Course Title: Develop and maintain business continuity plans
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term2 2014
Course Code: BUSM6397C
Course Title: Develop and maintain business continuity plans
School: 650T TAFE Business
Campus: City Campus
Program: C6102 - Advanced Diploma of Business (Public Relations)
Course Contact : Sally Parrott
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 5175
Course Contact Email:sally.parrott@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Alain Grossbard
RMIT Building 80, Level 5 staff room
99255522
Nominal Hours: 60
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
None
Course Description
This unit is for individuals working in positions of authority who are approved to implement change across the division, business area, program area or project area.
This unit addresses the knowledge and processes necessary to develop and maintain business continuity requirements. Business continuity awareness and planning help the organisation to identify barriers and/or interruptions, and to determine how the organisation will achieve critical business objectives (even at diminished capacity) until full functionality is restored.
The focus is on risk and vulnerability assessment, business impact assessments, and business continuity and communication plans.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
BSBCON601A Develop and maintain business continuity plans |
Element: |
6. Establish the communication plan within the organisation's planning framework |
Performance Criteria: |
6.1. Identify stakeholders and determine objective and scope of communication plan for periods before, during and after disruptions occur |
Element: |
7. Deliver business continuity professional development activities |
Performance Criteria: |
7.1. Promote the application of the business continuity management framework and plan to all relevant personnel on an ongoing basis |
Element: |
1. Conduct risk and vulnerability assessments |
Performance Criteria: |
1.1. Identify the relationship between corporate risk and the organisation's business continuity management framework |
Element: |
2. Develop and report on the business impact assessment/s |
Performance Criteria: |
2.1. Identify the organisation's critical business functions and their dependencies and interdependencies , and analyse and evaluate risks through the business impact assessment /s |
Element: |
3. Develop, implement and report on risk treatments |
Performance Criteria: |
3.1. Develop and implement risk treatments |
Element: |
4. Determine interdependencies and develop response strategies |
Performance Criteria: |
4.1. Develop the organisation's emergency response , continuity and recovery strategies |
Element: |
5. Establish the business continuity plan |
Performance Criteria: |
5.1. Consult relevant personnel and seek support for the development of the organisation's business continuity plan /s |
Learning Outcomes
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to work within the business continuity framework to develop and implement business continuity plans in order for an organisation to manage risk and ensure business resilience when faced with a disruptive event.
Details of Learning Activities
A range of learning activities will encompass knowledge of the organisation’s overall business continuity framework and how it interrelates with the critical business functions, development and implementation of a business continuity plan that includes appropriate links to emergency response, disaster recovery plans and detailed continuity and recovery strategies, effective management of the communication and staff development activities relating to business continuity risk and vulnerability assessment. It will be carried out as weekly individual or group exercises, discussions and assignment work.
Teaching Schedule
1 July - Course Induction
• Course delivery details
• Assessment details and assessment tasks and feedback guide
• Grading – remind them of codes and no marks (codes at end of doc)
• Plagiarism – must have signed cover sheets on all assessments
• Appeals – take them through this process and where it is on website
• Extensions – take them through process (details on website.)
• Feedback – when they can contact you and expect a response.
• Submission requirements – how all work must be uploaded and how
• Resubmission policy – one resubmission, marked to a pass allowed
• Course support documents – any text books or readings
• Online learning environment – go through Blackboard shell
• Student responsibilities – must check emails and bb shells weekly
• Where to get support – student study support details
Pre-Training Review
Confirm completion of LLN skills analysis. Explain Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfers (for new students).
Program map to confirm all students are correctly enrolled.
Hand out assessment overview in week 1. What students are going to do and when.
2 - July 14 Introduction – Definition of Business Continuity Plan
3 - July 21 Business continuity plan life cycle
4 - July 28 Threats to an organisation Assessment 1 (Activity)
5 - Aug 4 Elements necessary for an effective BCP
6 - Aug 11 Types of risks (general) that can be encountered by an organisation Assessment 1 (Activity)
7 - Aug 18 Major Assignment Assessment 3
8 - Aug 25 Work on Major Assignment
Mid Semester Break
1 to 5 September inclusive
9 - Sept 8 Areas of risks – case study
Ways of analysing risks Assessment 1 (Activity)
10 - Sept 15 Ways of treating risks and risk treatment improvements
11 - Sept 22 Risk treatment evaluation – Case Study
Ways of monitoring risks – Case study Assessment 1 (Activity)
12 - Sept 29 Attributes to an effective BCP/Test Assessment 2
13 - Oct 6 Major Assignment
14 - Oct 13 Major Assignment work Assessment 3
15 - Oct 20 Return final assessment and schedule any resubmission for next week
16 - Oct 27 Interviews/assessment feedback/ resubmissions Reschedule resits/submission
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
References
Other Resources
Nil
Overview of Assessment
Students must demonstrate an understanding of all elements of a particular competency to be deemed competent. Assessment methods have been designed to measure achievement of each competency in a flexible manner over a range of assessment tasks.
Assessment will incorporate a variety of methods including assignments, journals, presentation and written or test. Students are advised that they are likely to be asked to personally demonstrate their assessment work to their teacher to ensure that the relevant competency standards are being met.
Assessment Tasks
This course is delivered and assessed in conjuction with RMIT course BSBMGT617A - Develop and Implement a Business Plan.
Students are required to complete a max of 3 tasks. All tasks must successfully be completed to be deemed competent in this course.
More detailed assessment sheets for each assessment task will be distributed throughout course delivery.
Assessment 1 Risk Management activities
Individual activities
Aims: Analyse and describe current or past events using risk management concepts and tools. Suggest ways the risks could have been reduced, in hindsight.
Apply skills in finding information using online resources, books, journals and newspapers. Apply Harvard referencing skills.
Assessment criteria:
 Application of risk management concepts and tools to answer the questions
 Good use made of a variety of resources (2 must be hard copy, 2 must be online)
 Presentations of the final Report
 Correctly uses Harvard referencing system to reference the resources
Identify a current or past story in the news or a book which portrays business Risk and Risk Management. Examples could include company fires, environmental disasters, food poisoning, poor product sales, theft, fraud, death of staff and so on. The lectures will list 6 broad categories of risk to help you think of a news story.
Describe and comment on the event, with the benefit of hindsight, using risk management concepts and tools: Briefly describe the event (attach a copy of the article if convenient). From the point of view of a public relations practitioner in the business, describe the context of the risk, the actual risks associated with the event, who the risks affected and how it affected them. Are there any other risks that you now think should have been identified?
What risk reduction strategies were already in place or likely to have been in place before the event? What other risk reduction strategies could have been used or have been used since?
Assessment 2 - Test covering lectures and activities/workshops In-class.
Individual assessment: Students complete number of activities and workshops that will be assessed via a final test in class.
Assessment 3 - Major Assignment – Develop a Business Continuity Plan as part of the overall Business Plan
Report Length: 2000 - 2500
Group Interviews: 10 minutes
Aim: This assignment requires you to develop a Business Continuity Plan to show you can comprehend and apply the Australian Standard for risk management.
Work in groups of 4 and develop a written Risk Management Plan for a business. The plan must follow the model presented and explained in AS/NZ 4360:2004 Risk Management, Standards Association of Australia, NSW.
Students must meet at least 3 times and provide Meeting Minutes to the teacher outlining items discussed and action agreed for preparation of joint report. Class time will be used for meetings if time permits. Student must also complete a peer review form and give it to the teacher.
More detailed assessment sheets for each assessment task will be disseminated throughout course delivery.
Submission Requirements:
Format:
Work to be saved in a word doc or .pdf and uploaded to the assessment tab in your course blackboard shell by required date. Work sent by email will not be marked.
Work submitted after the deadline and without one of the forms below will not be accepted or marked.
Assessment deadline extensions:
Ensure that you submit assessments on or before the due date. If you think you might not make the due date due to circumstances beyond your control, you must apply for an application of extension time BEFORE the due date:
You can apply for an extension of seven or fewer days from the original due date for submission of assignments, projects, or essays. You must lodge it no later than one working day before the original submission due date. See link below for eligibility criteria and forms.
If your performance in the assessment is affected by unexpected circumstances, you should consider applying for Special Consideration. Information on the process and application forms for extension time and special consideration can be found at: http://rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=ls0ydfokry9rz.
Always retain a copy of your assessment tasks (hard copy and soft copy).
When you submit work for assessment at RMIT University you need to also submit the Assessment record and Cover Sheet that includes a declaration and statement of authorship. You must complete and submit this sheet with all work you submit for assessment, whether individual or group work. Assessment Record and Cover sheets for each assessment will be in each course blackboard shells and distributed with your assessment.
Resubmission
It is the student’s responsibility to check their results and complete resubmissions by deadline set (usually within 2 weeks of receiving feedback/results). Students are entitled to one re-submission per assessment. All resubmissions will be marked to competent or non-competent only, no grades will be given. All resubmissions must be received by week 16.
Late Submission Procedures
You are required to submit assessment items and/or ensure performance based assessment is completed by the due dates.
If you are prevented from submitting an assessment item on time, by circumstances outside your control, you may apply in advance to your teacher for an extension to the due date of up to seven calendar days.
More Information: http://www.rmit.edu.au/students/assessment/extension
Form to use: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/seca86tti4g4z.pdf
Where an extension of greater than seven days is needed, you must apply for special consideration. Applications for special consideration must be submitted no later than two working days after the assessment task deadline or scheduled examination.
More Information: http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=g43abm17hc9w
Form to use: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/8a5dgcaqvaes1.pdf
Resubmissions:
If you are found to be unsuccessful in a Course Assessment Task you will be allowed one resubmission only. Your teacher will provide feedback regarding what you need to do to improve and will set a new deadline for the resubmission. The highest grade you will receive if your resubmission is successful is “CAG”.
Adjustments to Assessment
In certain circumstances students may be eligible for an assessment adjustment. For more information about the circumstances under which the assessment arrangements might be granted please access the following website:
More Information: http://rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=7usdbki1fjf31
Assessment Matrix
Full details on how this course is assessed against the Unit elements and performance criteria plus critical aspects of evidence can be found in the Learning and Assessment Tool available from your course teacher.
Other Information
Nil
Course Overview: Access Course Overview