Introduction
The current case study is dedicated to a company that deals with electronics. The problem that is going to be researched in the very case study is the role of the business continuity plan and disaster plan in readiness of the company for the disaster and in overcoming its consequences by means of the above mentioned plans (Fullmer, 2007). The company under consideration is called “Sichuan Changhong” and it is situated in the Chinese province of Sichuan.
The research described in this case study was carried out by the specialists of this company whose aim was to trace the activity of the company before, during and after the disaster, namely an earthquake, that destroyed the major part of the company’s working premises, stores and factories. However, the company managed to go through the situation and restore its production powers in a year and a half.
Main body
The methodology used by the researchers to study the case of the Advanced Software survival in the earthquake was rather various. The researchers use the methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis, the method of interview, as well as the methods of self-assessment and comparative analysis.
All the information gathered by means of the above mentioned methods was then processed and analyzed that allowed the researchers to make conclusions on the efficiency of the business continuity and disaster plans of the company on the basis of the information about the activities of Sichuan Changhong in the past and during the disaster. This also allowed the researchers to suppose certain improvements for the company in the future in respect of disaster management and organization of the production process. Disaster forecasting stations will be needed to make the work of the company more secure for its staff and environment.
The research managed to find out that the state of the company before the earthquake was rather good, with the sales rates of electronic goods increasing and the competitiveness of the company’s goods growing in the market. This allowed the researchers to conclude that the inner organization was at a high level. It turned out to be so, as the company had a well-developed business continuity plan and a disaster plan that was created in order to formulate the necessary measures that the company must take in case of certain disaster in respect of its commercial and technological activities. Correspondently, the business continuity and disaster plans were created.
Conclusion
As soon as the earthquake with the magnitude of 8.0 happened on May, 14, 2008, all major facilities of the company were affected by it. But already on May, 15, the company’s officials and other staff were ready to take the measures that were provided by the disaster plan. As the disaster destroyed the main part of all the production premises, special money funds of the company were used to restore them as soon as possible in order to preserve the sales rates and not to lose the customers in the market. $1, 300, 000 was the sum that Sichuan Changhong spent in the first week after the disaster to insure that the production power of the company supplies enough of goods for the international and domestic market.
The second step, according to the business continuity plan already, was to contact the customers of the company and inform them of possible delays in deliveries of the goods by the company (Fullmer, 2007). This allowed to prevent the customers from looking for other suppliers and to keep the sales rates and incomes of the company at the usual high level. After a year and a half as the disaster destroyed the company, its incomes grew almost twice and updated equipment allowed to make the production rates three times as high as they were before the disaster.
Works Cited
Fullmer, K. 2004. Business Continuity Planning: A Step-by-Step Guide with Planning Forms on CD-ROM, Third Edition. Rothstein Associates Inc.