your business is audited for risk?
• Do you have practical, informed contingency procedures and crisis management plans formulated by staff who have undergone realistic simulation training?
• Do you have litigation support to ensure that your responses are both informed by sound legal counsel and comply with legislation in whatever country they occur?
• Can you prevent or minimise the possibility of the unexepected happening?
• Can you communicate effectively with the public, your shareholders, your staff and most importantly, the media?
• Do your employees have access to the proper counselling and recovery services in the event of a disaster?
• Does management appreciate the personal responsibility you have for both your company's assets and its staff?
• Does management fully understand the legal responsibilities you have towards your employees?

Feel prepared?

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