Sustainable Business Initiative - Executive Education

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Leading Away from Crisis

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3Sustainable Business Initiative Leading Away from Crisis

‘Leading away from Crisis’ focuses on how to prevent and protect your organisation from risks inherent in today’s business environment. Without effectively managing such risks, organisations could experience irreparable damage to their reputation and brand, which could lead to significant negative consequences including organisational decline and collapse.

Founded in 1843 as the library of the Free Church College, New College Library now serves as the University’s School of Divinity. It is one of the largest theology libraries in the UK, with over a quarter of a million items.

Overview

This intensive programme will help you understand how to prevent, mitigate, and manage issues/risks in order to avoid a crisis situation. We also prepare you for when things go wrong – i.e., a crisis arises. The programme takes both a conceptual approach – teaching you foundational elements – and a hands-on approach by requiring participants to reflect on practical case studies and participate in hypothetical scenarios. This way, you develop the skills necessary to handle a real-life scenario.

You will leave the programme not just with newly acquired skills, but also with a uniquely customised Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF) and a Crisis Prevention and Management Plan (CPMP). The experience will therefore result in tangible outputs that will ensure that you, and your organisation, are ready for whatever comes your way.

Programme Design & Objectives

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Part I – Foundational training

Any complex situation first needs to be understood before it can be handled. Based on this principle, Part I examines the foundations of how a crisis unfolds from its inception, to becoming a full-scale crisis. We cover key elements of trust, risk, perception, mitigation and avoidance, together with responsible business practices and effective stakeholder management.

Topics covered:

è An issue, a risk and a crisis è ‘Outside-in-Thinking’ è Trust and Perception

Part II – Avoiding crisis by preventing and managing risks

The second part of the programme is designed to help participants understand how to avoid a crisis. The main idea is to get to grips with risk management, which, if done properly, prevents a crisis from unfolding. This includes participants creating their own Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF) as a structured means of understanding how risks relate to their organisation.

Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF)

è The role of media and NGOs è The issue lifecycle è CSR and stakeholder engagement

è Decommissioning Brent Spar è Monsanto è 2004 Olympic Games

Cases studies. Some of the cases we have studied in the past are:

è Exxon Valdez è Challenger Space Shuttle tragedy è Marks & Spencer

What type of event could hinder us from achieving our objectives?

How are we best to respond to these risks?

What are the chances of these risks actually materialising?

To what extent are we capable of handling these risks?

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What are our organisation’s objectives?

How do we reduce likely damage to our reputation?

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Part III – Crisis management

The dynamic nature of modern environment means that some crises are unavoidable. Part III of the programme deals with ‘the worst case scenario’ – an actual crisis. Our goal in this respect is to equip participants with the skills and tools necessary to deal with such an event in a fast and effective manner. We take a holistic approach by covering leadership, communication and response strategies, including tactical approaches to dealing with the press.

Topics covered: è Leadership for crisis: understanding and managing

different roles during a crisis. è Crisis Response Teams (CRT): how to set up and train

your CRT. è Crisis Response Plans (CRP): creating a fast and

effective plan on how to deal with a crisis situation. è Communication strategies (internal and external): how to

effectively deal with the media, both through online and transitional channels.

Take part in our crisis management scenario exercise and evaluate how you perform under crisis conditions.

è Decommissioning Brent Spar è Monsanto è 2004 Olympic Games

At the end of the programme, participants should be able to:

è Embed risk management and crisis management within their organisation’s strategy

è Create a Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF) to ensure that crisis is avoided

è Create a Crisis Response Plan (CRP) designed to respond to any crisis efficiently

è Manage the press effectively (both online media and traditional channels) in order to avoid reputational damage

è Mitigate and overcome unexpected external ‘shocks’

è How to create a crisis risk management team that is composed of the right individuals with the right mind-sets

è Better recognise key risks that result because of unforeseen behaviour of staff members

è Learn how to remain innovative without compromising on ethical boundaries

Outcomes & Benefits

7Sustainable Business Initiative Leading Away from Crisis

Target Audience

This programme may be attended by representatives from both public and private sector organisations.

è CEOs, CFOs

è Chief Risk Officers

è Corporate Communication Directors

è Community Liaison Officers

è Human Resources Directors

è Risk Managers

è Risk Analysts

è Auditors

è Accountants

è IT Personnel

Sustainable Business Initiative (SBI)The University of Edinburgh 29 Buccleuch PlaceEdinburgh, EH8 9JSUnited Kingdom

Our programmes can be customised for organisations, and can be delivered in Edinburgh and other locations. Please contact us to discuss your requirements

sbi@ed.ac.uk tel: +44 (0)131 6511572

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