In a Time of Disaster:

The CEO Can’t Afford to Panic

A disaster can strike at any time, but a crisis can only occur if one is not prepared. When a subway bombing occurs, CEO Gerald Smarten is faced with making an executive decision on behalf of Kaspa Financial Services and the community. However, he is not professionally or personally prepared for the challenge of deciding whether to allow their lobby to be used as a triage center and temporary morgue. In the event of an emergency, each organization should have a step-by-step contingency disaster-recovery plan and each leader should have the skills and training to implement emergency management. A step-by-step contingency disaster-recovery plan is specifically …show more content…

Comprehend and Assess the Situation. Safety and evacuation procedures would include assessing structural damages, personal injuries, and any other immediate needs of the employees. In this case, they are advised to “sit tight” due to the possibility of simultaneous attacks and lack of complete information (McNulty, 2010, p. 2). 2. Organize and Reassign Duties and Responsibilities of the Work Force. Kaspa will need to maintain adequate communication between their investors, customers, and their trading desks, and they do move most of their business off site. Communication between the Kaspa staff, the media, and emergency personnel will also be critical. Specific people should be assigned to gather information and report back on a consistent basis. For example, sending a person from the human relations department would an excellent choice for knowing what staff is missing and to communicate with outside personnel or emergency staff. As CEO, Mr. Smarten would likely be the one to handle any media questions and interviews. A small subset of employees would need to handle any remaining in house business and technical issues. First aid stations would be set up in house or by outside emergency personnel. 3. Executive Team Collaboration Including a Liability and Risk Assessment. An initial liability and risk assessment should be done through a lawyer or the person who could offer