Many years ago it was announced that the 2016 Summer Olympic

Many years ago, it was announced that the 2016 Summer Olympic Games would be held in Rio de Janeiro. Lots of strategic planning and expense went into a massive overhaul of infrastructure and cleanup efforts in anticipation of this magnificent event. Despite a long planning window,unanticipated last-minute threats appeared.( i.e.,the threat of the Zika virus emerging from that area severely altered expectations and plans). Some athletes even cancelled plans to participate. For your consideration: Is long-term strategic planning worth it? Why or why not? If it is, what is an appropriate planning window (months, years, etc.)? How do you plan for contingencies? Explain.

Solution

Long-term strategic planning is definitely worth it and it mainly depends on how well it is implemented. The Brazilian government took all the required actions to make the event successful. But they couldn\'t predict the threat of Zika virus. Any event of this scale can be done without a long-term strategic planning. It is always necessary but it cannot be accurate every single time. These will be some negative aspects as well to consider before the planning is done. Just for few issues, the event cannot be cancelled or the planning cannot be stopped. So the planning is very much needed because it can help people realize the possible threats and what are the measures required to avoid them. The health issues like Zika virus is not something one can predict soon and find a cure to prevent it from spreading. The appropriate window for planning an event like this 2 to 3 years and if it involves infrastructure development then the widow should be 5 years. This is the question of the reputation of a developing country so the government will take it seriously and make the required changes. Contingencies cannot be predicted but one can just hope that nothing serious happens even if there is a threat during the event. If it is related to defence then the immediate action can be taken but a health issue like Zika cannot be treated easily and make it disappear. So the government can just keep the researchers and healthcare professionals ready to face the worst situations.