Collaborative business relationships and the use of ICT: The case of the marine, defence and resources cluster, Western Australia

The research project was developed from an Australian Research Council Grant designed to investigate collaborative commerce and its impact on regional economic development. Through a process of consultation with the industry partner, the South West Group, the research was designed to investigate the drivers and inhibitors of collaborative relationships and the factors that impact on the creation and sustaining of these relationships. The role of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in facilitating and sustaining collaborative relationships and the perceived benefits and drawbacks of collaborative relationships were also investigated. The research sought to identify models of the best adoption of collaborative relationships

Understanding the Intelligence Practices of State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies

In addition, the study examined the activities of three fusion centers in order to identify strategies that are successful in increasing the information flow across agencies, the major obstacles to effective intelligence-gathering and information-sharing, and identify key practices for integrating domestic intelligence into the information-sharing environment and overcoming these obstacles. The study found that although significant progress has been made since 9/11 in installing fundamental policy and procedures related to building the intelligence capacity of law enforcement, there is significant room for improvement and a need to move agencies forward to be consistent with key requirements. Also, fusion centers are further along in instituting intelligence policies and practices than are individual law enforcement agencies. This is most likely because there has been a focus on developing fusion center operations and expertise by both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. In addition, both samples of respondents emphasized that they have worked at building relationships with a diverse range of agencies, but they also indicated that they are not completely satisfied with these relationships. Further, there is a significant amount of information coming into and going out of these agencies. It is likely that without sufficient analysts within the organizations or poorly trained analysts, there are missed opportunities for strategic and tactical understanding of homeland security and criminal threats. Assessing the performance of analysts is difficult, but respondents emphasized the need to focus on the quality of strategic and tactical products produced

Recent Advances and Opportunities for Improving Critical Realism-Based Case Study Research in IS

Critical realism (CR) has been proposed as an alternative to positivist and interpretivist research in information systems. In recent years, there have been several articles that describe methodological guidelines for conducting CR-based empirical studies. These guidelines have been used by numerous researchers as the methodological underpinnings for empirical research articles in IS, particularly for case studies. As a result, CR-based research has evolved as these researchers address many of the challenges and issues associated with this approach. In this article, we present a review and synthesis of methodological and recent empirical CR literature. We identify the methodological advances and important gaps in the empirical research and present a set of state-of-the-art recommendations for conducting and evaluating critical realist research studies in IS

Three Essays on Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Information Sharing and Collaboration: An Insider Perspective

This dissertation identifies what may be done to overcome barriers to information sharing among federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and emergency responders. Social, technical, and policy factors related to information sharing and collaboration in the law enforcement and emergency response communities are examined. This research improves information sharing and cooperation in this area. Policing in most societies exists in a state of dynamic tension between forces that tend to isolate it and those that tend to integrate its functioning with other social structures (Clark, 1965). Critical incidents and crimes today cross jurisdictions and involve multiple stakeholders and levels. Law enforcement and emergency response agencies at federal, tribal, state, and local levels, including private sector entities, gather information and resources but do not effectively share this with each other. Despite mandates to improve information sharing and cooperation, gaps remain perhaps because there is no clear understanding of what the barriers to information sharing are. Information sharing is examined using a multi-method, primarily qualitative, approach. A model for information sharing is presented that identifies social, technical, and policy factors as influencers. Facets of General Systems Theory, Socio-technical Theory, and Stakeholder Theory (among others) are considered in this context. Information sharing is the subject of the first work of the dissertation: a theoretical piece arguing for use of a conceptual framework consisting of social, technical, and policy factors. Social, technology, and policy factors are investigated in the second essay. That essay introduces a new transformative technology, edgeware, that allows for unprecedented connectivity among devices. Social and policy implications for crisis response are examined in light of having technological barriers to sharing resources reduced. Human and other factors relevant to information sharing and collaboration are further examined through a case study of the Central New York Interoperable Communications Consortium (CNYICC) Network, a five-county collaboration involving law enforcement, public safety, government, and non-government participants. The three included essays have a common focus vis-à-vis information sharing and collaboration in law enforcement and emergency response. The propositions here include: (P1) Information sharing is affected by social, technical, and policy factors, and this conceptualization frames the problem of information sharing in a way that it can be commonly understood by government and non-government stakeholders. The next proposition involves the role of technology, policy, and social systems in information sharing: (P2) Social and policy factors influence information sharing more than technical factors (assuming it is physically possible to connect and/or share). A third proposition investigated is: (P3) Social factors play the greatest role in the creation and sustaining of information sharing relationships. The findings provide a greater understanding of the forces that impact public safety agencies as they consider information sharing and will, it is hoped, lead to identifiable solutions to the problem from a new perspective

Developing a Tool to Support Decisions on Patient Prioritization at Admission to Home Health Care

Background and aims: Millions of Americans are discharged from hospitals to home health every year and about third of them return to hospitals. A significant number of rehospitalizations (up to 60%) happen within the first two weeks of services. Early targeted allocation of services for patients who need them the most, have the potential to decrease readmissions. Unfortunately, there is only fragmented evidence on factors that should be used to identify high-risk patients in home health. This dissertation study aimed to (1) identify factors associated with priority for the first home health nursing visit and (2) to construct and validate a decision support tool for patient prioritization. I recruited a geographically diverse convenience sample of nurses with expertise in care transitions and care coordination to identify factors supporting home health care prioritization. Methods: This was a predictive study of home health visit priority decisions made by 20 nurses for 519 older adults referred to home health. Variables included sociodemographics, diagnosis, comorbid conditions, adverse events, medications, hospitalization in last 6 months, length of stay, learning ability, self-rated health, depression, functional status, living arrangement, caregiver availability and ability and first home health visit priority decision. A combination of data mining and logistic regression models was used to construct and validate the final model. Results: The final model identified five factors associated with first home health visit priority. A cutpoint for decisions on low/medium versus high priority was derived with a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 57.9%, area under receiver operator curve (ROC) 75.9%. Nurses were more likely to prioritize patients who had wounds (odds ratio [OR]=1.88), comorbid condition of depression (OR=1.73), limitation in current toileting status (OR= 2.02), higher numbers of medications (increase in OR for each medication =1.04) and comorbid conditions (increase in OR for each condition =1.04). Discussion: This dissertation study developed one of the first clinical decision support tools for home health, the PREVENT - Priority for Home Health Visit Tool. Further work is needed to increase the specificity and generalizability of the tool and to test its effects on patient outcomes

Predictors of Early Termination of Pediatric Oncology Clinical Trials Due to Poor Accrual: An Exploratory Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to explore factors affecting accrual and completion of pediatric oncology clinical trials. This dissertation includes a scoping review of barriers and facilitators to enrollment in pediatric oncology clinical trials, a systematic review of trial-level factors affecting accrual and completion of oncology clinical trials, and an exploratory analysis of trial-level factors affecting accrual and completion of pediatric oncology clinical trials from ClinicalTrials.gov data. Problem/Aims: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in children. Clinical trials explore potential new therapies for children with cancer by determining safety and effectiveness of interventions. The literature demonstrates widespread inadequate accrual of trial participants and associated early termination of oncology clinical trials. This dissertation aimed to provide evidence of trial-level factors affecting accrual and completion of pediatric oncology clinical trials by reviewing the literature, identifying possible trial-level factors, and performing an exploratory analysis of the ClinicalTrials.gov dataset. Design including theoretical basis: A modified version of the Social Ecological Model and Arskey and O’Malley’s framework guided the scoping review. Bennette et al.’s framework, along with that of Knafl and Whittmore, directed the systematic review. Bennette et al.’s framework also guided the exploratory analysis using the ClinicalTrials.gov dataset. Findings: Barriers to enrollment in pediatric oncology clinical trials exist at the trial, individual, interpersonal and organizational levels. Several trial-level barriers to enrollment in adult oncology clinical trials previously were identified, such as enrollment, intervention type, phase, allocation, arm type, sponsor, number of participating facilities, and primary disease. The exploratory analysis indicated none of the aforementioned variables and others such as primary purpose, number of primary outcomes, interventional study model, and number of arms were predictive of early termination of pediatric oncology trials due to low accrual. However, odds for studies to terminate early were 4.7 times higher for those that used a data and safety monitoring committee compared to those that did not (p = 0.05). Conclusion: Findings from the scoping and systematic reviews suggest there are trial-level factors that affect early termination of pediatric oncology trials due to low accrual. Findings from the exploratory study indicated that use of a data and safety monitoring committee plays an important role in early trial termination due to low accrual. The design of future pediatric oncology clinical trials should incorporate approaches to minimize trial-level factors that are associated with or predictive of early trial termination. Additional studies examining trial-level factors should utilize multiple trial databases and investigate pediatric oncology trials that have been conducted worldwide

Exploring The Antecedents Of Successful E-business Implementations Through ERP : A Longitudinal Study of SAP-based Organisations 1999-2003

This research was carried out between 1999 and 2003 on the use of e-business applications in ERP-based organisations. A composite research method based on structured case studies was developed for this study. It combined the application of case methods by Carroll et al. (1998], Klein and Myer (1998), and Eisenhardt (1989). This was used to provide a focused, yet flexible structure, as a dynamic approach to case study interpretive research. The research method used three distinct models at three progressive stages of the study, to provide a multi-faceted view of each case. This composite case-based method was developed to maintain the balance between research rigour and relevance. A pilot case study of nine Australian SAP sites helped ground the theory of the study. This was followed by three stages of study of eleven international cases within a diverse industry context. The method revealed the antecedents of e-business success using the findings from case analyses against three separate research models B2B interaction, e-business change, and virtual organising. A final conceptual framework was developed as new theory of e-business transformation. The theory views e-business transformation as realising the benefits from virtual organising within complex B2B interactions by utilising the facilitators of successful e-business change. The research demonstrates that successful e-business transformation with ERP occurs when value propositions are realised through integration and differentiation of technologies used to support new business models to deliver products and services online. The associated management practice evolves through efficiency from self-service, effectiveness through empowerment towards customer care, and value enhancement from extensive relationship building with multiple alliances. The new theory of e-business transformation identifies the stages of e-business growth and development as a comprehensive plan that should assist managers of ERP-based organisations in migrating their company towards a successful e-business organisation. The detailed analysis of the findings offers a foundational per11pectlve of strategies, tactics and performance objectives for e-ERP implementations. The strength of the theory lies in the synthesis of multiple case analyses using three different lenses over three separate time periods. The triangulation of the three research frameworks provides a method for study at appropriate levels of complexity. It is evolutionary in nature and is content driven. Other researchers are urged to apply similar multi-viewed analysis

Community Pride Reporter, 03/1997

https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cpr/1041/thumbnail.jp

Community Pride Reporter, 03/1997

https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cpr/1041/thumbnail.jp

Searching For Unity: Achieving Coordinated and Effective Management of Large-Scale Disruptive Events.

The coordinated and effective management of major disruptive events requires the collaboration of highly trained cadres of emergency services professionals, known in the public safety vernacular as unified command teams. Confronted by complex, dynamic, confusing, time sensitive and dangerous environments, they must make their decisions under rapidly evolving conditions. The consequences of inadequate incident command can be devastating on the lives and fortunes of those affected by major disruptive events. Yet finding the formula for efficacious emergency management is complicated by the disjointed configuration of public safety agencies throughout the United States, and compounded by the ad hoc nature of these multidisciplinary command teams, which are often assembled quickly from among disparate groups of public safety agencies. This research strives to develop an understanding of the small group processes which guide the work of unified command teams by investigating the following elements: • The impediments and facilitators of command team formation and collaboration. • Mechanisms of leadership emergence and the characteristics of effective team leaders. • The architecture of incident scene communications and information systems. • The processes utilized by small problem solving teams as they make decisions under uncertainty. Emergency response has been addressed by scholars mostly at the macro-level, focusing on national or international disasters. By studying emergency management on a regional basis, this research helps to fill a gap in the current literature. Utilizing a grounded, mixed methods approach, the bulk of the primary evidence is gathered through 75 semi-structured interviews with experienced incident commanders. Modeling and simulation are also utilized to explore methods of decision support for command teams during complex emergency operations. The field study area consists of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, a region with a disparate aggregation of over 450 public safety agencies. The ultimate goal of this study is to suggest actions to enhance the effectiveness of emergency management during major emergency events. Accordingly, the key policy recommendation of this research is for the development of permanently established, professionally trained unified command teams that can provide large-scale incident management support to local municipalities throughout the region