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Purpose -To examine the post 9/11 communication of the bond-trading firm, Cantor Fitzgerald and its CEO Howard Lutnick, according to the discourse of renewal framework. Design/methodology/approach -This case-study of the discourse of renewal draws upon the messages and statements made by the company and its employees following the 9/11 attacks. The discourse of renewal framework emphasizes provisional responses, prospective statements, and the role of the leader as a symbol of stability in the face of a crisis. Findings -This study provides support for viewing crisis as change-inducing events with the potential to fundamentally alter the form, structure and direction of an organization. Renewal discourse helped the company survive an attack where over 600 employees were killed and the company offices completely destroyed. While a crisis inevitably create severe harm, it also has the potential to serve as a renewing force for the organization. Research limitations/implications -Few examples of post-crisis discourse of renewal have been examined in the literature and more research is needed. Work needs to identify the conditions necessary for this kind of discourse. Practical implications -Organizations may have the opportunity to fundamentally reframe a crisis, focusing on the opportunities that arise from these events. Originality/value -This paper explores both organizational crisis and organizational discourse from unique positions. Discourse is positioned as the means whereby crisis can become a positive force for change

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What is already known on this subject? African Americans are at an increased risk of both developing and dying from colorectal cancer (CRC). These disparities can be attributed in large part to deficits in the use of CRC screening among African Americans. Guided by prospect theory, available literature suggests that selectively pairing gain and loss-framed messaging with illness prevention and detection can better promote adaptive health behaviour. Specifically, loss-framed messages that emphasize the potential costs of failing to act may promote better use of illness detection behaviours, such as CRC screening. Emerging literature highlights the potential for cultural differences in the effects of gain and loss messaging on health behaviour, especially among collectivist or interdependent cultures. What does this study add? This study is the first to identify a potential and important cultural difference in the effect of message framing on cancer screening among African Americans, whereby gain-framed messaging better compelled receptivity to CRC screening. This study is also the first to show that the use of loss-framed messaging may reduce receptivity to CRC screening among African Americans by increasing perceived racism. This study demonstrates that simultaneously including a culturally targeted personal prevention message may attenuate the negative effects of loss-framed messaging on CRC screening among African Americans.

This mixed-method evidence synthesis drew on Cochrane methods and principles to systematically review literature published between 2003 and 2016 on the best social media practices to promote health protection and dispel misinformation during disasters. Seventy-nine studies employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods on risk communication during disasters in all UN-languages were reviewed, finding that agencies need to contextualize the use of social media for particular populations and crises. Social media are tools that still have not become routine practices in many governmental agencies regarding public health in the countries studied. Social media, especially Twitter and Facebook (and equivalents in countries such as China), need to be incorporated into daily operations of governmental agencies and implementing partners to build familiarity with them before health-related crises happen. This was especially observed in U.S. agencies, local government, and first responders but also for city governments and school administrations in Europe. For those that do use social media during health-related risk communication, studies find that public relations officers, governmental agencies, and the general public have used social media successfully to spread truthful information and to verify information to dispel rumors during disasters. Few studies focused on the recovery and preparation phases and on countries in the Southern hemisphere, except for Australia. The vast majority of studies did not analyze the demographics of social media users beyond their geographic location, their status of being inside/outside the disaster zone; and their frequency and content of posting. Socioeconomic demographics were not collected and/or analyzed to drill deeper into the implications of using social media to reach vulnerable populations. Who exactly is reached via social media campaigns and who needs to be reached with other means has remained an understudied area.