Uncertainty And Catastrophe Management

This book studies the variety of organizational strategies selected to cope with critical uncertainties during crises. This research formulates and applies an institutional sense-making model to explain the selection of strategies for coping with uncertainties during crises to answer the question why some organizations select a rule-based strategy to cope with uncertainties, whereas others pursue a more ad hoc-based strategy. It finds that the level of institutionalization does not affect strategy selection in the initial phase of responding to crises; that three rigidity effects can be identified in the selection of sense-making strategies once organizations have faced the failure of their selected strategies; that discontinuities in the feedback loop of sense-making do not necessarily move organizations to switch their sense-making strategies, but interact with institutionalization to contribute to switching sense-making strategies. This book bridges the gap between institutional thinking and crisis management theorizing. A major step forward in the world of crisis management studies! ——Professor Arjen Boin, Leiden University, the Netherlands In a world of increasingly complex, sociotechnical systems interacting in high-risk environments, Professor Lu’s analysis of how organizations manage uncertainty is both timely and profound. ——Professor Louise K. Comfort, Director, Center for Disaster Management, University of Pittsburgh, USA Prof. Lu greatly enhances our understanding of how organizations cope with uncertainty and make sense of their challenges under the pressures of catastrophe. ——Dr. Arnold M. Howitt, Faculty Co-Director, Program on Crisis Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School, USA This book provides not only a theory of crisis management but also a key concept around which research and practice can be conducted. ——Professor Naim Kapucu, Director of School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida, USA A generic institutional model for analyzing and managing hazards, disasters and crises worldwide. ——Professor Joop Koppenjan, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands This book has done an excellent job in opening the black box of how organizations make sense of the crisis situations they face and develop strategies to respond. It should be read by all of us who wish for a peaceful and safe world. ——Professor Lan Xue, Dean of School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, China

"Natural disasters, instability in the finance and banking sector, widespread social protests, and other crisis situations have increasingly become the focus of public attention. With the growing visibility of such events, accelerated by the rise and proliferation of social media, the study of risk and crisis management in the Internet age is of vital importance. Uncertainty and Catastrophe Management is a clear and comprehensive guide to a variety of crises, and seeks to offer practical advice on how best to avoid them, minimize loss and damage once they have occurred, and how best to recover from these situations. The book examines 104 cases that run the gamut from natural disasters such as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, to social movements like the Ukrainian protests in 2013, from the Syrian Electronic Army's cyber-attacks, to the reputational damage to firms in the wake of a corporate scandal. This book is a revised and expanded edition of Akira Ishikawa and Atsushi Tsujimoto's book, Risk and Crisis Management: 101 Cases, and explores a number of recent events. It draws on the expertise of the contributors to the volume to create a well-rounded book that will benefit professionals, academics, and the general public alike. In particular, safety professionals, public management professionals, CEOs, CIOs, students and researchers will appreciate its pragmatic approach to dealing with and recovering from crises in the interest of long-term survival and sustainability."--

' Natural disasters, instability in the finance and banking sector, widespread social protests, and other crisis situations have increasingly become the focus of public attention. With the growing visibility of such events, accelerated by the rise and proliferation of social media, the study of risk and crisis management in the Internet age is of vital importance. Uncertainty and Catastrophe Management is a clear and comprehensive guide to a variety of crises, and seeks to offer practical advice on how best to avoid them, minimize loss and damage once they have occurred, and how best to recover from these situations. The book examines 104 cases that run the gamut from natural disasters such as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, to social movements like the Ukrainian protests in 2013, from the Syrian Electronic Army''s cyber-attacks, to the reputational damage to firms in the wake of a corporate scandal. This book is a revised and expanded edition of Akira Ishikawa and Atsushi Tsujimoto''s book, Risk and Crisis Management: 101 Cases, and explores a number of recent events. It draws on the expertise of the contributors to the volume to create a well-rounded book that will benefit professionals, academics, and the general public alike. In particular, safety professionals, public management professionals, CEOs, CIOs, students and researchers will appreciate its pragmatic approach to dealing with and recovering from crises in the interest of long-term survival and sustainability. Contents:Risk and Crisis Management for Natural Disaster: Case 1–28:How Communication Technology Must Be Harnessed in an Emergency (Akira Ishikawa)How to Deal with Psychological Stress (Akira Ishikawa)How to Get the Injured to Hospital (Akira Ishikawa)What do the Edlerly Need to do to Plan for Disasters? (Yiwei Li)The Role of Science Museum which shows Disaster Articles (Atsushi Tsujimoto)Risk and Crisis Management for Daily Life: Case 29–61:What to Do If a War Breaks Out While in a Foreign Country (Akira Ishikawa)Why Portable Toilets are Essential (Akira Ishikawa)What Clothing and Other Personal Effects are Appropriate (Akira Ishikawa)How can Science Museums Contribute to the Popularization of Science Knowledge? (Yiwei Li)The Danger of Being Anonymous on an Internet Forum(Shigeo Kawashima)Risk Management for Government and Business: Case 62–100:Why a Physical Distribution System is Necessary (Akira Ishikawa)How to Predict Disasters (Akira Ishikawa)What Lessons were Learned from the Fukuchiyama Line Train Derailment? (Atsushi Tsujimoto)How to Prevent Personal Information Leakage (Atsushi Tsujimoto)How to Win Customer Loyalty from Customer Grievances and Complaints (Akira Saito)and other papers Readership: Undergraduate/graduate students and researchers interested in crisis and risk management; CEOs, CIOs, managers and executives, safety professionals, public management professionals and specialists, crisis and risk management professionals in both profit and non-profit organizations. Key Features:Examines contemporary cases, mainly in the past six years, from the Asia Pacific, the USA, and EuropeFocuses on the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011Looks at great detail at the ongoing political crisis in UkraineOffers concise pointers on how to implement risk and crisis management strategies in real-world situationsCovers a range of risks and ways of managing and dealing with them, ranging from natural disasters to business riskKeywords:Uncertainty;Catastrophe Management;2011 Great East Earthquake;Japan;Natural Disaster;Management for Daily Life;Management for Government and Business;Crisis Management;Risk Management;Contingency Plan;Disaster Recovery;Crisis Communication;Recovery Plan;Terrorism;Internet Security;Information Security'

In an increasingly uncertain world, the pace of change is swift and quickening. Risk management is more important than ever before, and adaptability is key. Not every negative event can be mitigated, but the right approaches will allow a company to respond effectively and even to thrive in crisis situations. This approachable book features the advice of expert practitioner and academic authors, benefiting companies whatever their culture and operating environment. Worked examples and case studies span the operational aspects of risk management, reputation risk, and risks outside the control of any organization, forming a comprehensive guide. Detailed coverage includes: * Risk, metrics, and complexity * Countering supply chain risk * Business continuity management * Reputation risk and financial performance * Moving beyond compliance * Integrating catastrophe management * Human risk and rogues * Strategic risk management * Crisis management strategies * Exposure to country, political, and interest rate risks

Based on the research that has been conducted at Wharton Risk Management Center over the past five years on catastrophic risk. Covers a hot topic in the light of recent terroristic activities and nature catastrophes. Develops risk management strategies for reducing and spreading the losses from future disasters. Provides glossary of definitions and terms used throughout the book.

Disasters both natural and human-induced are leading to spiralling costs in terms of human lives, lost livelihoods and damaged assets and businesses. Yet these consequences and the financial and human crises that follow catastrophes can often be traced to policies unsuited to the emerging scales of the problems they confront, and the lack of institutional capacity to implement planning and prevention or to manage disasters. This book seeks to overcome this mismatch and to guide development of a more strategic policy and institutional framework. This updated and revised second edition includes new coverage of climate change adaptation, which has rapidly become central to disaster and emergency planning and management. This is an essential handbook for practitioners across the world seeking to improve the quality, robustness and capacity of their disaster management mechanisms.