CBCP-002 Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) Questions and Answers

Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices, and processes by which an organization is directed and controlled. It involves balancing the interests of various stakeholders, such as shareholders, management, customers, suppliers, regulators, and the community. It also enables an organization to balance risk and entrepreneurial energy with appropriate internal control procedures to manage that risk. Effective corporate governance can enhance performance, accountability, transparency, and trust. Verified References: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corporategovernance.asp https://www.thebci.org/training-qualifications/good-practice-guidelines.html

The primary reason for developing and implementing a business continuity plan is to ensure the continuation of a company’s critical functions and processes in the face of a disruption that may otherwise cause severe losses or damage to the company’s reputation, assets, customers, or stakeholders. A business continuity plan can help a company to resume operations asquickly as possible after a disruption, minimize the impact on its performance and profitability, protect its brand and image, and fulfill its legal and contractual obligations. Verified References: https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity-plan https://drii.org/resources/professionalpractices/EN

A formal “disaster” can only be declared by the firm owners or by the IT Department Manager. This is false because a formal “disaster” can be declared by any authorized person who has the responsibility and authority to activate the business continuity and disaster recovery plan. The authorized person may vary depending on the type, scope, and severity of the disaster, but it should be clearly defined in the plan who can declare a disaster and under what circumstances. The authorized person should also communicate the declaration of a disaster to all relevant stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, partners, regulators, media, or the public. Verified References: https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity-plan https://www.csoonline.com/article/515730/business-continuity-and-disaster-recovery-planning-the-basics.html

Financial risks are the risks that result from business decisions that are influenced by changes in markets, liquidity, and credit. Financial risks are the uncertainties or variabilities of the financial performance or position of an organization due to factors such as interest rates, exchange rates, inflation, credit ratings, debt levels, or cash flows. Financial risks can affect anorganization’s profitability, solvency, liquidity, or valuation. Verified References: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financialrisk.asp https://www.thebci.org/training-qualifications/good-practice-guidelines.html

In the event of a disaster that destroys the physical office site operations will be relocated to a temporary site. This is true because one of the recovery strategies for a disaster is to have an alternate site where the critical functions and processes can be resumed until the primary site is restored or replaced. The alternate site can be a pre-arranged location, such as a rented office space, a hotel, or another branch of the same organization, or a mobile facility, such as a trailer or a container. The alternate site should have the necessary equipment, systems, data, and resources to support the continuity of the business. Verified References: https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity-plan https://www.csoonline.com/article/515730/business-continuity-and-disaster-recovery-planning-the-basics.html

Continuity planning with external stakeholders, such as key suppliers, is essential to ensure the uninterrupted flow of information, materials, products, and services during disruptions. The type of continuity planning determines the nature of the relationship and coordination with these suppliers:

Multilateral: This involves multiple parties (e.g., an organization and several suppliers or partners) working together in a coordinated plan. While multilateral planning can enhance collaboration across a broad network, it is complex and not specifically tailored to strengthening individual supplier relationships, which is the focus of this question.

Bilateral: This refers to a two-party agreement or plan between the organization and a specific supplier. Bilateral continuity planning fosters a direct, functioning relationship with key suppliers, enabling mutual understanding, aligned recovery strategies, and stronger assurances of continuous supply. It is the most effective approach for building robust, one-on-one supplier relationships, as it allows for tailored coordination and commitments.

Unilateral: This is a one-sided plan where the organization develops its continuity strategy without direct supplier involvement. While it may address internal resilience, it does not enhance the functioning relationship with suppliers or provide assurances of their continuity, making it inadequate for this purpose.

The correct answer isB. Bilateral, as it directly enhances the relationship with key suppliers through mutual planning and coordination, ensuring a continuous supply chain. This aligns with Business Continuity Professional practices that emphasize collaboration with critical external dependencies.

References:

DRI International Professional Practices for Business Continuity Management (2023), Section 4: Business Impact Analysis and Risk Assessment – Highlights the importance of engaging key suppliers in continuity planning.

ISO 22301:2019, Clause 8.2.3 – Emphasizes identifying and managing dependencies, including suppliers, through coordinated planning.

A formal “disaster” can only be declared by the firm owners or by the IT Department Manager. This is false because a formal “disaster” can be declared by any authorized person who has the responsibility and authority to activate the business continuity and disaster recovery plan. The authorized person may vary depending on the type, scope, and severity of the disaster, but it should be clearly defined in the plan who can declare a disaster and under what circumstances. The authorized person should also communicate the declaration of a disaster to all relevant stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, partners, regulators, media, or the public. Verified References: https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity-plan https://www.csoonline.com/article/515730/business-continuity-and-disaster-recovery-planning-the-basics.html

A disaster can also be declared for an illness pandemic where a significant portion of employees are sick. This is true because an illness pandemic is a type of natural disaster that can affect an organization’s ability to continue its normal operations. An illness pandemic can cause absenteeism, reduced productivity, increased costs, supply chain disruptions, customer dissatisfaction, or regulatory compliance issues. Therefore, an organization may need to declare a disaster and activate its business continuity and disaster recovery plan if an illness pandemic impacts its critical functions and processes beyond an acceptable level. VerifiedReferences: https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity-plan https://www.csoonline.com/article/515730/business-continuity-and-disaster-recovery-planning-the-basics.html

Damage assessment is the process of evaluating the extent and severity of the damage caused by a disruption to an organization’s facilities, equipment, systems, data, records, or personnel. It includes identifying the affected business functions and processes, estimating the time it will take to restore them to normal or acceptable levels of operation, and evaluating whether the recovery time exceeds the maximum tolerable downtime (MTD) for each function or process. If so, a disaster should be declared and the business continuity plan should be activated. Having the insurance company declare the total extent of the damages is not part of the damage assessment process, as it may take longer than the MTD and may not reflect the operational impact of the damage. Verified References: https://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/Damage_Assessment.pdf https://drii.org/resources/professionalpractices/EN