Attendees at the ‘Bridging the Digital Divide’ Conference, Jersey, April 2002 - Click to Enlarge

Knowledge Economy

Lead Administration – Jersey

At the first British-Irish Council Summit meeting in December 1999, it was agreed that Jersey would take responsibility for advancing work in relation to the area of Knowledge Economy. This work sector was adopted by the Council in recognition of the increasingly important role played by the Knowledge Economy in economic, social and cultural life within BIC Member Administrations.

The Knowledge Economy workstream specifically sought to promote and develop the sustainability of business in the context of potential serious threats, such as those arising as a result of terrorist attacks or natural disasters. The focus of this work was in the area of small to medium sized enterprises which are believed to be most at risk. Possible preventative measures and business continuity planning were developed to strengthen business sustainability, through a common set of best practice guidelines.

Following consultation with the Business Continuity Institute, the Institute asked for assistance from the Group in making recommendations for an updated copy of its “Pocket Sized Good Practice Guidelines”, which has now been completed.

With the completion of the final copy for both the BIC website and the hard copy “Business Continuity Management for Small Businesses” the group’s work has now concluded.

At the thirteenth Summit of the Council in Jersey, in November 2009, the Council noted the important work that has been taken forward by the Knowledge Economy workstream in the area of Business Continuity Management of Small Businesses. The Council agreed that the "Business Continuity Management for Small Businesses" paper should be published on the BIC Website and agreed that the Best Practice Guidelines could be used in the eight Member Administrations.