Students from over 120 countries choose to study at Aston University - a safe and friendly campus enjoyed by a global, multicultural community. Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities and home to an unrivalled cultural heritage, top sporting events, music, performing arts and outstanding world cuisine.

Aston University

New Row

Contact expert @[Full Name](fullname), @[Job Title](job_title) at @[Organization](organization) for media, speaking, professional opportunities and more.

@[Full Name](fullname) at @[Organization](organization) | Contact Form

Expert Inquiry

Open Sans

Wellbeing and productivity in the business enterprise sector: The curse of small and medium sized enterprises

46 Impact of organisational factors on the circular economy practices and sustainable performance of small and medium sized enterprises in Vietnam

Impact of Organisational Factors on the Circular Economy Practices and Sustainable Performance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Vietnam

Professor Rodríguez-Espíndola is a senior lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management at Aston University and a member of the Aston CRISIS centre. He has published in the area of humanitarian logistics in a range of high-quality journals.

His research is focused on Supply Chain Management, Operational Research, Humanitarian Logistics and Project Management. His expertise includes de use of optimisation models, simulation and geographical information systems for the analysis of the supply chain and the development of tools to support logistics decisions.

Supply Chain Management

Humanitarian Logistics

Operational Research

Project Management

Operations

University Profile

Google Scholar Citations

The Conversation Author Profile

Coronavirus: How AI, 3D printing and blockchain can help overcome supply problems in a crisis

Mexico is being held to ransom by oil thieves and systemic corruption

comment-uk-government-alert-text-message-test

Senior Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management

 The UK government recently conducted a nationwide test of their emergency alert system by sending out text messages to all mobile phone users in the country. The test has sparked a range of reactions from the public, including concerns about the effectiveness of the system and the potential for false alarms.

What did we learn from Sunday's test? Is it a concern that it apparently didn't work for everybody?  As we would expect, not everything went to plan. However, that is the point of preparing and doing this kind of test – to find out what parts of the system works before it is relied upon. 

The implementation of a new system rarely works perfectly. Sunday’s test was useful to show people what to expect from the alarm system and to identify any aspects that need to be corrected and improved to make the system more effective. 

It is not so much a concern that the test didn’t work for everyone; it is only of concern if we don’t know how to fix the problem and/or don’t take identified steps to fix it.

Is there a risk that public confidence has been undermined here? Is there also a risk of false alarms?  The government needs to manage its public awareness campaign – swiftly and fully. Public confidence need not be undermined as identifying the faults in the system was exactly what this kind of test was meant to do. 

However, public confidence will be undermined if the government doesn’t explain that to the public and isn’t completely transparent about what happened and what has been done to improve.  False alarms are always a possibility, but the benefits outweigh the risks. 

Having the right information at the right time can help a lot of people in complicated circumstances.  Additionally, the government needs to ensure that the message is worded appropriately. The government should continue to keep messages short and simple so that there is no unnecessary worries or panic for the public. 
 

What are the key challenges?  There are also issues related to people with anxiety or similar who may be overwhelmed by the noise the alarm makes and/or feel extra anxious from the threat of an emergency, even if it is simply a test alert. 

There are also those who suffer from domestic violence and may have secret phones so more communications on how to protect these vulnerable groups are required. 

Anyone without a mobile phone device may have been side-lined – senior citizens, vulnerable people, children – anyone without a command of English and/or isn’t really technologically minded enough to have a mobile device is at risk of not receiving these messages.
 

Why do we need a system like this in place anyway?  Preparedness is fundamental to mitigate the impact of any negative situation. The UK government is trying to leverage technology available to the public to get them crucial information when facing a crisis. 

The value of the system is to make people aware of a major danger and provide information about the best course of action which can be key for their protection. Alert systems are a great way to warn people of an impending situation, but equally important is that there are measures in place to handle an emergency such as evacuation procedures and rehearsals. 

It is the absence of a plan, contingency or knowing what to do in an emergency that transforms an emergency or disaster into a crisis. As such, we need a system like this because it aids in preparedness measures. 

The Aston Crisis Management Centre is focused on preparedness – whether it is for a business crisis or a natural hazard as we know that preparing for a crisis or disaster will help reduce the impact and may even help prevent some aspects of the disaster from happening. 

Not only is there a human cost in an emergency but also economic cost. It is important that preparing for crises reduces the impact of both. It is also important to be aware that in times of crisis and emergency it is important to have unified response and this system is the start of that important process.

 
This article was written by David Cantliff, David Carrington,  Oscar Rodriguez-Espindola & Lauren Traczykowski  of Aston Crisis Management Centre 

Comment: UK Government alert text message test

Select Inquiry Type