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Behavior of diversity in workplace
Policy implementation and communications
Behavior of diversity in workplace
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In 2005, the City of Houston’s Bureau of Air Quality Control (BAQC) terminated the contract it had with a state agency, to conduct enforcement of state rules and regulations (Williams & James, 2009). Ranked consistently among the United States’ worst cities for air quality and pollution control, the previous collaboration with the state was ineffective with applications and processes that were cumbersome to maneuver through for both employees, entities, and citizens (Williams & James, 2009). The City of Houston’s BAQC implemented a new strategic plan, to internalize the functions the state previously handled, and included policy changes, better technology utilization, and most importantly, strategies for getting the community involved (Williams & James, 2009). The emphasis of this case study analysis will be on the technical communication aspects of the City’s plan to improve air quality.
Plain language means fewer calls from customers, less time for users to solve a problem, higher compliance rates, and fewer customer errors (“PlainLanguage.gov”). The previous reporting system was tedious, reports were hard to comprehend and did not encourage further communication or collaboration (Williams & James, 2009). Including citizens and other stakeholders as part of the audience, who were not familiar with the scientific and technical terminology, resulted in reports that included the use of first-person narratives, detailed descriptions, descriptive language and active voice (Williams & James, 2009). The BACQ has also revised reports to include a mixture of graphics and text to explain technical information (Williams & James, 2009). When necessary, the public can telephone City representatives for results and details of investigations ...
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Works Cited
Kim, S., & Lee, J. (2012). Citizen participation and transparency in local government: An empirical analysis [PDF]. 2nd Global Conference on
Transparency. Retrieved from http://www.transparencyconference.nl/ wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Kim-Lee.pdf Piotrowski, S. J. (2008). Freedom of Information: A Duty of Public Agencies. In
M. Lee (Ed.), Government Public Relations (pp. 309-314). Boca Raton, FL:
Auerbach Publications.
PlainLlanguage.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2014, from http://www.plainlanguage.gov/ Williams, M. F., & James, D. D. (2009). Embracing new policies, technologies, and community partnerships: A case study of the City of Houston’s Bureau of
Air Quality Control [PDF]. Technical Communication Quarterly, 8(1), 82-98.
http://dx.doi.org/10.10.1080/10572250802437515
Exxon/Mobil, one of the nation’s leading oil producers, has its main refinery located in Beaumont, Texas. Each year, the residents of Beaumont/Port Arthur have to contend with the 39,000 pounds of pollution spewed each year by the Exxon refinery. Exxon’s emissions are 385% above the state refinery average. In 1999, the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Committee (TNRCC) allowed the plant to increase their emissions, without allowing the public to have a say in the matter. Interestingly, 95% of the people living near the plant are of African American descent and are in the poverty range. Some believe that this, along with the lack of education in the area, allows Exxon to get away with such high emissions. Residents in nearby neighborhoods have been complaining of headaches, nausea, eye, and throat irritation for years. Since 1997, Mobil has repeatedly violated health standards in its emissions of two key air pollutants: sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, These “rotten egg” smells are so strong, one can smell it through a car driving past the refinery. After numerous complaints and one record of a refinery worker becoming unconscious because of the fumes, the EPA awarded Exxon with a $100,000 environmental justice grant in October of 1998. Hopefully, Exxon has put the money to good use and cleaned up their emissions.
Los Angeles is one such city that has had some success in controlling its air pollution, with plans that are different from the ones Phoenix is using. Located in the Sunbelt, LA sees a lot of sunshine like Phoenix. It, too, has had a large population growth like Phoenix and has had to respond to that accordingly. Los Angeles has developed a few excellent plans to fight its air pollution, which I believe can also make a difference in Phoenix as well. I propose that we integrate those plans from Los Angeles to enhance the battle of air pollution in Phoenix.
The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA is the result of a 1970 executive order by President Richard Nixon for the purpose of protecting the environment of the United States through regulation on business and citizens. Public opinion on the Environmental Protection Agency has been divided fairly evenly across the population of the United States as of recently, as compared to the widespread public concern of the 50’s and 60’s that led to the agency’s creation. Recently the agency has come under scrutiny for its contributions of millions of dollars in grants to researchers in order to hide the potential trade off of its actions in order to further the agency’s agenda. The EPA’s ever-expanding regulation could end up harming more than it actually
An extensive part of WEACT’s mission is to “promote actions that people can take in their own homes as well as addressing the larger policy issues of where industry is located and its effects on the health of neighborhood residents” (Carlson & Stroebel). In order to take these actions and help guarantee that policy makers were listening, the creation of the risk maps were vital. The risk map was able to present areas where “young people experienced foul odors, irritated throats, watery eyes, shortness of breath, and other self reported symptoms” (Corburn 55). The mission of this street science project was to safeguard the community’s health concerns, in addition to allowing further action to be implemented. However, the risk maps were not the only way that WEACT sought to address these
The demands on health care providers to provide the best quality care for patients is increasing. With added responsibilities and demands on our health care workers, it is hard not become overwhelmed and forget the reason and purpose of our profession. However, there is a way where all professionals can meet and come together for a common cause, which is the patient. A new approach in patient care is coming of age. This approach allows all health care professionals to collaborate and explore the roles of other professions in the hope of creating a successful health care team. This approach is referred to as the Interprofessional Collaboration Practice (IPC). To become an effective leader and follower, each professions will need to work together
The quality of air we intake on a daily basis is essential to our health, therefore, the EPA’s Clean Air Act provides the groundwork to support the quality of the air which we breathe. One of the goals of the Act was to set and achieve NAAQS in every state by 1975 to address the public health and welfare risks posed by certain air pollutants. The setting of these pollutant standards was coupled with directing the states to develop state implementation plans (SIPs), applicable to appropriate industrial sources in the stat...
It is crucial that individuals take precautions when using technology to have conversations with others. Due to the fact that it can be dangerous, effective telephone communication is very important. Before using technology as communication devices, it is a good idea to know the main issues regarding it. It is also a good idea to know about any recent developments and how it affects its users. By making sure the technology has high ratings and positive feedback, there is a greater chance that you will be happier with the outcome of your purchase.
...the information was collected) affected the nature of the information solicited, the responses of the interviewees and the process of transcription.
This case focuses on corporate obstacles to pollution prevention. Pollution prevention can complex especially for large corporations. There are many different forms of pollution prevention including emissions control devices and incremental changes in existing technology. The author reviews the impact of emissions controlled devices, however the focus of the case study is on incremental changes in existing technology. Incremental changes include substituting one or two steps in a production process or relationship changes between production steps. One example of incremental changes that was provided by the author was eliminating chlorofluorocarbons and saving energy by replacing a refrigeration process with a heath exchanger that can exploit waste cooling from another part of the process. There are three critical decision-making stages for incremental changes; identifying a pollution prevention opportunity, finding a solution appropriate to that opportunity, and implementing that solution. The author discusses the three aspects of an organization (culture, ability to process information, and its politics) and how they impact the decision-making stages.
Laws are often changing. A law needs to keep up with the changing views and values of a society. Things like events and technology are just two examples of what may produce a law or a change to a law. A law would need to accommodate a technology to regulate it for safety and how it’s used. Events also need to be regulated by law for safety and if it was a terrible event (9/11), then a law, or laws, are needed to prevent it from happening again. Laws pertaining to the environment are always changing because human interaction with the environment is always changing, whether its pollution, hunting, or overusing resources, these things need to be constantly regulated. This paper describes how the Clean Air Act developed and changed. The
One of the major themes throughout this book is the need for more collaboration, coalitions, and alliances at the regional level dealing with major political, economic, social, and environmental problems our metropolitan regions face. One example the book provides for increasing collaboration between regional actors is to create a dialogue to establish “mutual understanding through a process that suspends judgment, reveals assumptions on both sides, and includes diverse perspectives..” A dialogue replaces the inefficient process of debate with a collaborative one that builds trusts and helps to reconcile difference between seemingly competing interests. In San Diego for example, in the 1980’s civic leaders had UCSD set up an organization to spell out all the regions problems and bring the community together to help work at solving the region’s challenges. The San Diego dialogue was noted for helping to build connections that broke down borders between different groups and the shift in focus from individual grievances to community solutions.
Case 5.3: Getting the Message (Northouse, 2013) demonstrates an example of situational management. In summary, Ann Calbera is a program manager of a college campus radio station (WCBA). The radio station has a strong pipeline of student workers who value the media experience from working at the station. As a program manager, Ann is well respected, takes great pride in developing relationships with the student workers and allows them to be creative which the students respond positively to leadership style. However, the student workers have a lack of understanding on how their behavior negatively impacts the station and violates FCC rules by which the station is governed by. Even though Ann provides the students with a detailed policy and procedures handout, FCC violations still occur on a regular basis which result in illegal practices and consequences.
PURPOSE: To persuade my audience that we must take action now to control air pollution
The “plain English” movement is something that the SEC and FASB involved themselves in to helping bridge the gap. Shifting to plain English will require a style of thinking and writing in which if you are working for a company or the SEC that the question of if the document that was used to writing highlight the important information for the investor to make decisions so it is important that the communication isn’t too complex for them to understand. We will look at how they will benefit a corporation and explaining why this movement is important and what some of the major impacts to large corporate clients might be.
Hoboken N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Web. Loh, Penn, and Jodi Sugerman-Brozan. "Environmental Justice Organizing for Environmental Health: Case Study on Asthma and Diesel Exhaust in Roxbury, Massachusetts. " Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 584 (2002): 110-24.