APHIS PPQ's inclusion of risk.

Risk communication in a High Reliability Organization: APHIS PPQ's inclusion of risk in decision making.

Dissertation
Fargo: North Dakota State University, 2003

Steven J. Venette

Abstract:

This study, first, identified how the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) communicates and interprets risk when making resource allocation decisions. This study drew upon literature that explains how people perceive risk communication helps construct an interpretation of reality.

The data revealed that risk aversion is a determinant of risk perception. Generally, the less risk tolerant a person was, the greater his or her assessment of risk. The project also explored experience and risk aversion (among other variables) as determinants of risk perception. Correlation analysis failed to identify a significant relationship between experience and the perception of risk. However, multinomial logit modeling revealed that experience factors did significantly affect high risk perceptions. As action-oriented research, this project was designed to meet the needs of the USDA and to expand understanding of risk communication.