Text C. Crisis Management Model

4.7.1Read the text attentively and say how CM planning helps provide the response to a crisis

 

Over recent years CM model process has been created. It includes three kinds of planning: management crisis planning, contingency planning and business continuity planning.

Management Crisis Planning

No corporation looks forward (не испытывает радости от ожидания) to facing a situation that causes a significant disruption (разрушение) to their business. Crisis management planning deals with providing the best response to a crisis.

Contingency Planning

Preparing contingency plans in advance (заранее), as part of a crisis management plan, is the first step to ensuring an organization is properly prepared for a crisis. The first hours after a crisis breaks are the most crucial (решающие), so working with speed and efficiency (эффективность) is important, and the plan should indicate how quickly each function should be performed.

The contingency plan should contain information that will help decision-makers to consider not only the short-term consequences, but the long-term effects of every decision.

Business Continuity Planning

When a crisis will cause a significant disruption to an organization, a business continuity plan can help minimize the disruption. First, one must identify the functions and processes that are necessary to keep the organization running (необходимые для дальнейшей работы организации). Then each critical function and or/process must have its own contingency plan in the event that one of the functions/processes ceases (прекращаться) or fails. Testing these contingency plans will allow for all involved to become more aware (осознающие) of "the possibility of a crisis. As a result, in the event of an actual crisis, the team "members will act more quickly and effectively.

 

4.7.2 Compose four disjunctive questions to the text

 

4.7.3 Make up the plan of the text

 

4.7.4 Make use of the questions for discussion

 

1 What parts does CM model include?

2 What is the role of planning in CM model?

3 What is the difference between the contingency planning and business continuity planning?

 

4.7.5 Speak on the main points of CM model?

 

 

Unit 5. Crisis Management Team

Pre-text exercises

5.1.1 Read the words and guess their meanings:

 

- recommend;	- stress;	- start;
- result;	- public;	- inform;
- potential;	- program;	- dialogue;
- session;	- practise;	- situation;
- role;	- activity;	- action;
- training;	- reputation;	- confidence.

5.1.2 Memorize the following words and word-groups from the text of the unit:

 

to prepare for a crisis - подготовиться к кризису;

to take steps - принимать меры;

to deal with a crisis - рассматривать/разрешать кризис;

to set up a crisis management team - создать команду по управлению кризисом;

to role play a crisis - проиграть кризисную ситуацию;

to hold training sessions - проводить тренинговые сессии;

to make decisions under stress - принимать решения в условиях стресса;

to circulate crisis management program - распространять антикризисную программу;

a contingency plan - план действий в непредвиденных случаях;

to depend to a certain degree - on sth - зависеть от чего-л в определенной степени;

to be at a loss - быть неспособным что-л сделать;

to keep sb informed - держать в курсе; осведомлять;

to take measures - принимать меры;

to overcome a crisis - преодолевать кризис;

to estimate the situation properly - оценивать ситуацию должным образом/правильно;

to correlate sb’s actions - соотносить чью-л деятельность/чьи-л действия с;

to admit mistakes - признавать ошибки;

to go right/wrong - получаться/не получаться;

to lose public confidence/ reputation - утратить доверие/репутацию общественности;

to regain the reputation - восстановить репутацию;

to damage to share price - нанести урон стоимости акции;

loss of reputation - утрата репутации;

to cost sb a huge amount of money - стоить/вылиться (в) огромную сумму денег;

to work out an action plan - разработать план действий.

 

5.1.3 Check up the meaning of the following verbs:

 

- to predict;

- to occur;

- to role play;

- to hold;

- to circulate;

- to unfold;

- to admit;

- to regain;

- to estimate;

- to ensure.

 

5.1.4 Find out English or Russian equivalents for the words and word-groups given below:

подготовиться к кризису;	--------------
--------------	take steps;
рассматривать/разрешать кризис;	--------------
создать команду по управлению кризисом;	--------------
--------------	role play a crisis;
--------------	hold training sessions;
принимать решения в условиях стресса;	--------------
--------------	circulate crisis management programme;
план действий в непредвиденных случаях;	--------------
зависеть от чего-л в определенной степени;	--------------
--------------	be at a loss;
--------------	keep sb informed;
принимать меры;	--------------
преодолевать кризис;	--------------
--------------	estimate the situation properly;
--------------	admit mistakes;
получаться\не получаться;	--------------
--------------	lose public confidence/ reputation;
восстановить репутацию;	--------------
утрата репутации;	--------------
--------------	work out an action plan.

 

5.1.5 Match the words and their definition (one item has been done for you):

 

1) reputation;	a) harm, loss;
2) unfolding;	b) to confess;
3) confidence;	c) to form an opinion about sth;
4) immediately;	d) suitably, correctly;
5) contingency;	e) a possibility causing problems;
6) damage;	f) opinion held by others;
7) to admit;	g) opening from a folded position;
8) to estimate;	h) full trust;
9) properly.	i) at once.

5.1.6 Give degrees of comparison of the following adjectives and adverbs:

 

- potential;

- helpful;

- immediately;

- huge;

- quickly;

- important;

- properly;

- necessary;

- speedily.

5.1.7 Text A. Read the text and suggest the title for it

 

How can companies prepare themselves for managing a crisis? What steps should companies take in dealing with a crisis? What should they do before, during and after the crisis?

Before the crisis set up a crisis management team. Then try to predict what crises could occur. If you can predict a potential crisis, you are recommended to role play it. It is very helpful to hold training sessions for managers where they can practise making decisions under stress. Write down and circulate your crisis management program. It should contain a contingency plan.

If you are in a crisis and you don't have a crisis management team, immediately set it up. Deal speedily with a crisis. The reputation of your company will depend to a certain degree on the team's activity. It is very important not to be at a loss. Start doing quickly in a crisis. It is necessary to inform all managers what is going on around you and keep them informed of unfolding events, what measures are taken to overcome the crisis. The important thing is to continue dialogue with your stake­holders: your employees, your customers, your shareholders, your suppliers to understand what they expect of you and thus to estimate the situation properly and correlate your actions. If you made mistakes admit the fact. Admit your mistakes quickly, tell the public, your stakeholders what went wrong, inform them all the time what you are doing to put them right. It is very important to keep communicating. If you don't do it, you will lose public confidence and then your reputation. The damage to your share price will follow. So you need to keep telling the public what is happening. Today the main result of the crisis facing companies is that of the loss of reputation. To regain the reputation that you have lost would cost you a huge amount of money.

After the crisis analyze everything what happened, find out the real reason for it. Then analyze all actions that you undertook for overcoming the crisis. Then work out an action plan to ensure the crisis will not happen again.

 

5.1.8 Match the beginnings of the sentences with their endings. One item has been done for you.

 

1 It is very helpful to hold	a) a crisis management team.
2 If you are in a crisis immediately set up	b) training sessions for managers.
3 Your crisis management program should contain	c) on the team's activity.
4 The reputation of your company will depend	d) a contingency plan.
5 It is necessary to keep all managers informed	e) what is happening.
6 You need to keep telling the public	f) of unfolding events.

 

5.1.9 Find the answers to the questions. One item has been done for you

 

1 What is it very helpful to hold if you are in a crisis?	a) You should immediately set up a crisis management team if you are in a crisis.
2 What should you immediately set up if you are in a crisis?	b) The reputation of your company depends on the team's activity.
3 What does the reputation of your company depend on?	c) It is very helpful to hold training sessions for managers.
4 What should all managers be kept informed of to overcome the crisis?	d) If the company lose public confidence and then its reputation, the damage to its share price will follow.
5 What will occur if the company loses public confidence and then its reputation?	e) The company should work out an action plan to ensure the crisis will not happen again.
6 What should the company work out to ensure the crisis will not happen again?	f) All managers should be kept informed of unfolding events and measures to be taken to overcome the crisis.