Is There an App for That? Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and a New Environment of Conflict Prevention and Resolution

Katsh discusses the new problems that are a consequence of a new technological environment in healthcare, one that has an array of elements that makes the emergence of disputes likely. Novel uses of technology have already addressed both the problem and its source in other contexts, such as e-commerce, where large numbers of transactions have generated large numbers of disputes. If technology-supported healthcare is to improve the field of medicine, a similar effort at dispute prevention and resolution will be necessary

Report of the Stanford Linked Data Workshop

The Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources (SULAIR) with the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) conducted at week-long workshop on the prospects for a large scale, multi-national, multi-institutional prototype of a Linked Data environment for discovery of and navigation among the rapidly, chaotically expanding array of academic information resources. As preparation for the workshop, CLIR sponsored a survey by Jerry Persons, Chief Information Architect emeritus of SULAIR that was published originally for workshop participants as background to the workshop and is now publicly available. The original intention of the workshop was to devise a plan for such a prototype. However, such was the diversity of knowledge, experience, and views of the potential of Linked Data approaches that the workshop participants turned to two more fundamental goals: building common understanding and enthusiasm on the one hand and identifying opportunities and challenges to be confronted in the preparation of the intended prototype and its operation on the other. In pursuit of those objectives, the workshop participants produced:1. a value statement addressing the question of why a Linked Data approach is worth prototyping;2. a manifesto for Linked Libraries (and Museums and Archives and …);3. an outline of the phases in a life cycle of Linked Data approaches;4. a prioritized list of known issues in generating, harvesting & using Linked Data;5. a workflow with notes for converting library bibliographic records and other academic metadata to URIs;6. examples of potential “killer apps” using Linked Data: and7. a list of next steps and potential projects.This report includes a summary of the workshop agenda, a chart showing the use of Linked Data in cultural heritage venues, and short biographies and statements from each of the participants

Data Processing Analysis and Recommendations for Hall County Nebraska

This report presents an analysis with recommendations regarding the data processing needs of Hall County, Nebraska. It was undertaken pursuant to an agreement dated October, 1983 between the Center for Applied Urban Research of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Hall County Board of Supervisors

Consideration of the internal control structure in a computer environment : a case study; Auditing procedure study;

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_guides/1043/thumbnail.jp

A Study of School District Administrative Computer Functions

The purpose of this study was to identify information to assist school district administrators in the development of a systems approach to the automation of district-level management. Research data included initial and current computer system(s), level of training, implementation procedures, problems encountered, information sources, future plans for upgrading, and general recommendations. State education department personnel from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota were contacted to identify seven school districts that used computers for administration in each of four student enrollment categories. The study was limited to districts which used IBM or Apple microcomputers and/or any brand of larger computer system. A questionnaire was sent to each district contact person identified. Some of the most important findings were: 1. With one exception, all districts with less than 1,499 students used only microcomputers or time-share systems. 2. Consultants from outside the district were not often used. These consultants primarily assisted with staff training, recommended hardware/software, helped identify district needs, and/or determined initial district computer functions. 3. The greatest number of physical office changes involved electrical, furniture, and telephone line improvements followed by data storage changes, air conditioner installation, and structural alterations. 4. Major start-up problems were software complexities, lack of training, staff resistance, and hardware malfunctions. 5. Major start-up recommendations involved importance of staff training, staff commitment, and good planning. 6. Apple was the most frequently used brand of microcomputer, but there was an increasing number of IBM microcomputers. Other popular equipment included Burroughs and IBM minicomputers and mainframe computers; Okidata, Epson, and Apple printers; Corvus hard disks for microcomputers; and Hayes micromodems. 7. The most popular software packages for the Apple computer were Appleworks, VisiCalc, and PFS File and for the IBM were Lotus 1-2-3 and Negotia Pak. 8. Respondents believed that microcomputers could manage files for approximately 1,500 students. This figure would vary with the types of data being processed and the types of peripherals used. The data were used to develop a computer systems profile for each of the four enrollment categories

The Corporate Income Tax System: Overview and Options for Reform

[Excerpt] The corporate income tax system has been a focus of many recent debates about tax reform and the economy. Many economists and policymakers argue that reform of the corporate income tax system is needed, although a variety of rationales on why and how have been offered. Some argue that a simpler system with lower tax rates is necessary to encourage domestic investment, employment, and economic growth. Others argue that reform is needed to close loopholes and restrict access to tax havens, both of which are seen by some to allow corporations to avoid taxes too easily. A number of others have advocated for corporate tax reform on the basis that the current system puts American corporations at a disadvantage when compared with foreign competitors. Many believe it is a combination of these arguments that justify reforming the corporate tax system. This report presents information and research on the corporate tax to help policymakers understand and evaluate arguments presented in the tax reform debate. Many of the topics and ideas discussed here are analyzed in greater detail in the other CRS reports and academic research referenced throughout. This report first reviews the structure of the corporate income tax. Data on which companies pay the corporate tax, corporate tax revenue, and how the U.S. system compares to the rest of the world is then presented and analyzed. Next, the economic effects of the corporate tax are reviewed—including a discussion of the purpose of the corporate tax, who bears the burden of the tax, and how to evaluate alternative corporate tax systems. The report then reviews broad reform options and concludes with a comparison of specific proposals that have been offered

Trust Account Fraud and Effective Information Security Management

The integrity of lawyers’ trust accounts has come under scrutiny in the last few years. There are strong possibilities of information technology security breaches happening within the firms, either accidental or deliberate. The damage caused by these security breaches could be extreme. For example, a trust account fund in an Australian law firm was misused in a security breach in which Telstra charged A$50,000 for phone usage, mainly for ISD calls to Hong Kong. Our study involved interviewing principals of ten law companies to find out solicitors’ attitudes to computer security and the possibility of breaches of their trust accounts. We simultaneously carried out a survey to see if the trends identified in our case-studies could be backed up with broader quantitative data. We have also conducted in-depth interviews of five trust account regulators from the Law society of South Australia to know their view points on security threats on trust accounts. An overall finding highlights that law firms were not current with technology to combat computer crime, and inadequate access control was a major concern in safeguarding account data. Our conclusions revealed the urgent need for law firms to adopt security controls, implement information security policies and procedures and obtain cooperation from management to communicate these policies to staff