August 2011

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ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION IN EXTERNAL DISASTERS

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT ROHTAK

Table of Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Findings ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Recommendations .............................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Bibliography /Sources ...................................................................................................................................................................... 19

Executive Summary Background Impact of Natural disasters on businesses can be great potentially extreme. Numerous studies have shown that a remarkable number of companies dont have adequate or any disaster preparedness plans in place, despite growing evidence that potentiality of occurrence of natural disasters has increased due to a combination of natural and man-made factors. Swiss Reinsurance Co. estimated that insurers will pay out $110 billion in disaster claims in 2010. At the same time, studies have also shown that a surprisingly large number of companies do not survive a natural disaster; estimates of failures often exceed 25 percent. But frequently, dire consequences can be averted by an adequate plan. There are several steps a business can take to prepare itself for the eventuality of a natural disaster disasters out of the control of the organization. In this report, taken up as a part of our academic course requirement, the role of organizational communication and how organizations can improve their preparedness for disasters has been analyzed. To have the clearest understanding of the ramifications of the risks an organization faces this report is being undertaken to gain additional insight into communicational risks, which can improve the decision-making for which an organization is responsible. Purpose A disaster plan should be a "living" plan that is constantly reviewed and updated. This report responds to the role of communication in the examination of disasters and roughly parallels the development of traditional approaches (largely public relations, issue management, community relations, and media relations) to crisis management and the relatively recent emergence of theoretically grounded views (disaster preparedness in precrisis, manifestation in crisis, and ultimate recovery during post crisis). This report will help us to find how the organization communicates during the time of crisis and how the change in communication is beneficial to an employee at the time disaster

Survey Participants It was important to us to survey the experienced professionals within organizations that have faced some disaster while at work as well as those in the same industry who havent. We posted the link to our survey to the above sample of employees. Therefore, it is key to note that this survey is not reflective of the general business community. But rather, it is meant to capture the responses of the subset related to the preparedness issues vis-vis the role of communication. We received 62 completed surveys. Rationale Why this report is being written? The survey includes 42 items, which in total were meant to address the following broader issues: How prepared are organizations currently for emergencies? What are the top barriers to preparedness? What would private sector organizations most desire in order to improve preparedness? What do the stakeholders consider as an ideal response? How have things actually proceeded and what are the areas of improvement?

Summary of the recommendations and conclusions The results of this survey provide an extremely valuable snapshot of several issues. Some key findings are listed below: Nearly all respondents have exposure to disaster prone areas and emergencies, 30% have experienced at least one emergency in past ten years. 98% of respondents either agree or strongly agree that private-public cooperation and coordination is absolutely critical in response to disasters. The human-side of crisis (Human Impact) was the least prepared aspect of planning.

Introduction
Why the report is being written? Recent disasters and the changes in organizational preparedness towards disasters provide the academic discipline of management numerous opportunities to learn lessons in the field of organizational communication. Role of effective predisaster communication and that in post disaster circumstances need to be further delved into. In the absence of the usual avenues of communication it is also interesting to learn how did organizations attempt communication, how effective were those attempts, and what forms of organization communication occurred that had not been used? Problem Definition A disaster adversely affects many of the existing communication channels that organizations and individuals use during normalcy. Communication is an important tool for employee well-being. Therefore, every organization must attempt to investigate the root causes of communication lapses during a crisis and must devise strategies to mitigate theselapses.

Nature and scope of the problem The mode of communication should change depending upon the disaster. And communication with regard to human resource management factors must be modified to ensure that trust is maintained among various stakeholders. Most organizations employ traditional methods of communication, which need to be changed keeping pace with contemporary requirements and accordingly for the welfare of the employees.

Methodology
The variables for the survey are collected from different research papers. Primary data is collected from questionnaire. Questionnaire design is based on the research objective (Organizational communication in disasters) and broadly captures the role of communication on ten parameters. Based on the parameters a 35 item questionnaire was designed and implemented online on a sample, of which 66 returned complete and 55 were rendered usable. The variables on which our conclusions and recommendations are based are divided into two parts Pre Disaster observations variables Employee Perception of how organization would manage disasters o o o o o o Communicating the disaster recovery plan to employees Communicating with stakeholders during disaster Communicating trust Communicating progress on disaster recovery Communication of Changes in Human Resource policies (if any) post disaster Physical Factors influencing employees decision to work at disaster prone areas Location, Security, Technological Medium used for communication

Post Disaster observations variables Employee perception of the organization post the disaster o o o First communication or response by senior management recognizing the disaster Difference between what employees felt during the disaster and what was communicated by the media Assessment of pre-disaster variables in post disaster situations

Statistical tool: Descriptive analysis is conducted to analyze the data from the survey.

Findings
Analysis of data Our findings are broadly classified based on respondents that had A. experienced the pre-disaster preparedness in their current organizations but had not witnessed a disaster while at their work place B. experienced both pre-disaster plans as well as an actual disaster situation while at their work place and While, former group of respondents provides information regarding the pre-disaster perception of how organization would manage disasters, the latter group provides information regarding employee perceptions of the organizational communication post the disaster. Pre Disaster observations variables Employee Perception, which is shaped by effective organizational communication, of how organization would manage disasters o Communicating the disaster recovery plan to employees 97% of the respondents felt that it was important to have a strong disaster recovery plan; 71% of respondents want to be apprised of disaster plans via practice drills. Communicating with stakeholders during disasters Only 45% of the respondents felt that their organization has shared the pre-designed Disaster Recovery Plan with the clients. Communicating trust 58% of Employees felt that their organizations had a strong business recovery plan. Even after existence of strong business recovery plans, respondents were undecided on whether extra compensation and security to office premises would suffice to provide ample support in case of a disaster. However, 52% respondents were comfortable working in disaster prone areas if they were in constant touch with their family. Communicating progress on disaster recovery plans - 69% of the respondents were aware that their organization checked the safety equipment regularly for its proper functioning regularly. However, only half of the respondents agreed that organization made frequent changes to Disaster Recovery Plan as and when required depending on the external circumstances. Communication of Changes in Human Resource policies (if any) post disaster 69% agreed that there were policies such as essential facilities and services that support response and recovery operation in your organization. 48% felt that their Salary disbursements and administrative procedures in their organization won't be affected by happening of disaster events, while 34% were undecided. Physical Factors influencing employees decision to work at disaster prone areas Location, Security, Technological -Among Location, Technological and Socio-political risk factors the respondents felt that it is most important that organization communicate the risks pertaining to the organizations location. Medium used for communication - 76% of respondents preferred that business recovery plans be communicated to them through emails, but far greater majority 82% respondents would prefer posters and banners put up in their office premises to inform them of the disaster recovery plans. This indicates that posters provide visuals aid to understanding the business recovery plan and hence were more effective.

Post Disaster observations variables Employee perception of the organizational communication post the disaster o Communicating the disaster recovery plan to employees - 45% of them laid a lot of emphasis on the evacuation of the employees and that the organization should prevent looting during the times of disaster. This was followed by organizations taking pain to control rumors which was suggested by approx. 40% respondents. Also majority of employees were unsatisfied with their organizations disaster recovery plan. Communicating with stakeholders during disasters - for the organizations where part of the business process involved outsourcing, 72% of its employees, while laying most emphasis on their evacuation said that reprioritizing the project timelines was important to them. It follows that the organizations clients are kept informed while the organization prepared to come out of the disaster.

Communicating trust - Respondents gave a lot of importance to the efforts their organizations made during the time disaster. Respondent placed a high emphasis on being in contact with family members during disaster. They felt the need for plans to be put in place by the organization to convey about wellbeing of the employee during the disaster. First communication or response by senior management recognizing the disaster The respondents who had faced the disaster were asked to rate the management responses out of the given responses - A fast and appropriate plan for evacuation, A written assurance about the safety of employees and A temporary allocation of basic facilities. A majority of respondents felt the need for the message to outline the clear plan for evacuation. Communicating progress on disaster recovery - The sample suggested that the employees were indifferent towards organizations Disaster Recovery team working and providing updates about the disaster. Access to accurate and easy to understand information stood out with 73% respondents in its favor. Communication of Changes in Human Resource policies (if any) post disaster - a series of actual mails that were exchanged during the employee and the employer during the 9/11 terrorist attack is provided in the appendix. It is worth noting, the change in organizational stance towards getting a person onshore as a consultant, after the 9/11 scenario owing to the strict laws to people coming to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Medium used for communication - Email still remained to be the top most used way to communicate amongst the employees as suggested by 82% of respondents. Email was closely followed by Telecommunications media like TV etc getting 72% votes. Organizations have scope to leverage other forms of communication as well. Difference between what employees felt during the disaster and what was communicated by the media it was found that employees perceived a difference between what they perceived and what the actual situation was.

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Communicating the disaster recovery plan to employees

If Your company had a Disaster recovery plan before

The company frequently and sufficiently A temporary allocation of basic facilities. A fast and appropriate plan for evacuation.

Strongly disagree DisAgree Neither Agree nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

0% 100%

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Literature on the topic

Companies follow the following steps for disaster management

Disaster Recovery Planning:

Identification and Analysis of Disaster Risks/Threats Classification of Risks Based on Relative Weights Building the Risk Assessment Determining the Effects of Disasters Evaluation of Disaster Recovery Mechanisms Disaster Recovery Committee

Disaster Recovery Phases:

Activation Phase Execution Phase Reconstitution Phase

The Disaster Recovery Plan Document:

Document Contents Document Maintenance

Identification and Analysis of Disaster Risks/Threats

How risky is putting off Disaster Recovery planning? According to an International Data Corporation( IDC) report, over 90 percent of companies fail within one year of a significant data loss. The Disaster Recovery Journal estimates that as many as 80 percent of all U.S. companies and 90 percent of European companies don't have an effective DR plan. The first step in planning recovery from unexpected disasters is to identify the threats or risks that can bring about disasters by doing risk analysis covering threats to business continuity. Risk analyses involves evaluating existing physical and environmental security and control systems, and assessing their adequacy with respect to the potential threats. The risk analysis process begins with a list of the essential functions of the business. This list will set priorities for addressing the risks. Essential functions are those whose interruption would considerably disrupt the operations of the business and may result in financial loss. These essential functions should be prioritized based on their relative importance to business operations. The scope of a risk is determined by the possible damage, in terms of downtime or cost of lost opportunities. In evaluating a risk, it is essential to keep in mind the options around that risk, such as time of the day or day of the week, that can affect its scope.

Classification of Risks Based on Relative Weights

When evaluating risks, it is recommended to categorize them into different classes to accurately prioritize them. In general, risks can be classified in the following five categories.

External Risks: External risks are those that cannot be associated with a failure within the enterprise. They are very
significant in that they are not directly under the control of the organization that faces the damages. External risks can be split into four subcategories:

Natural: These disasters are on top of the list in every disaster recovery plan. Typically they damage a large geographical area. To mitigate the risk of disruption of business operations, a recovery solution should involve disaster recovery facilities in a location away from the affected area. Nowadays most of the meteorological threats can be forecasted, hence the chances to mitigate effects of some natural disasters are considerable. Nevertheless is important to consider documenting the scope of these natural risks in as much detail as possible. Human caused: These disasters include acts of terrorism, sabotage, virus attacks, operations mistakes, crimes, and so
on. These also include the risks resulting from manmade structures. These may be caused by both internal and external persons.

Civil: These risks typically are related to the location of the business facilities. Typical civil risks include labor
disputes ending in strikes, communal riots, local political instability, and so on. These again may be internal to the company or external.

Supplier: These risks are tied to the capacity of suppliers to maintain their level of services in a disaster. It is
appropriate that a backup supplier pool be maintained in case of emergency.

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Facility Risks:
Facility risks are risks that affect only local facilities. While evaluating these risks, the following essential utilities and commodities need to be considered.

Electricity: To analyze the power outage risk, it is important to study the frequency of power outage and the duration of each outage. It is also useful to determine how many powers feeds operate within the facility and if necessary make the power system redundant. Telephones: Telephones are a particularly crucial service during a disaster. A key factor in evaluating risks associated with telephone systems is to study the telephone architecture and determine if any additional infrastructure is required to mitigate the risk of losing the entire telecommunication service during a disaster. Water: There are certain disaster scenarios where water outages must be considered very seriously, for instance the impact of a water cutoff on computer cooling systems. Climate Control: Losing the air conditioning or heating system may produce different risks that change with the seasons. Fire: Many factors affect the risk of fire, for instance the facilitys location, its materials, neighboring businesses and
structures, and its distance from fire stations. All of these and more must be considered during risk evaluation.

Building the Risk Assessment

Risk assessments and associated risk mapping include: a review of the technical characteristics of hazards such as their location, intensity, frequency and probability; the analysis of exposure and vulnerability including the physical social, health, economic and environmental dimensions; and the evaluation of the effectiveness of prevailing and alternative coping capacities in respect to likely risk scenarios

Groups are the subcategories of the main risk category.

Risks are the individual risks under each group that can affect the business. Likelihood is estimated on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being not probable and 10 highly probable. The likelihood that something happens should be considered in a long plan period, such as 5 years. Impact is estimated on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no impact and 10 being an impact that threatens the companys existence. Impact is highly sensitive to time of day and day of the week. Restoration Time is estimated on a scale from 1 to 10. A higher value would mean longer restoration time hence the priority of having a Disaster Recovery mechanism for this risk is higher.

Determining the Effects of Disasters

Once the disaster risks have been assessed and the decision has been made to cover the most critical risks, the next step is to determine and list the likely effects of each of the disasters. These specific effects are what will need to be covered by the disaster recovery process.

Evaluation of Disaster Recovery Mechanisms

Once the list of affected entities is prepared and each entitys business criticality and failure tendency is assessed, it is time to analyze various recovery methods available for each entity and determine the best suitable recovery method for each. This step defines the resources employed in recovery and the process of recovery. Some of the typical entities are data systems, power, data network, and telephone systems. For each of these there are one or more recovery mechanisms in practice in the industry. In the case of data systems, for example, the recovery mechanism usually involves having the critical data systems replicated somewhere else in the network and putting them online with the latest backed up data available. For less critical data systems, there may be an option to have spare server hardwaz Safety committees often oversee organizations' safety functions. Consisting of both management and non-management personnel, Disaster recovery operations and procedures should be governed by a central committee. This committee should have representation from all the different company agencies with a role in the disaster recovery process, typically management, finance, IT (multiple technology leads), electrical department, security department, human resources, vendor management, and so on. The Disaster Recovery Committee creates the disaster recovery plan and maintains it. During a disaster, this committee ensures that there is proper coordination between different agencies and that the recovery processes are executed successfully and in proper sequence.

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The Disaster Recovery Committee should be authorized and responsible for: Creating and maintaining the disaster recovery plan Detecting and announcing disaster events within the company Activating the disaster recovery plan Executing the disaster recovery plan Assist with inspections and accident investigations Answer workers' questions about safety programs. Develop ideas to improve workplace safety. Prepare evacuation plans. Prepare procedures for disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. and contingency plans following the disaster. Answer employees' questions about safety programs Conduct safety meetings Monitoring the disaster situation continuously and returning operations to normal at the earliest feasible time Restoring normal operations and shutting down disaster recovery operations Continuously improving the disaster recovery plan by conducting periodic mock trials and incorporating lessons learned into the plan after an actual disaster The roles, responsibilities, and reporting hierarchy of different committee members should be clearly defined both during normal operations and in the case of a disaster emergency. Backup members should also be designated in case of the primary members unavailability.

Disaster Recovery Phases

Disaster recovery happens in the following sequential phases: 1. Activation Phase: In this phase, the disaster effects are assessed and announced. 2. Execution Phase: In this phase, the actual procedures to recover each of the disaster affected entities are executed. Business operations are restored on the recovery system. 3. Reconstitution Phase: In this phase the original system is restored and execution phase procedures are stopped.

Document Maintenance
The disaster recovery plan document needs to be kept up to date with the current organization environment. A plan that is not updated and tested is as bad as not having a plan at all because during emergencies, the document may be misleading. The following are recommended for maintenance of the plan documentation.

Periodic Mock Drills: The disaster recovery plan should be tested from time to time using scheduled mock
drills. A drill usually will not affect active operations; however, if it is known that operations will be affected, the drill should be carefully scheduled such that the effect is minimal and is done during a permissible window. These activities should be regarded similarly to regular equipment maintenance activities that require operations downtime. The experience of the mock drill should be updated into the disaster recovery plan document.

Experience Capture: The best testing the document will undergo is when an actual disaster happens, and the
lessons learned during the disaster recovery are valuable for improving the plan. Hence the Disaster Recovery Committee should ensure that the experience gets captured as lessons learned and the document gets updated accordingly.

Periodic Updates: Technologies, systems, and facilities that the plan covers may change over time. It is important that the disaster recovery plan document reflect the current information about the components it covers. For this purpose, the Disaster Recovery Committee should ensure that the document is audited periodically against the present components in the organization. Another way to achieve this is to ensure that the committee is notified of any change that happens to any system/component in the organization so that the committee may update the document accordingly.

Safety in the workplace

Workplace accidents are increasingly common. In 2003, for instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a total of 4.4 million nonfatal workplace injuries in private industries. Organizations have a moral responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of their members. Organizational practices that promote safety can also help a company establish competitive advantage by reducing costs and complying with safety laws. Workplace safety can be quite expensive. Unintentional injuries alone cost more than $146.6 billion per year for medical and insurance costs, workers' compensation, survivor benefits, lost wages, damaged equipment and materials, production delays, other workers' time losses, selection and training costs for

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replacement workers, and accident reporting. Safety at workplace is most effectively with a combination of employer attentiveness and employee responsibility. Costs, both financial and physical, can be decreased and injuries reduced with proper training, employer involvement and company-wide adherence to rules and guidelines. Ensuring safety is important for not only each individual company and worksite, but for industries and national concerns as well. GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF SAFETY PRACTICES AT THE WORKPLACE Governments strictly regulate organizational safety practices at workplaces which will ensure employees safety. Areas of basic concern include fire safety, personal protection equipment, electrical safety, basic housekeeping, and machine guards. Each standard specifies such things as permissible exposure limit, monitoring requirements, methods of compliance, personal protective equipment, hygiene facilities, training, and record-keeping so that employee will work in disaster prone area. The government views safety violations very seriously, and the penalties for violating safety laws can be quite severe. In addition to being issued large fines, employers who violate safety regulations can be held liable for criminal charges. ACCIDENTS AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION Despite laws designed to ensure safety at the workplace, Companies' accident rates are alarmingly high. According to one estimate, employees lost eighty million workdays in 2002 from workplace injuries, and more than 3.7 million people suffered disabling injuries on the job that year. What causes all of these industrial injuries? These causes can be divided into three categories: employee error, equipment insufficiency, and procedure insufficiency.

Employee errorMisjudged situations; distractions by others; neuromuscular malfunctions; inappropriate

working positions; and knowingly using defective equipment

Equipment insufficiencyUse of inappropriate equipment; safety devices being removed or inoperative; and
the lack of such things as engineering controls, respiratory protection, and protective clothing;

Procedure insufficiencyFailure of procedure for eliciting warning of hazard; inappropriate procedure for handling
materials; failure to lock out or tag out; and a lack of written work procedures. Workplace accidents pose serious problems for employees and for a firm's competitive advantage, but employers can prevent most of them.

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Conclusions
This report identifies and analyzes key parameters of communication that highlight the changes in organizational communication both pre-disaster and post-disaster. The research conducted herein will help improve current organizational communication response towards disasters and mitigate a communication lapses during disasters. To that end, the report after our understanding of the factors in the survey is complete. The data from the survey was drawn from a part of intended audience and was able to capture their responses on all the report parameters effectively. Summary of findings Communicating the disaster recovery plan to employees Respondents felt that there was a need to have strong disaster recovery plan with emphasis on practice drills for evacuation of employees during disasters. Respondents were unsatisfied with their organizations current disaster recovery plan. Communicating with stakeholders during disasters A significant percentage of respondents felt that organizations should take proactive measures to control rumors during disasters. Respondents also felt the need to share pre-designed disaster recovery plans with clients along with proactive communication to clients which showed impact on timelines due to the disaster. Communicating trust Even after existence of business recovery plans, respondents were undecided on whether extra compensation and security to office premises would suffice to provide ample support in case of a disaster. However, majority of respondents were comfortable working in disaster prone areas if they were in constant touch with their family. Respondents gave a lot of importance to the efforts their organizations made during the time disaster. Respondent placed a high emphasis on being in contact with family members during disaster. They felt the need for plans to be put in place by the organization to convey about wellbeing of the employee during the disaster. Communicating progress on disaster recovery plans A majority of respondents were communicated the disaster recovery plans however only half of the respondent felt that frequent changes were made in the disaster recovery plans of the organization. The respondents who had faced a disaster felt that they were effectively communicated accurate information. However, they felt a need for making plans more realistic. Communication of Changes in Human Resource policies (if any) post A majority of respondents felt that policies for providing essential facilities were in place. However, a significant percentage of respondents still thought that there was room for improvement in these policies. Physical Factors influencing employees decision to work at disaster prone areas Location, Security, Technological Among Location, Technological and Socio-political risk factors the respondents felt that it is most important that organization communicate the risks pertaining to the organizations location. Medium used for communication A high percentage of respondents preferred that business recovery plans be communicated to them through emails, but far greater majority preferred visual aids in form of posters and banners put up in their office premises to inform them of the disaster recovery plans. Much of the communication during the period of disasters was restricted to email and phones. Difference between what employees felt during the disaster and what was communicated by the media - it was found that employees perceived a difference between what they perceived and what the actual situation was. First communication or response by senior management recognizing the disaster The respondents who had faced the disaster were asked to rate the management responses out of the given responses - A fast and appropriate plan for evacuation, A written assurance about the safety of employees and A temporary allocation of basic facilities. A majority of respondents felt the need for the message to outline the clear plan for evacuation.

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Recommendations
Improve Stakeholder communication An organization should avoid differences in what is being communicated to the employees and that which is communicated by the media, by sharing the news beforehand with the employees. Also, pre-designed business continuity plans must be shared with the clients and the clients should be informed of updated project timelines in case of a disaster. Increase frequency of Observations Leaders should perform regular checks in the work area and observe worker's activities, assessing the Disaster readiness of the place. Leaders should be alert to scope of improvements so that the organization can immediately act upon (putting on protective equipment, such as fire extinguishers, water sprinklers, Fire detector alarm etc.). Increase Employee Participation Organizations need to pay more attention in making their employees aware on disaster management activities. Heavy emphasis need to be laid to the events during and after the disaster and aid their employees to ensure better workplace. Encourage employees to recognize and improve the Disaster readiness of the organization. When engaging in discussions, if an area of improvement is spotted, it should be recorded and organizations should mitigate the chances of disasters by implementing proposed improvements. Managers must communicate that the goal is to help improve disaster readiness and not to blame. Audits should not result in disciplinary actions. Employees should be encouraged to discuss any safety concerns they may have and ask them to offer any ideas for safety improvement. Record Findings and Monitor progress Findings should be recorded in writing. Pursue any item discussed during the audit that requires follow-up. Disaster investigations determine Disaster causes so that changes can be made to prevent/respond better in cases of the future occurrence of similar accidents. "Near misses" should also be investigated so that problems can be corrected before serious accidents occur. Employees always play a key role in Disaster investigations. Disaster investigations should be performed in the following manner. When a Disaster occurs, the investigator's first responsibility is to ensure the safety of all employees by: Making sure the injured employees are cared for and receive medical attention, if necessary; Guarding against a more dangerous secondary event by removing danger sources and evacuating other personnel from the area if necessary; and Restricting access to the area so no one else will be harmed, and so the scene will not be disturbed.

Organizations should then begin an investigation to identify how the organization could be made more prepared to handle such kind of disaster events in future. Increase in facilities Facilities must be organized and readily available for the organizations to improve disaster readiness and communicated to their most valuable assets, employees, across all positions and locations. Improve communication of HR policies If Employees feel secured both physically and professionally it increases employee motivation. In order to ensure that employees are dedicated to the organizational goals the human resource policies vis--vis the disaster, such as salary transfers and job security post disaster, etc., need to be communicated effectively. Experiment with other media sources for communication pre-disaster and post-disasters Currently email is the most commonly used medium for communication, but this may not necessarily be effective during disasters. Therefore, other means of communication such as Televisions put up in the work place premises, etc. can be useful. Also, according to our analysis it is better to share disaster recovery plans with employees in the form of visual aids such as posters than in form of emails. The recommendations proposed will not be realized without proactive institutional initiative coupled with employee support.

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Bibliography /Sources http://www.grin.com/en/doc/272911/a-case-study-analysis-of-organizational-crisis-communication-duringhurricane Smith, Larry; Dan Millar, PhD (2002). Crisis Management and Communication; How to Gain and Maintain Control (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: International Association of Business Communicators. Communication and organizational crisis by Matthew W. Seeger Timothy L. Sellnow Robert R. Ulmer Q1-It is important for the company to have a disaster recovery plan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster_recovery#Importance_of_disaster_recovery_planning Q2. According to you the location of your office is the most important factor for determining possibility of disaste http://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/terminology http://www.slideshare.net/Micheal22/guidelines-risk-analysis-a-basis-for-disaster-riskmanagement/download Q3. Q4. According to you Socio-Political conditions is to be considered the most important factor for determining possibility of disaster http://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/terminology Q5. According to you Natural calamities is to be considered the most important factor for determining possibility of disaster. http://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/content/27/1/78.full Q6. You would like your organization to apprise you of various disaster or business recovery plans via emails. http://content.hccfl.edu/pollock/aunix1/disasterrecovery.htm Q7. You would like your organization to apprise you of various disaster or business recovery plans via posters and banners put up in your office http://www.scribd.com/doc/14707177/Leading-People-Through-Disasters-Preparing-for-and-Dealing-Withthe-Human-Side-of-Crises Q8.You would like your organization to apprise you of various disaster or business recovery plans via practice drills. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/technologies/collateral/tk869/tk769/white_paper_c11-453495.pdf Q9-You would work in a disaster prone area if you were given extra compensation. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Pr-Sa/Safety-in-the-Workplace.html Q10. You would work in a disaster prone area if your company employed private security for office premises. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_management https://www.thegandelmanagency.com/business/earthquake_business_insurance.php Rest all the questions have been referred through perusal of the following references http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/articles.html http://www.disaster-resource.com/articles/04p_124.shtml http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Pr-Sa/Safety-in-the-Workplace.html http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/finalmsdsreport.html

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