Crisis Management: A Strategic Security Plan. (Special Advertising Feature).

When an emergency disrupts your business, it is essential that there be plans in place and staff qualified to respond efficiently and effectively.

Crises such as malicious product tampering, product extortion, or a tainted letter pose many problems. Their effects are so diverse that no single protective strategy can defeat them. The objective of the attack may be political, criminal, terrorist, or a complex blend of these and other factors. The threatened actions may be real or a hoax.

Either way, the potential consequences can be severe. Lives may be lost or severe injury sustained. In commercial terms, targeted companies can lose millions of dollars and face the loss of vital records. As a result, sophisticated measures must be put in place by those at risk to reduce their vulnerability to attack and to enable them to respond effectively should an incident occur. These measures are part of a crisis management program that provides a corporation with an organizational framework that focuses its resources in readiness to defeat such threats.

Formulating a crisis management plan which can also be used in the event of natural disasters - is a valuable experience for any organization. Through preparation of this plan, a corporation satisfies its legal, moral and financial obligations to consumers, employees and its owners alike.

Acting in conjunction with appropriate insurance coverage, damage sustained in an incident will be minimized and, moreover, the company will be able to continue everyday operations. Establishing a crisis management program and a trained crisis management team prepares you to confront extremely serious problems and to prevail over them.

Luis F. Reveiz, is director of the Security Service Group at the Miami office of Kroll Inc.