Search

Andrew Chee Keng Lee,1 Hannah C Jordan,1 Jason Horsley2 1Section of Public Health, School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, 2Sheffield City Council, Sheffield, UK Abstract: There has been considerable work done in recent years exploring the value of urban green space for health and wellbeing. Urban green spaces provide environmental benefits through their effects on negating urban heat, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, and attenuating storm water. They also have direct health benefits by providing urban residents spaces for physical activity and social interaction, and allowing psychological restoration to take place. Consequently, there is a real need to understand the mechanisms by which these benefits accrue. Previously, much of the focus has been on the characteristics of the urban green space that are likely to influence its use, such as its accessibility, quality, facilities, attractiveness, and security. This assumes a causal relationship, when in reality the relationship is more complex and multifactorial. It is more likely that it is the functionality of the green space, be it for exercise or sociocultural activities, rather than its character, which translates to the reported benefits. Challenges exist, such as competing urban planning priorities, economic considerations, and market forces. There is thus a need for urban planning to match the health benefits sought with the needs of the community and the functionality that the urban green space will serve. Keywords: urban green space, public open space, urban planning, public health

This study explores crisis management/communication practices within the coal industry through the lens of high reliability organization (HRO) concepts and sensemaking theory. In-depth interviews with industry executives and an analysis of an emergency procedures manual were used to provide an exploratory examination of the status of crisis management within this industry, a context in which crisis management/communication may be viewed as an opportunity to improve existing negative perceptions or generate more favorable attitudes among stakeholders. Findings suggest that although companies place great emphasis on the technical response to a crisis, the lack of crisis communication components in overall planning strategies prevents some companies from being able to adequately respond to a crisis situation.

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.01363.x Byline: J. Suzanne Horsley (1), Brooke Fisher Liu (2), Abbey Blake Levenshus (2) Abstract: Government communication is pervasive and has an impact on every aspect of American public life. However, there is minimal theory-driven research in this critical area of communication. This research explores comparisons of communication practices and the status of professional development among the four levels of U.S. government organizations through a survey of 781 government communicators. The study identifies six significant differences and two similarities in how the public sector environment affects communication practices at the city, county, state, and federal levels. The findings were applied to a modification of the government communication decision wheel, a model that offers a theoretical foundation for the study of government communication within its unique environmental context free from the bias of corporate-centric research assumptions. The findings contribute to communication theory development for the underresearched public sector. Abstract (French) Comparaisons des pratiques de communication du gouvernement americain : pour developper la roue des decisions communicationnelles du gouvernement Susan Horsely, Brook Fisher Lui & Abbey Blake Levenshus La communication gouvernementale est omnipresente et affecte tous les aspects de la vie publique americaine. Neanmoins, il existe tres peu de recherches guidees par la theorie dans ce domaine critique de la communication. Cette recherche explore des comparaisons dans les pratiques communicationnelles et le developpement professionnel aupres de quatre niveaux gouvernementaux americains, par une enquete menee aupres de 781 agents de communication du gouvernement. L'etude identifie cinq differences importantes et trois similarites dans les facons par lesquelles le milieu du secteur public influence les pratiques de communication aux niveaux de la municipalite, du comte, de l'Etat et du pays. Les resultats ont ete appliques de facon a modifier la roue des decisions communicationnelles du gouvernement, un fondement theorique pour l'etude de la communication gouvernementale dans son milieu unique, sans les biais des hypotheses de recherche axees sur le secteur prive. Les resultats contribuent au developpement des theories en communication a propos du secteur public, toujours sous-etudie. Abstract (German): Vergleiche von Kommunikationspraktiken der US-Regierung: Eine Erweiterung des Kommunikationsentscheidungsrads der Regierung Susan Horsely, Brook Fisher Lui, & Abbey Blake Levenshus Die Kommunikation der Regierung ist allgegenwartig und beruhrt jeden Aspekt des Lebens der amerikanischen Offentlichkeit. Dennoch gibt es wenig theoriebasierte Forschung in diesem zentralen Feld der Kommunikation. Diese Studie betrachtet Vergleiche der Kommunikationspraktiken und professionellen Entwicklung auf vier Ebenen der US-Regierung mittels einer Umfrage unter 781 Regierungskommunikatoren. Die Studie identifiziert funf signifikante Unterschiede und drei ahnliche Aspekte, wie der offentliche Sektor die Kommunikationspraktiken auf Stadt-, Landkreis-, Lander- und Bundesebene beeinflusst. Die Ergebnisse wurden zur Modifikation des Kommunikationsentscheidungsrads der Regierung herangezogen - eine theoretische Basis fur die Untersuchung von Regierungskommunikation innerhalb ihres einzigartigen Kontextes und frei von Befangenheiten unternehmenszentristischer Forschungsannahmen. Die Ergebnisse tragen zur Entwicklung von Kommunikationstheorie im bislang unterbeleuchteten offentlichen Sektor bei. Author Affiliation: (1) University of Alabama (2) University of Maryland Article note: J. Suzanne Horsley; e-mail: horsley@apr.ua.edu

This study investigates the differences and similarities in communication practices between the public and private sectors. Through a survey of 976 government and corporate communicators, 12 organizational attributes previously identified in research on the government communication decision wheel (Liu & Horsley, 2007; Liu & Levenshus, 2008) were tested. The results indicated differences between the two groups in budgets, political influence, communication frequency, public pressure, interaction with other organizations, media coverage frequency, media coverage evaluation, and impact of legal frameworks as they relate to communication practices. No significant differences in diversity of publics, opportunities for professional development, participation in organizational leadership, or management support for communication between the two groups were found. The findings allowed for refinement of this developing model of government communication. Keywords: Government Communication; Public Relations; Corporate Communication; Government Communication Decision Wheel DOI: 10.1080/00909881003639528

BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 was a major test of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which the United States federal government mandates for response to all disasters. At the time, this disaster was perhaps the greatest event in scope and duration under NIMS disaster management guidelines since they were revised in 2008 (the third edition was published in 2017). Ten years later, NIMS provides procedures for operating a joint information center (JIC), but still offers no guidelines for ethical communication. This case study examines the ethical implications of 178 news releases distributed by the Deepwater Horizon Incident JIC. Qualitative analysis found that communication was conducted in an open, ethical manner, with few exceptions. Conflicts emerged, however, that may have compromised ethical standards. The authors conclude with recommendations to inform ethical decision making by JIC communicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electron energy loss spectra of gaseous thiophene and thiolane in the regions of S 2p, S 2s, and C 1s are presented along with the x-ray photoelectron yield (NEXAFS) spectra of both gases in the region of S 1s excitation. The thiophene spectra are compared to the corresponding NEXAFS spectra of solid (multilayer) and monolayer thiophene on Pt (111). MS-Xα calculations of the C 1s, S 2p, and S 1s excitation spectra of free thiophene are also reported. Intercomparison of the gas, surface, and calculated spectra allows a complete interpretation of the spectral features and facilitates determination of the molecular orientation of thiophene with respect to the surface in both the compressed [thiophene on Pt (111) at 150 K] and relaxed [thiophene on Pt (111) at 180 K] monolayer phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

K shell excitation spectra of the aromatic molecules benzene and pyridine in the gas phase are compared to those for the solids (ices) and for monolayers chemisorbed on Pt(111). The gas phase and solid spectra are essentially identical and even the spectra for the chemisorbed molecules exhibit the same resonances. Because of the orientation of the molecules upon chemisorption the latter spectra show a strong polarization dependence as a function of x-ray incidence. This polarization dependence in conjunction with a multiple scattering Xα calculation for the benzene molecule allows us to assign the origin of all K shell resonances. The resonances are found to arise from transitions to π* antibonding orbitals and to σ* shape resonances in the continuum. The shape resonances are characterized by potential barriers in high (l=5 and 6) angular momentum states of the excited photoelectron. The polarization dependence and energy position of the resonances allow the molecular orientation on the surface to be determined and show that the change in the carbon–carbon bond length is less than 0.02 Å. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of ethylene on Pt(111) at 90 and 300 K have been measured and compared to the spectra calculated using the multiple scattering Xα method for cluster models of adsorbed ethylene and ethylidyne. The results indicate that ethylene is adsorbed in the di-σ configuration (sp3 hybridization) at 90 K, and that the π* orbital retains its identity in this configuration, with no component along the C–C axis. The spectrum obtained at 300 K is attributed to ethylidyne (CCH3) and the calculated spectrum for a cluster consisting of this species bonded symmetrically to three Pt atoms is in good agreement with experiment. The calculations show that the multiple scattering molecular cluster approach is a useful technique for interpreting the NEXAFS spectra of adsorbed molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]