As the news of influenza pandemic broke out, it was witnessed that the government and health

officials rushed to purchasing medicines, conducting disaster drills and taking such initiatives

that would limit the spread of these diseases.

However, one survey indicated that 72% companies had not even begun to prepare for the bird

flu pandemic. Most of the business officials in United States stated that they had nobody in

charge of a plan that could identify the severity of the issue and its impact on operations. On the

contrary, Asian and particularly Southeast Asian countries had planned for this situation, as

they previously had to deal with the SARS outbreak in 2003 which brought the regions’

commerce to a standstill. But they were well prepared this time. A survey of 80 corporate

officials held by American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong found that nearly every

company had someone incharge of such catastrophic situations and 60 percent stated that they

had clearly mapped out plans that could be implemented immediately in such a crisis situation.

For instance, HSBC, a global bank took steps to help and prepare its employees work from

home and also prepared to divide work among multiple sites. Even FedEx said it had prepared

contingency plans down to every district or market in Asia Pacific.

But what about those businesses that had not yet prepared for a potential outbreak? A report on

the outbreak of such a deadly flu reported. “In a world where the global supply chain and real-

time inventories determine almost everything we do, down to the food available for purchase in

our grocery stores, the importance of advanced planning can not be overstated.”

1. What role do you think goals might play in a company’s planning for any possible

pandemic outbreak? List down some goals that you think might will be important.

2. What type of plans might companies need for this situation ( for instance short term,

long term or both) Explain why you think these plans are important in this situation

3. Being a manager what planning tools would you recommend to deal with this type of

situation effectively?