A Supply Chain Management Guide to Business Continuity

The smooth, consistent operation of your company's supply chain--from procurement through delivery, and everything in between--is directly tied to cash flow, profitability, and growth, as well as essential factors such as customer trust, stakeholder confidence, and the protection of the brand. When the unexpected occurs--whether it's in the form of environmental disaster, social disruptions such as strikes or sabotage, an accident that affects production, failure on the part of a supplier, terrorist attack, or the loss of a key staff member--your production and productivity can be ground to a halt, often with dire consequences. Yet despite growing awareness, many business continuity plans still fail to properly account for incidents affecting the supply chain. Filled with powerful assessment tools, detailed disaster-preparedness checklists and scenarios, and instructive case studies in supply chain reliability, A Supply Chain Management Guide to Business Continuity focuses on supply chain business continuity within the framework of your overall business continuity program. Easy to understand, and filled with practical solutions and suggestions, this essential guide shows you how to: recognize and mitigate potential threats, risks, and hazards * evaluate and select suppliers, contractors, and service providers * develop, test, document, and maintain business continuity plans * follow globally accepted best practices * analyze the potential business impact of supply chain disruptions The book gives you a foundation in business continuity basics, as well as an overview of the entire business continuity planning lifecycle. You'll learn how to protect against risk in a way that's right for your organization, integrating all the elements of the supply chain, from purchasing through distribution, and honestly assess your company's current disaster management capabilities. The book provides a sequential process for developing supply chain business continuity strategies, writing actionable business continuity plan documents, performing a business impact analysis, and ensuring that you meet current business continuity standards, regulations, and requirements. Whether your organization is large or small, no matter what type of business you do, failure to plan for events that can lead to supply chain disruptions can devastate company performance, damage profitability and stock prices, and result in irreparable harm to your organization. This book shows you how to take the precautions you need and be prepared to protect your supply chain...no matter what. BETTY A. KILDOW has been a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) with the Disaster Recovery Institute International since 1998, and was named a fellow of the Business Continuity Institute (FBCI) in 2002. She has specialized in business continuity, disaster recovery, and emergency management consulting for more than 18 years. She is the author of Front Desk Security and Safety.