Risk and Business continuity management in the Arctic

Project Information

ArcticRisk

Grant agreement ID: 894623

DOI

10.3030/894623

Project closed

EC signature date 4 March 2020

Start date 1 September 2020

End date 31 August 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 214 158,72

EU contribution

€ 214 158,72

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITETET I STAVANGER
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ArcticRisk (Risk and Business continuity management in the Arctic)

Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The aim of the fellowship was for the researcher, Dr. Jacob Taarup-Esbensen, to develop his professional capacity by engaging in advanced training, developing interdisciplinary skills and disseminating his work through high-impact journals. He did this through practical experience, courses and high-quality supervision in line with the criteria for a leading independent researcher in the EU.

The work is important as the EU, and other European countries are looking to increase supply chain reliability from more politically stable world entities.

This proposal aimed to investigate multinational enterprises (MNEs) management of risk and business continuity in the Arctic mining industry using the context of Greenland as a case. This was done by examining best practices within the industry and using the researchers' experiences from MNE risk management and business continuity in Norway and Svalbard, applying these to the Greenlandic context.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project was very much influenced by the covid pandemic, which meant that the researcher, for long periods, was in isolation in different parts of the Arctic and was stuck at home, unable to travel for extended periods. However, it was possible to complete all the work that was set out in the project.

• First, through close collaboration with his supervisor, he will gain an in-depth understanding of how risk and safety management influence business continuity and safety management in the Arctic, a region that currently lacks the attention of international business research.

This work was completed mainly at the University Centre at Svalbard (UNIS), where I was able to stay for extended periods during the pandemic. The research environment is state of the art, and it was possible to engage in discussions with both academics as well as practitioners on questions of safety and business continuity. Especially good was the collaboration with Store Norske Spitsbergen Coal Company, who opened their doors and engaged in conversations.

• Second, gaining these insights will provide researchers and practitioners with tools that explain the connection between operational risk and safety decisions and the overall strategic aims of mining MNEs.

From the discussions and work with companies on Svalbard and with companies in Greenland, it was possible to gain valuable insights and transfer knowledge from Norway to the Greenlandic context. Due to the pandemic and political changes in Greenland, there were no new mining companies beginning production during the period, and hence it was only the two existing companies and the administrative systems in Greenland that could benefit from the knowledge transfer. Tools were also developed, which were described in journal articles as well as in public dissemination.

• Third, it explores alternative perspectives on business continuity risks through a sociological conceptualisation of risk and preparedness analysis as well as the risk and safety management process.

The fieldwork involved visits to several mining sites in the Arctic as well as remote interviews with key decision-makers in companies, government institutions and volunteer organisations. The work was described in the journal articles and showed how business continuity and organisational resilience could be strategically enacted under Arctic conditions.

• Fourth, he will be in a position to provide insights for policymakers as to the governance of the emerging extractive industry in Greenland and the rest of the region. The researcher expects to achieve these aims through the 24-month Fellowship, including 8 months of fieldwork and on-site training.

The PI discussed policy implications with the Greenlandic government and made recommendations based on the research as to what criteria should be applied to evaluating incoming mining projects. Business continuity capacity was at the time not considered an evaluation criterion when looking at incoming projects, and rules related to safety were not adapted to the industry but were adopted from the construction industry.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

There was an increasing need for improving theories of risk and safety management and continuing operations so that they include both tactical risk decisions and safety practices and, at the same time, link these to corporate strategy. Indications of how to approach business continuity in the Arctic can be found in codes and standards issued by organisations such as Norske Veritas and the International Maritime Organisation. These codes address some of the same Arctic challenges faced by mining projects, involving several hundred employees, workshops, warehouses, production and harbour facilities, as well as homes at very remote sites and local communities. The Greenlandic context provides an excellent framework for studying business continuity risk and safety management in the Arctic because of the complexity involved, the sensitivity of the environment and the significant attention from politicians, media and civil society. Thus, there is both a theoretical and practical perspective when it comes to developing functional risk reduction and business continuity plans, adapted to the company's strategy and which will function under Arctic conditions.


A total of five journal articles and one commentary were published during the project period. One additional journal article is in review to be published in 2022 or early 2023.

- Taarup-Esbensen, Jacob (2023) “Managing Business Continuity in the Arctic - Experiences from Mining”, p. 1-14, Risk Analysis – An international journal, https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.14098
- Taarup-Esbensen, Jacob (2022) “Community resilience – systems and approaches in remote settlements”, Progress in Disaster Science, Http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2022.100253
- Taarup-Esbensen, Jacob (2022) “Distributed sensemaking in network risk analysis”, Risk Analysis – An international journal, http://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13895
- Taarup-Esbensen, Jacob & Gudemestad, Ove Tobias (2022) “Reliability in Arctic supply chains – Challenges and opportunities for industrial development in Baffin Bay and Greenland”, Polar Geography https://doi.org/10.1080/1088937X.2022.2032447
- Taarup-Esbensen, Jacob & Gudemestad, Ove Tobias (2021) “Identifying challenges facing reliable supply chains and ways to mitigate then for mining in the Baffin Bay region”, IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 1201(012058) DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/1201/1/012058
- Taarup-Esbensen, Jacob (2021) “Et alternativ til risikobaseret dimensionering i Grønland – Et bæredygtigt robust beredskab”, Tidsskriftet Grønland, August, ISBN: 0017-4556
- Frederiksen, Peter Mikkel & Taarup-Esbensen, Jacob (2021) “Resilience-based (avalanche) risk management”, The NZ Avalanche Dispatch, August
- Taarup-Esbensen, Jacob (2021) “Business continuity management in Greenland – Arctic mining preparedness for business continuity events”, Safety Science, 137(May) DOI:10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105188

Conceptual model used in the project