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Word
up, music lovers!
TERRY Wogan and
Cliff Richard urge everyone to check their hearing by calling RNID’s
telephone hearing check. Have you ever misheard the lyrics of
a song on radio or television and later realised you were singing
along using the wrong words? Although the difficulty in making out
lyrics may be due to the singer’s performance, have you considered
it could actually be a loss in your own hearing?
In the run-up to the Eurovision Song Contest final on Saturday (20
May), RNID, the national charity changing the world for 9 million
deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, is calling on music
lovers in Liverpool to dial 0845 600 5555 and take RNID’s simple 5
minute telephone hearing check.
The telephone hearing check is part of RNID’s Breaking the Sound
Barrier campaign, which is reaching out to the 4 million people in
the UK who are losing their hearing but doing nothing about it.
Susan Osborne, Director of RNID’s Breaking the Sound Barrier
Campaign, explains:- “Many of us have experienced the
embarrassment of a friend or relative pointing out we’ve been using
completely the wrong words when singing out loud! I urge anyone in
Liverpool who regularly finds they are not hearing song lyrics too
clearly to call 0845 600 5555 and take RNID’s simple hearing check.
Perhaps a good time to make the call is during the Eurovision Song
Contest final on Saturday. After voting for your favourite song, why
not keep hold of your telephone receiver for just another five
minutes and dial 0845 600 5555 to take the hearing check? It could
be your first step on the road towards hearing song lyrics more
clearly as well as reconnecting yourself with friends, family and
colleagues.”
Eurovision Song Contest final commentator, Sir Terry Wogan, and
former Eurovision star, Sir Cliff Richard, have expressed their
support for the Breaking the Sound Barrier campaign, which aims to
change attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids.
Sir Terry Wogan says:- “One of the greatest pleasures in life
is having a good chat and in my profession you have to be a good
listener as well, so being able to hear clearly has always been
important to me. Why don't you do yourself a favour and take part in
RNID's Breaking The Sound Barrier campaign by taking the telephone
hearing check on 0845 600 5555 - it could surprise you and give you
a clearer picture of your level or hearing.”
Sir Cliff Richard says:- “Clear hearing has been something
I've always depended on in my professional life, and I'm delighted
that RNID has launched its telephone hearing check so that we can
all get a clearer picture of our level of hearing. I'd urge everyone
to support Breaking the Sound Barrier by taking the hearing check.
It could change your life for the better.”
For details about the Breaking the Sound Barrier campaign, log on to
their
website
and, for information on how to protect your hearing when listening
to music, contact RNID’s free information line on telephone: 0808
808 0123, textphone: 0808 808 9000 or visit
dontlosethemusic.com.
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Organisations at risk as emergency planning takes backstage role
MANY organisations in the North West are failing to prepare
for disruption, despite evidence outlining the business benefits of
disaster planning, says a survey published this week by the
Chartered Management Institute and supported by the Cabinet Office
and Continuity Forum. The 2006 Business Continuity Management Survey
highlights the significant impact of disasters at home and abroad,
including a potential influenza pandemic, and uncovers worrying
signs of inactivity and complacency.
The research findings uncover a worrying gap between perception and
reality. Key findings include:
Too little action:-
Although a majority of managers in the North West (76%) believe
business continuity is viewed as important by their senior
management teams, 42% say their organisation has a business
continuity plan (BCP) in place. Organisations in the region are also
failing to rehearse plans as often as they should - only 24% of
those with plans test them at least once a year, compared to 37%,
nationally. This is made more worrying by the fact that where
rehearsals have taken place, 80% have revealed shortcomings in their
plans.
Possessions, not people:- Inanimate objects still dominate business continuity management (IT
is covered by 67% of plans) despite organisations admitting a fear
of losing people and skills. For example, almost all in the North
West (95%) believe they would suffer disruption caused by higher
levels of absenteeism and illness in an influenza pandemic, yet 86%
do not have robust plans to cope with this absence.
Big picture ignored:-
46% perceive terrorist damage or environmental incidents (33%) as a
major threat to business. This is despite 25% of organisations in
the North West experiencing disruption after the London bombings in
July 2005, 6% facing problems as a result of the Buncefield oil
explosion and some (3%) feeling the impact of the Asian Tsunami.
Shortcomings in communication:- Only 3 in 10 with plans share these with suppliers and shareholders,
while just 1 in 10 communicate this information to customers -
despite being cited as key drivers for creating BCPs. And only 9% of
businesses in the region require all suppliers to have a BCP with
22% of organisations requiring only business-critical suppliers to
have plans.
Jo Causon, Director, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Chartered
Management Institute, says:- “We are now in the 7th year of
conducting this research and it is disappointing to see that
organisations still fail to manage business continuity effectively.
There appears to be a mismatch between perception of the need for
business continuity and the reality of little action to prepare and
plan. Unless appropriate and effective business continuity processes
are thoroughly considered, organisations leave themselves wide open
to a variety of threats and potential disruption.”
The research suggests that managers would particularly benefit from
guidance on creating a plan, case studies illustrating others’
experiences and guidance on the potential disruptions they face. The
Cabinet Office websites,
pfe.gov.uk and
ukresilience.info, provide valuable resources for
organisations wanting this sort of advice. They also have links to
the Government guidance document, ‘Contingency Planning for a
Possible Influenza Pandemic’, to help organisations consider the
risks and plan more effectively for such an eventuality.
John Sharp, Policy and Development Director, Continuity Forum says:-
“This research highlights the need for organisations to
benchmark and assess their business continuity management processes
against nationally-recognised standards and frameworks so that any
readjustments can be made and potential room for error is
minimised.” |
