One quarter of global companies -- mostly small and privately held -- recently surveyed by the Conference Board don't have an avian flu pandemic readiness plan and, therefore, are most vulnerable if there's a widespread outbreak, says the New York-based business research group.
About half of the companies without a readiness plan simply don't consider it a business priority, reports the Conference Board. An additional 20% believe existing their existing business continuity plans are adequate to meet the threat.
However, nearly 75% of the 553 companies surveyed either have a readiness plan or are developing such a plan, with 85% of the firms saying their planning began in the last 12 months.
