Evaluation of the business continuity system according to the specification (ISO 22301: 2019) and its impact on the ninth goal of sustainable development/ A case study in the General Company for Textile and Leather Industry / Cotton Factory

Abstract

The topic of business continuity in the industrial sector is one of the topics that captures the attention of stakeholders, researchers and specialists in this field in light of the increasing challenges facing industrial organizations today. Therefore, the availability of business continuity requirements has become a vital element to ensure the survival of organizations in their field of work and their ability to withstand and confront crises. The economic and political crises in Iraq, the challenges of the markets and their flooding with imported products, the weakness of legislation to protect the local product, the obsolescence of factories, plants, machines, equipment and production lines, the challenges of infrastructure and the weakness of partnerships with the private sector, have led to the faltering performance of a large number of public companies in the industrial sector, and the exit of a number of them from service, especially in the fields of textile, electronics, chemicals, iron and steel, thermal bricks and car assembly industries. However, most government institutions, especially public industrial companies, do not adopt scientific systems and methodologies to ensure their continuity in their field of work. Among these systems is the international standard specification (ISO 22301: 2019): Business Continuity System, which is an integrated system to help the management of organizations improve the quality of their outputs and continue in the field of industry. Therefore, the current research aims to measure the gap between the actual reality of business continuity practices in industrial organizations and the requirements of the international standard (ISO 22301: 2019) and sustainable development indicators, focusing on the ninth goal. The case study approach was adopted, which relies on field experience, observation and discussion with specialists in the General Company for Textile and Leather Industry / Cotton Factory. Checklists were also used as a primary tool for collecting data and information related to business continuity practices, and a set of statistical tools was used to measure the gap between reality and requirements and analyze it accurately. The research reached a number of general conclusions and specific conclusions to the sample studied, and presented a set of practical recommendations to bridge the gap between current practices and the requirements of the international specification, which contributes to enhancing the ability of organizations to achieve business continuity more effectively and sustainably.