Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Bigger companies more prepared for flu pandemic
http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=7984
NEW YORK—Larger companies are more likely than small companies to either have a plan to deal with a possible avian influenza epidemic or to be in the process of developing such a plan, according to a survey conducted by The Conference Board.
“The companies most inclined to pandemic-specific planning tend to be large and publicly held and the least inclined are from the small and mid-market segments,” according to the survey, which was released Thursday.
Overall, about 75% of all companies surveyed reported already having or were actively working on an avian flu response plan.
Companies with sales of $5 billion to $10 billion were the most likely to either have a plan or be developing one, with only 3.3% reporting that no plan was in place or being developed. For companies with more than $10 billion in sales, 7.1% reported having no plan in place or being developed.
At the other end of the scale, however, around 35% of the companies with sales of less than $100 million had no pandemic emergency plans.
More than 98% of companies with plans or working on plans reported that they were concerned that the health and welfare of employees be addressed. Nearly as many—96.5%—expressed concern about operational continuity in their plans, and 91.7% said their plans would cover telecommuting and working from home.
The results were based on the responses of 553 companies from all parts of the world except the Middle East surveyed between mid-April and mid-May.
The Conference Board is a New York-based international business and research organization.
http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=7984
NEW YORK—Larger companies are more likely than small companies to either have a plan to deal with a possible avian influenza epidemic or to be in the process of developing such a plan, according to a survey conducted by The Conference Board.
“The companies most inclined to pandemic-specific planning tend to be large and publicly held and the least inclined are from the small and mid-market segments,” according to the survey, which was released Thursday.
Overall, about 75% of all companies surveyed reported already having or were actively working on an avian flu response plan.
Companies with sales of $5 billion to $10 billion were the most likely to either have a plan or be developing one, with only 3.3% reporting that no plan was in place or being developed. For companies with more than $10 billion in sales, 7.1% reported having no plan in place or being developed.
At the other end of the scale, however, around 35% of the companies with sales of less than $100 million had no pandemic emergency plans.
More than 98% of companies with plans or working on plans reported that they were concerned that the health and welfare of employees be addressed. Nearly as many—96.5%—expressed concern about operational continuity in their plans, and 91.7% said their plans would cover telecommuting and working from home.
The results were based on the responses of 553 companies from all parts of the world except the Middle East surveyed between mid-April and mid-May.
The Conference Board is a New York-based international business and research organization.