Disaster risk management and business education: the case of small and medium enterprises

摘要

It is safe to say that building disaster resilience by preparing for disasterswith a business continuity plan is vital for smallbusiness to thrive in the long run. More often than not, small business owners invest large sums of money, time, and resources to make their ventures successful and yet, many of them fail to properly plan and prepare for disaster situations. With this problem in mind, Florida International University (FIU) became the house of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the Extreme Events Institute (EEI). Together, both institutes have collaborated in theirmission to spread disaster resilience and business continuity management knowledge and best practicesin an accessible wayto small businessesinSouth Florida and Latin America. By developing anddisseminating knowledge, processes and best-practices through several activities and channels such as business consulting and business continuity plan elaboration,Pasantas(Practicums), and the Disaster Resilience Toolkit for Small-and-Medium-Sized Enterprises, both institutes truly represent FIU experience with SMEs and its commitment with entrepreneurship and South Florida community.