NCC Members have free access to this Guideline on the Principia website.

According to National Statistics in the last few years of the 20th century, 99.5% of all businesses in the UK economy employ fewer than 200 people, 98% employ fewer than 50 people and 96.4% employ fewer than 20 people!

These figures clearly illustrate the importance of caring for the SMEs rather than aiming initiatives at the larger companies who can buy in expertise and a full board of directors on whom the Managing Director can call on at any time. However, the counterpart for an SME, often has no such facility and is expected to know everything, keep up with everything and do everything themselves. Clearly a very unsatisfactory situation especially as in most cases that person cannot be expected to 'know what they don't know'. '99.5% of all businesses in the UK economy employ fewer than 200 people, 98% employ fewer than 50 people and 96.4% employ fewer than 20 people'.

These Guidelines examine the feasibility and practicality of implementing a full Business Continuity Plan for companies classified as SMEs i.e. for those who employ between 1 and 250 people.