The threat of a long-lasting pandemic has been on the horizon for several years, with avian flu the most recent example of a severe outbreak waiting to happen. However, the catastrophic social and economic impacts of a pandemic are likely to vastly exceed what most corporate and governmental leaders have imagined, or are prepared for.
Marsh and the Albright Group, with funding through an educational grant by Roche, recently issued a new report to help better gauge global markets' needs in the event of a pandemic. The report, Corporate Pandemic Preparedness: Current Challenges to and Best Practices for Building a More Resilient Enterprise, has two primary focuses: social and economic.
The social impact looks at the health and well-being of citizens, families, employees, customers, and business partners. The economic impact includes a deeper understanding of the potential for disruption of operations and supply chains, as well as diminishing or fluxing demand for products and services.
The report also notes that outbreaks will likely move along modern transportation and distribution chains, with transportation hubs being especially vulnerable. Disruption at these hubs will be significant and could have an irreversible impact on businesses.
In addition to these insights, the report lays out a number of best practices that leaders can use to improve their state of pandemic preparedness. Some include:
- Treating a pandemic as a truly catastrophic event versus a "manageable disruption;"
- Establishing pandemic planning committees, supported by an actual budget;
- Prioritizing critical products and services and preparing to protect those, even at the expense of other important elements of a business model; and
- Estimating and planning for post-pandemic changes, including shifts in demand patterns, in the availability and morale of staff, and in infrastructure, both locally and to vendors.
A copy of the full Marsh/Albright Group report can be downloaded after completing this registration form.
Additional Resources for Dealing with Avian Flu
Business Continuity Preparedness Survey
Test your level of business continuity preparedness for avian flu with this
brief survey. After completing the survey, you may compare the ranking of
your most urgent issues with other survey participants by visiting the home
page of Marsh's Risk Consulting Practice site.
Risk Alert - Avian Flu: Preparing for a Pandemic
Download this special report which discusses corporate preparedness and business-continuity management considerations, as well as international implications and potential insurance coverage issues.
New Reality of Risk® Avian Flu Panel Discussion
Experts from the Centers for Disease Control, Marsh, Kroll and Mercer discuss the potential dangers of avian flu; its impact on business continuity; emergency and workforce management; and potential workers compensation and insurance coverage issues.
Contact Marsh to discuss avian flu preparedness:
