by
Robinson, Neil, 1964-
Call Number
342.40858
Publication Date
2011
Summary
This report discusses how policy-makers might address the challenges and risks in respect of the security, privacy and trust aspects of cloud computing that could undermine the attainment of broader economic and societal objectives across Europe.
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Electronic Resources
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0.0432
2.
by
Chivvis, Christopher S.
Call Number
355.4 22
Publication Date
2010
Summary
"The European Union has been deploying civilians in conflict and postconflict stabilization missions since 2003, and the scope of civilian missions is likely to increase in the future. This volume offers a general overview and assessment of the EU's civilian operations to date, as well as a more in-depth look at the two missions in which the EU has worked alongside NATO: the EU police-training mission in Afghanistan and the integrated rule of law mission in Kosovo. The author concludes with a discussion of the main policy implications for the United States and Europe."--Rand web site.
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Electronic Resources
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52744.5586
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by
Hoehn, Andrew R.
Call Number
958.10473091821 22
Publication Date
2010
Summary
NATO's success in Afghanistan -- or lack thereof -- will have significant implications for the alliance itself. Success could promote the image of a capable global security alliance. Failure, or even an indeterminate outcome, would cloud the alliance's own future. The authors examine the risks, commitments, and obligations of the current mission in light of NATO's history and with an eye toward the future, as well as the effects on the alliance's internal dynamics. Drawing on a wide range of sources, the authors describe how NATO came to be involved, concerns and tensions that have developed over the investments and risks that member and nonmember states have in the operation, management of the expectations of nations and peoples, and the need for a coherent, comprehensive, and coordinated long-term strategy. The list of issues NATO faces is long and daunting and extends beyond the borders of the member countries. If the goal is indeed to look toward the future, however, the alliance must confront them; failure to do so would risk the long-term success and sustainability of the alliance.
Format:
Electronic Resources
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0.0566
by
McCombs, Jennifer Sloan, 1970-
Call Number
371.8 22
Publication Date
2010
Summary
High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their OST systems. In many cities that provide financial support for OST, funding is funneled through a variety of youth-serving agencies that lack basic information about the programs they fund. The second in this three-volume series describes how the grantees and three other cities used management information systems to collect and use data on OST programs, including enrollment, attendance, and student outcomes. Cities' use of management information systems to collect and report data on OST programs is relatively new, so the experiences of the case-study cities offer valuable lessons for the field. For example, management information systems are capable of supporting OST system improvement but require careful planning, the use of data from these systems can lead to additional funding and support, the customization of web-based systems encourages their use, providing high-quality training to providers increases the use of the systems, and many providers are overburdened by requirements to use multiple management information systems, so eliminating redundancies and coordinating data requirements can ensure more efficient program provision and reporting.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.0516
by
Kelly, Terrence K.
Call Number
353.15 22
Publication Date
2008
Summary
The United States participated in several interventions and state-building efforts during the 1990s, and the rationale for U.S. engagement in such efforts received a new urgency after the 9/11 attacks. However, recent U.S. experiences in Afghanistan and in Iraq, especially, have shown that engaging in stability and reconstruction operations is a difficult and lengthy process that requires appropriate resources. Most of all, to have a chance of succeeding, such operations require a realistic understanding of the capabilities needed for them. The authors present the results of research on the U.S. civilian personnel and staffing programs for stability and reconstruction operations undertaken in other countries under U.S. leadership or with the participation of the United States. The study uses the Office of Personnel Management's Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework to assess the personnel requirements for such operations. The Framework advocates strategic alignment, workforce planning and development, leadership and knowledge management, results-oriented performance culture, talent management, and accountability. The authors also present recommendations that the U.S. government should consider undertaking to deal with the types of problems that the United States has encountered in post-2003 Iraq. The research draws on the rapidly growing body of literature dealing with reconstruction and stability missions, interviews with U.S. and British civilian personnel deployed to Iraq, and the authors' own experiences in Iraq as U.S. civilians involved with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The study should be of interest to policymakers dealing with stability and reconstruction operations.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.7876
by
Hosek, James R.
Call Number
355.12940973 22
Publication Date
2006
Summary
The one-third cut in active-duty manpower at the end of the Cold War, from 2.1 million to 1.4 million in uniform, combined with a shift in the national security environment, has today resulted in the need for longer and repeated deployments, especially for the Army and the Marine Corps, and these deployments have posed challenges for active-duty service members and for their families. The authors undertook the preparation of this monograph with the objective of offering insights into the challenges faced by active-duty service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, the resiliency they and their families have shown in coping with these challenges, and the adequacy of defense manpower policy in assisting members and families. The monograph draws on the perspectives of economics, sociology, and psychology; provides a formal model of deployment and retention; reviews published work; reports on the results of focus groups conducted in each of the services; and presents findings from an analysis of survey data. The focus groups and survey data relate to the period from 2003 to early 2004. Family separation, long work hours both during and preceding deployments, and uncertainty surrounding deployments were some of the more significant stresses associated with deployments that were reported in focus groups. Furthermore, according to focus-group and survey data, even personnel who did not deploy experienced work stress as a result of long hours supporting deployments. The authors use these findings to suggest ways to improve quality of life for deployed and nondeployed personnel and their families, including improved communication home, more effectively structured deployment pays, and, when possible, greater certainty in the timing and length of the deployment cycle. The findings also underscore the importance of individual and unit preparation prior to deployment and the role of unit cohesion during deployment. The monograph may be of interest to the military services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, individual service members and their families, members of Congress and their staff, and the media. It may also interest foreign militaries that have converted to a volunteer system and that want to be informed about the personnel strains caused by a high operating tempo.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.6701
by
Marquis, Jefferson.
Call Number
355.0310973 22
Publication Date
2006
Summary
A number of important steps have been taken in recent years to improve the planning and management of Army International Activities (AIA). Still, a need remains, and is widely recognized, for a high-level assessment mechanism to allocate AIA resources more efficiently, execute AIA programs more effectively, and highlight the contributions of AIA to the National Military Strategy, the DoD Security Cooperation Guidance, and The Army Plan. This report presents a framework for assessing the value of the Army's non-combat interactions with other militaries. It provides an overview of AIA programs and establishes their connection to the U.S. government's current strategy for security cooperation. It also provides a matrix of eight AIA "ends," derived from top-level national and Army guidance, and eight AIA "ways," which summarize the various capabilities inherent in AIA programs. Next, the report presents a method for linking AIA "ends" and "ways" that involves a theoretical rationale for security cooperation, selection criteria for AIA "output" and "outcome" indicators, and related measures of performance and effectiveness. The report also describes the new online AIA Knowledge Sharing System (AIAKSS) that is being used to solicit programmatic and assessment data from AIA officials in the Army's Major Commands. In addition, the report includes the results of three test cases-involving the Army Medical Department, the National Guard Bureau, and U.S. Army South-that helped to identify potential problems in evaluating AIA and to suggest improvements in the proposed AIA assessment mechanism. Finally, the report contains an extensive list of "output" and "outcome" indicators that have been reviewed by AIA officials throughout the Army.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.0477
by
Lara-Cinisomo, Sandraluz.
Call Number
658.048 22
Publication Date
2006
Summary
Funders provide financial support to nonprofit organizations, which use the funding to implement programs that provide services to clients. A key part of this relationship is the need for nonprofits to ensure funding compliance-the need to report program progress and expenditures to funders. This case study, the first of its kind, examines the management processes of one nonprofit in terms of staff time investments in tracking outcomes, reporting results, and meeting funder compliance, and is guided by research questions, developed in partnership with the Forbes Funds, addressing the related c.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
1.0297
by
Bigelow, J. H.
Call Number
362.1068 22
Publication Date
2005
Summary
This report is one of several that document a broad, two-year study by RAND Health to better understand the role and importance of Electronic Medical Record Systems (EMR-S) in improving health and reducing healthcare costs, and to help inform government actions that could maximize EMR-S benefits and increase its use. It provides the technical details and results of one component of that study that analyzes interventions in the healthcare system that use EMR-S to affect patient trajectories-i.e., the sequence of encounters a patient has with the healthcare system. The interventions are to improve patient safety, increase preventive services, expand chronic disease management, and foster healthier lifestyles. We identified four classes of trajectory-changing interventions and we selected some important interventions in each class: --Implement Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) as a means to reduce adverse drug events (ADEs). --Increase the provision of the following preventive services: influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations and screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. --Enroll people with one of four chronic illnesses-asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), or diabetes-in disease management programs. --Persuade people to adopt healthy lifestyles and estimate the health outcomes if everyone did so: controlled their weight, stopped smoking, ate a healthy diet, exercised, and controlled their blood pressure and cholesterol as necessary with medications. We estimated the effects of each intervention on healthcare utilization (e.g., hospital stays, office visits, prescription drug use), healthcare expenditures, and population health outcomes (workdays or schooldays missed, days spent sick in bed, mortality). These interventions generally affect trajectories by improving health and thereby reducing healthcare utilization, or by reducing a costly form of utilization (e.g., inpatient stays) and increasing a more economical form (e.g., office visits to physicians, or prescription medications). The report should be of interest to healthcare IT professionals, other healthcare executives and researchers, and officials in the government responsible for health policy.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.0477
10.
by
Fonkych, Kateryna.
Call Number
362.1028 22
Publication Date
2005
Summary
Innovations in information technology (IT) have improved efficiency and quality in many industries. Healthcare has not been one of them. Although some administrative IT systems, such as those for billing, scheduling, and inventory management, are already in place in the healthcare industry, little adoption of clinical IT, such as Electronic Medical Record Systems (EMR-S) and Clinical Decision Support tools, has occurred. Government intervention has been called for to speed the adoption process for Healthcare Information Technology (HIT), based on the widespread belief that its adoption, or diffusion, is too slow to be socially optimal. In this report, we estimate the current level and pattern of HIT adoption in the different types of healthcare organizations, and we evaluate factors that affect this diffusion process. First, we make an effort to derive a population-wide adoption level of administrative and clinical HIT applications according to information in the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)-Dorenfest database (formerly the Dorenfest IHDS+TM Database, Second release, 2004) and compare our estimates to alternative ones. We then attempt to summarize the current state and dynamics of HIT adoption according to these data and briefly review existing empirical studies on the HIT-adoption process. By comparing adoption rates across different types of healthcare providers and geographical areas, we help focus the policy agenda by identifying which healthcare providers lag behind and may need the most incentives to adopt HIT. Next, we employ regression analysis to separate the effects of the provider's characteristics and factors on adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), and Picture Archiving Communications Systems (PACS), and compare the effects to findings in the literature.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.0516
by
Emmerichs, Robert M.
Call Number
355.6212 22
Publication Date
2004
Summary
Workforce planning is an activity intended to ensure that investment in human capital results in the timely capability to effectively carry out an organization's strategic intent. This report examines how corporate executives can provide guidance from the top of the organization to the business units that actually carry out the organization's activities so that the strategic is successfully realized.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.6741
by
Eiseman, Elisa.
Call Number
362.1783 22
Publication Date
2003
Summary
Case studies of twelve existing human biospecimen repositories performed to evaluate their utility for genomics- and proteomics-based cancer research and to identify?best practices? in collection, processing, annotation, storage, privacy, ethical concerns, informed consent, business plans, operations, intellectual property rights, public relations, marketing, and education that would be useful in designing a national biospecimen network.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.0680
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