Business // Business Continuity Plan
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Business Continuity Plan
Introduction
This plan thoroughly identifies the entrepreneurial strategies that explores the value-creating process of technological start-up firm. The strategies specifically deal with the performance of a new venture’s exposure to internal and external threats, which described the foreseen risks, and some recommended mechanisms to help the start-up firm to successful ventures through analytical risks management.
Internal and External Threats
Many entrepreneurial ventures find human error as easy thing to deal with and classify as less important, neglecting the fact that this internal risk is something they are accountable of. In most organizations, accessing database information is highly restricted that is why top management considered sabotage of data protection by adroit insiders as internal risk and regarded as being threat. Examples of acts of sabotaging are: those employees who copy database information, or duplicate confidential information using company’s printer, or send messages to the wrong email address in the recipient list. This kind of internal incidents are done by disgruntled employees – they are malicious attackers that have full and privileged access to database information and work as freelance intelligence for outside source or hustler traders on the black market.
Another internal risk is the loss of employee expertise due to failure of continuing key competencies (Bruch & Kreutzer, 2009). Start-ups invest much of their financial resources in product and market development and they usually run short of financial account for human resource development or provide the opportunities for continuing education for professional and well-trained employees. Hence, this suspends the dimension of start-up business performance to distinguish innovation and risk-taking propensity at the firm level rather than at the individual level.
Since this printing shop business is connected to the internet and dependent to the orders of customers through email, Bruch and Kreutzer (2009) note that the risk of loss of data security in internet traffic, despite encryption, may breach confidentiality of information. As traffic sinks into the system of network connection, the users, who consistently access the network, can determine the susceptibilities of the program. They are able to learn the possible attacks or even the hack the system. This type of external risk threatens the overall goals, the value of investment, and heighten the risk of negatively affecting brand image, reputation, and operation.
Maintaining Risk and Foreseen Security Risks
One of the risks is the SQL injection attacks. An SQL Injection Attack (SQLIA) occurs when an attacker attempts to change the logic, semantics or syntax of a legitimate SQL statement by inserting new SQL keywords or operators into the statement (Halfond & Alessandro, 2005). The upsurge of web application and program vulnerabilities has paralleled the drift en route for extensive deployment and web applications exploitation. The cross-site scripting and cross-site request was considered as among the top sorts of web attacks in 2007. As such, when users click the obscure object, for instance, they may be led to web site of which request for personal information or virus could be downloaded on their computers.
SQL injection is the application that attempt to convey SQL commands through a web application for execution by the backend database. There is certainly a higher level of risk involved in this because once the information of user had been hacked, the hacker will have access to virtually every single account that he has. As people decide to use personal encryption, they should also incorporate in their information security and information technology infrastructure as means to combat any attempt by hackers to wrest the passwords from honest employees. This requires the use of firewalls, application gateway and other anti-virus software and even hardware. There will always be people who are willing to get rich at the expense of other people. With the importance of information nowadays, people cannot simply afford to sit and watch as their most precious possession—information—gets wrested away from them.
Importance of Training the Shop Employees
The printing shop is a small start-up business that has small financial resources. Yet, as a small business owner, the entrepreneur knows for the fact the importance of training employees as part of leveling up its venture at the individual level to the firm level. Training employees may not always mean big cost to the organization. Druckman, Singer, and Van Cott defined this kind of training as mentoring, which is a “relationship in which more experienced manager helps a less experienced protégé; the mentor is usually at a higher managerial level and is not the protégés immediate boss (1997, p. 113).” To better help the management and their employees to successful make changes in the company, mentoring better help new employees in actual practice and standard operating procedures. Mentors will help in fine-tuning, teaching and reduction of stress to make the job and working condition environment positive to new employees.
Daresh explained that “mentoring is an ongoing process in which individuals in an organization provide support and guidance to others who can become effective contributors to the goals of the organizations (2001, p.3).” The relationship between the protégé and mentors have always rendered beneficial effects to the organization at large as they have lessened costs or expenses for hiring more staffs to fill the volume of production, for instance. In turn, the economic sales and revenue of the organization is taken much consideration as they are allocated to more important projects and activities that necessarily be implemented. Individuals who have the in-depth experience, knowledge and skills in particular topic makes the mentor. Thus, participating in the relationship of the mentor-protégés is beneficial for management to staffs and staffs to operational management.
Training the staffs in start-up business through mentoring has not just lessened costs and saved money of the company, but it likewise helped in highlighting changes with reference to values, traits, and behavior towards work performance (Hughes, Ginnett, and Curphy, 2009). The leader-mentors significantly motivate the staffs that maintain the human capital as an important resource of the organization to definitely embody its goals and aspirations. Mentors hone the skills and expertise of staffs in order to contribute to efficiencies and effectiveness of the organization. Clearly, the benefits claim by mentor to an organization is concluded in three key points: first, leader-mentor leads the leadership and values of human resources; second, mentors motivate inner satisfaction; and third, leader-mentors keep the organization abreast of the trending things in the business.
Recommended Strategies
Printing shop business deals with the new movement of the global competition and market customs. Its executive management must lead and undergo shifts to gradual changes in accordance to this business continuity plans. By assessing significant effort of the company, there are certain attributes that company requires to continue to endeavor. More so, the internal and external risks discussed earlier should be viewed as opportunity to better the service and management to highlight the strengths of business plans and goals. Among other actions that must be empowered and be taken are the following:
a. Employ supportive and good management
b. Initiate in-depth research and development of the competition in the local and global market;
c. Focus on highlighting brand’s services and products;
Organizational Risks
On the implementation of business continuity plan, the foreseen organizational risk is the threat of new entrants in the industry, the power of buyer customers, and rivalry among business in the industry. With the huge and speed up of change, Gans (2011) noted that change and risks management is intensely required in order for business processes of companies remain efficient in an on-demand operation. Understanding the role of risks in managing organization’s environment embarks a new implementation or rolling out new structures to meet the best practice for organization.
The threat of new entrants to the industry. Printing shop owner could manage the threats of new entrants in the market through continuous innovation of their product and marketing strategy, using a set of development and innovation opportunity assessment techniques and prioritization of research and development to direct the potential growth. Quality management is in the hands of creating team and maximizing the environment where there exists discipline.
The power of buying customers. Transforming the consumers’ experience does not impede in the level of sophistication that evolutionary design produced by the firm. For example, the print out documents of customers can be package through free-service delivery or discount the price for valued clients.
Rivalry among business in the industry. Notice that aside from the price, printing shop service is fast, affordable, and accessible. Pricing is comparatively undemanding to understand because the firm has sustained to inflate its lead equally on the hardware side and the service sides, in which competitors have certainly befall in more difficulties exceeding their miles.
Conclusion
Managing knowledge and resources effectively can provide firms with sustainable and competitive advantages. By exploring the processes at multi levels of the firm, it is essential to understand the lasting miles to run through another end. Often in this case, leader’s central function brings in the idea, motivation, systems, and configurations at all levels of the organization that constructively facilitates knowledge and skills of staffs to competitive advantages and making business in a win-win situation.
References
Bruch, M. & Kreutzer, R. (2009). The Inside Job: internal vs. external risks. Which risks will be more dangerous in the future: internal or external risks? Strategic Risk, p. 41-43. Web.
Daresh, J.C. (2001). Leaders Helping Leaders: A Practical Guide to Administrative Mentoring, Corwin Press: Thousand Oaks, CA.
Druckman, D., Singer, J.E., Van Cott, H.P., (1997). Enhancing Organizational Performance, National Research Council (U.S.) Committee on Techniques for the Enhancement of Human Performance. National Academies Press: Washington D.C.
Gans, K. (2011). Should You Change Your Thinking about Change Management? Strategic Finance, 93 (4): 48-50
Halfond, W. & Orso, A. (2005). AMNESIA: analysis and monitoring for Neutralizing SQL-injection attacks. Proceedings of the 20th IEEE/ACM international Conference on Automated software engineering. ACM, pp. 1-10.
Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., Curphy, G.J. (2009). Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, 6th Ed. Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 2009. ISBN: 9780073405049.
Lee, C., Lee, K., & Pennings, J. M. (2001). Internal capabilities, external networks, and performance: a study on technology‐based ventures. Strategic management journal, 22(6‐7), 615-640.
2017/5035
