Crisis Management and Operational Resilience

The module will examine crisis management and operational resilience within organisations. It will cover the development of business continuity management (bcm) from its origins in disaster recovery with its foundations in post incident response, towards more holistic approaches combining strategic objectives and organisation-wide learning striving for more integrated, adaptive readiness.  

The metaphor of ‘bouncing forward’ is often invoked.

• Using the BCM lifecycle the module will demonstrate how to undertake an analysis of the business environment, prepare analytical frameworks, for example ‘the balanced scorecard’, implement BCM systems and ensure that a process of regular monitoring, testing and exercising takes place. The importance of embedding operational resilience in organisational culture is discussed as a key element of this entire process. This module also examines the implementation of Crisis Management and Crisis Communication strategies before and after a disruptive event in order to mitigate impacts or exploit opportunities using real-world examples.
• The module will familiarise students with the multifaceted crisis preparedness required in the business environment and equip them with key risk management skills to participate in BCM and wider resilience processes across organisational contexts.

Syllabus

• Relationship between BCM and risk management
• The drivers of operational resilience including governance (i.e., regulation, legislation and industry standards) and the changing business environment (e.g., A.I. and climate change)
• Creating a resilient organization – ‘bouncing forward’
• Conducting a business impact analysis (using the Balanced Scorecard - Kaplan)Developing a BCP
• Management of change: embedding operational resilience
• Operational management: from testing to incidents
• Cyber resilience
• Strategies for crisis management
• Artificial Intelligence and operational resilience – risks and rewards
• Reputation risk management through social media management
• Crisis communication/ crises learning

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• Critically appraise the drivers and rationale for operational resilience
• Examine, define and evaluate BCM and operational resilience frameworks in relationship to relevant industry standards
• Utilise various tools widely deployed in a business continuity context, for example, the Balanced Scorecard
• Consider and critique resilience as an organisational objective
• Critically evaluate the relationship between organisational culture and operational resilience
• Critically discuss crisis management approaches, crisis communication strategies and relevant theoretical frameworks
• Consider how the SDGs help in the provision of frameworks for addressing global challenges and crises

Face to face contact will comprise lectures and seminars. Lectures will highlight the key issues in a specific topic and signpost relevant journal articles and other resources. Lectures will include interactive elements (e.g. quizzes) and students will be expected to engage in class exercises.
Students will be required to prepare for seminars by engaging in literature searches, undertaking relevant reading and preparing responses to questions and/or scenarios. Seminars will provide the opportunity for smaller group-based exercises.

Participation in lectures and seminars will provide formative feedback to help students become familiarised with their areas of strength and weakness.

• In alignment with the GCU SfL 2030 and as part of the GSBS strategy of increasing the use of blended learning, tools such as Padlet and GCU's SMILE will be utilised. Podcasts (including relevant TED talks) will introduce students to a wide variety of related concepts and a diverse range of methods of communication, including narration, casual dialogue, scripted dialogue and interviews. The use of Podcasts is also supportive to visual and auditory learners.
• Towards the values underpinning the University for the Common Good, materials will align to SDGS - notably SDG 8 'Decent Work and Economic Growth', SDG 9 'Industry Innovation and Infrastructure' and 16 ‘Peace Justice and Strong Institutions’.
• Course content will explore how business continuity management can contribute to sustainable development by managing resources responsibly and mitigating potentially damaging environmental and social costs.

Students should have gained competence in the following key areas:
Generic Skills

• Presentation and communication skills.
• Ability to critically engage in risk policy analysis and debate.
• Understand the risk management processes and comparative organisational contexts.

Employability Skills

• Ability to compare and contrast different approaches to common problems.
• Ability to work independently and construct knowledge as part of a team.
• Understand the political, economic and social context of policy making

Digital Capabilities

Source and analyse data concerned with crises management in organisations

• Activity and Total hours
• Lectures 24
• Tutorials 0
• Practicals 0
• Seminars 12
• Independent Learning 114
• Assessment 50
• Workshop 0