HM503 Week 6 DQ   The first three discussion topics refer to the Case Study 8

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HM503

Week 6 DQ

 

The first three discussion topics refer to the Case Study 8.3: The University of Washington’s Experience With the FEMA Disaster Resistant Universities Program:

Unit 6 Discussion Topic 1

Discussion topics support this unit’s objective and should be completed after reading all materials. Your responses ought to include original evaluation, synthesis, or analysis of the topic, and contribute to the weekly discussion in a meaningful way. You must complete all discussion topics and reply to your peers' posts. Refer to the Discussion Board Rubric under Course Resources for additional requirements.

 

Topic 1: FEMA Disaster-Resistant University Program

Should the federal government require that this process be conducted by all U.S. universities? Why, or why not?

 

Respond Kindly to Student #1 (Blake Carter)

 

                According to the University of Oregon, “The intent of FEMA’s initiative was to support university efforts to reduce and manage vulnerability to hazards” (University of Oregon, 2021). However, the program fell through and there was only one funding cycle. Nevertheless, some universities kept the program alive because they saw the benefit in it.  The overall goal of the program is to “…facilitate open communication, discussion, and resource sharing among university/college practitioners charged with making America's campuses more disaster resilient” (2021). While the program is a great idea, in my view the federal government could not require that this process be conducted by all U.S. universities. However, if a university is public or receives any type of federal funding than they should be required to be a part of DRU. Private universities on the other hand would not have to be part of DRU, however if they ever seek any type of federal funding it should be mandatory that they join.

                An example of how effective DRU is comes from a risk assessment from the University of Louisville. It is concluded that “The DRU project has provided UofL with a beginning step toward becoming a safer and more prepared campus. A completed risk and vulnerability analysis also provides a multi-layered central database that can be used for many other activities” (Human, Palit, & Simpson, 2006, p. 201). So as one can see DRU is beneficial in a number of ways and there is no real drawback to joining.

References

Human, J. R., Palit, M., & Simpson, D. M. (2006). Risk assessment and the disaster resistant oniversity (DRU) program:The University of Louisville Approach. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 191-202.

University of Oregon. (2021). Disaster Resilient Universities. Retrieved from University of Oregon: https://dru.uoregon.edu/background

 

Respond Kindly to Student #2 Ron Sutton

The Disaster Resistant University (DRU) program was established within the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program to implement mitgation actions beyond simple life safety codes. Diasters have wrecked havoc on universities and the loss can be substanially reduced or eliminated through comprehensive pre-diaster planning and mitgation. I believe that it should be taught in U.S. universities. Having studnets who are educated in planning and mitigation, can be great asset and create a safety culture. The Students who are cognizant of operation security (OPESEC), threat reduction, and basic knowledge of risk assesment can help create safer plans and reduced vulnerability. The plans for DRU will follow closely FEMA's mitgation planning guidence, and provide a wide range of ways that the process can be implement and adopted to fit the institution. 

Reference

FEMA. (2013). Building a Disaster-Resistant University. Washington D.C.; U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

 

Topic 2: Universities Like Traditional Businesses?

How are universities like traditional businesses? How are they different? How do these similarities and differences affect Business Continuity Planning?

 

Respond Kindly to Student #1 (Damon Bradshaw)

Universities Like Traditional Businesses

Despite universities being economic institutions, they are far from being businesses. Universities provide research and lecture services as public goods intending to improve welfare (Becker & Eube, 2018). Becker and Eube (2018) allude that it is hard to measure the quality of research and lecture services from an economic point of view; it is impossible measuring the benefits. Nonetheless, Klyuev (2019) alludes that the rising operations costs are financial disadvantage to universities, turning them into administrative institutions. This has been fueled because the state funding these universities are receiving does not match the increasing financial constraints (Klyuev, 2019). Klyuev (2019) points out that university leadership seeks solutions by learning how businesses are conducted and setting up additional administrative structures. These include additional executive positions and more salaries, making appointments rather than elections, decisions, and policies for administrative purposes rather than academic projects. Mo?teanu and Roxana (2020) present a business continuity plan as a set of actions, resources, information, and procedures established, verified, and ready for implementation in case of a disaster. The similarities between universities and businesses allow for procedures, policies, and coordination of critical university functions recovery (Mo?teanu & Roxana, 2020). A business continuity plan increases the ability of universities to respond to and recover from disasters and emergencies threatening the safety and health of the university community.

Mo?teanu, D., & Roxana, N. (2020). Management of disaster and business continuity in a digital world. International Journal of Management, 11(4).

Klyuev, A. K. (2019). Universities and business: Prospects of development of diffused structures and processes. University Management: Practice and Analysis.

Becker, B. A., & Eube, C. (2018). Open innovation concept: Integrating universities and business in digital age. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 4(1), 12.

 

Respond Kindly to Student #2 (Gertrude Maima Ware)

    As an act of working in a direction to be marketable or being in a demand is business. Universities are like traditional businesses because they sell their accreditation by convincing students to take advantage of it for tomorrow’s benefits and when tried by the students, the lives of the students speak of the accreditation of the universities which attracts others to come and experience. It is a real business. It is set up as a business for others to come and join and become successful and profitable, it meets the need of so many persons desire, organize itself, and produces itself that others will see the products and again join. Just as business desires is to grows through its strategies in order for its customers to enjoy and purchase more. In short, that’s how Universities strive to put a lot of prestige out there so that people will come and join and then become successful tomorrow. Not only becoming successful but also attracting other incoming or desiring students. According to   Myklebust  (2017), activities at each higher education institution are monitored and counted to measure qualities based on a fragmented result-based scheme. This is a centralized governing tool leading to more people in administrative positions and hence a larger bureaucracy. Strategies of marketing are everything in business and if Universities are like a traditional business, it is also seen as fully becoming strategic in making the educational system attractive to the public because the numbers of students will grow, the payment of fees will increase, and the system will benefit both the students and the system but making them grow and succeed. 

     Differently, they are in some opposite journey depending on how they respond to disasters or handle issues that the institution or business may face. It is basically restricted at a certain point because the business benefits from commodities and goods while University is dealing with face-to-face human relations for their benefits even though the university applied a business model. The reasons for applying business models to universities have little or nothing to do with improving universities’ performance Universities already do a very good job of educating students, and, perhaps coincidentally, of training knowledge workers for local, regional, and global economies. Most students find meaningful work that draws on their training (The ‘Fundamental Differences’ Between Universities and Businesses, 2002). 

      The business continually planning decides the continuation of a business whether there is an incident or not. Continuity of Planning in business is a document that outlines how a business will continue operating during an unplanned disruption in service. It’s more comprehensive than a disaster recovery plan and contains contingencies for business processes, assets, human resources, and business partners every aspect of the business that might be affected (What is a business continuity plan? 2020). Planning is not only for an urgent purpose but for the future too. It is a long-term and a short-term goal that is needed to be applied as usual. Universities most often plan at the beginning of their program and feel complacent while the entire school year is running while businesses planned for all of the time in responding to the disaster. With their similarities, when there is a disaster, they might respond likely which is to follow the emergency management process and with their dissimilarity, that means what can work for the universities in a time of disaster planning cannot work for the business because they are particular about the survival of the humans and not commodities as business may do. Disaster varies, and all institutions response varies. Because of the growing problems in the higher education sphere, several authors have advocated the development of new business models for higher education. Unlike many organizations, traditional universities offer many different value propositions (Rubin, n.d).