Challenges facing organizations in Asia-Pacific Executive summary of presentation given at NZBIO Conference 2013 by Dr Andrew Powell CEO, Asia Biobusiness. Over the last 30 years the science of risk communication has been applied as part of efforts to communicate risks to audiences in a more effective manner. Demand for information on risks affecting the public [...]

Asia Biobusiness (ABB) ran a pre-conference workshop on “Risk Communication—Effective Communication in High Stress, Biothreat & Bioemergencies” at the 8th A-PBA Biosafety Association  Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Twenty enthusiastic participants, all new to risk communication, took part in a three-hour interactive session focussing on biorisk communication during outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, and the [...]

Note: Asia Biobusiness presented the following abstract at the 6th Asian Food Safety & Nutrition Conference in Singapore, November 26–28, 2012. At the conference leading exponents of Risk Communication, including CSIRO’s David Cox and University of Newcastle’s Lynn Frewer and Mary Brennan presented on food and risk perception to over 300 delegates. Building Trust in [...]

Continuing our look at Risk Communication case studies, in the run up to our Risk Communication workshop with NZBIO and CFRCANZ we take a look at an unusual incident in New Zealand in 2005 that threatened an entire industry, yet turned into a triumph of effective (risk) communication by MAF (now MPI). – Hoaxes can [...]

In May 2012, Asia Biobusiness presented the following article at the Plant Biosecurity CRC Science Exchange 2012 meeting in Perth, Australia. – COMMUNICATION OF BIOSECURITY RISK involves engaging a wide range of stakeholders with divergent levels of knowledge, risk perceptions, attitudes, attention spans and critically, dispositions to trust. Such variables create challenges for communicators looking to build [...]

Ahead of the ABB and CFRCANZ Risk Communication Workshop with NZBIO in New Zealand at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on 12–13 December, Dr Andrew Roberts selects some risk communication case studies (including a great one from New Zealand) , both successful and spectacular failures, and analyses where things went right and where things [...]

ABB is pleased to publish its Risk Communication Prospectus for the coming year. We give an overview of our approach, strategies and optional modules as part of the education & training programme offered under our Knowledge Pl+s system. Download your copy from: ABB Risk Comm Prospectus 2012–13

Society has become extremely risk averse, where fear sells news. The consequence of this is increasing media attention towards perceived risks associated with novel technologies in food, agriculture, health and the environment. Every science-intensive organisation has to manage risk. There is a need to build trust and engage with stakeholders, reduce concern and communicate benefits [...]

Communication professionals working in agricultural biotechnology are faced with a laundry list of problems when communicating with the public. Not least of these problems concern the technical difficulties of explaining what is a complex issue to a public overwhelmed with jargon, multiple messages and a whole host of other pressing issues competing for attention. Compounding [...]

Guest Opinion Piece by Colin Jarvis When Mary Shelley wrote her book, Frankenstein, in 1818 she could not have imagined that we would still be talking about it today, 200 years later. We all know the story, don’t we? An evil Professor creates a monster called Frankenstein from bits of dead bodies. The monster then [...]