Introduction
Ever since the H1N1 outbreak in 2007 that was declared a pandemic by a reactive World Health Organization (WHO); WHO and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been reluctant to move too quickly in declaring an outbreak, whether influenza, Ebola, Norovirus, Adenovirus, Mengla virus or any of the myriad of potential pandemic causing viruses a pandemic. Continue reading
There seem to be a lot of sightings of “Black Swans” lately. Should we be concerned or are we wishfully thinking, caught up in media hype; or are we misinterpreting what a “Black Swan” event really is? The term “Black Swan” has become a popular buzzword for many; including, contingency planners, risk managers and consultants. However, are there really that many occurrences that qualify to meet the requirement of being termed a “Black Swan” or are we just caught up in the popularity of the moment? Continue reading
Most experienced middle managers and staff are naturally wary of ‘new initiatives’. They have good cause. In general, you only have to have been in an organization for a few years to remember the last great initiative that fizzled out before it got off the ground. Piggy-backing on something that already has critical mass, momentum and – most importantly – a track record of short term success within the organization gets that ‘new initiative’ hurdle out of the way. Continue reading
BP’s Deepwater Horizon costs total $62billion. BP said Thursday that it expects the pre-tax cost of its 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill on the Gulf Coast to total $61.6 billion. The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill costs exceeded $7 billion. At market close 25 July 2018, Facebook Inc. was worth $630 billion. A day later: $510 billion. Continue reading
The number, size and scope of things distracting management’s attention from the task of running the business continues to expand at an increasing pace. Denial of the threats from smoldering issues drives leaders to underestimate the potential for reputational and financial damage that can be caused by bad information gone viral. Continue reading