CHDS State/Local / This thesis addresses the role of the emergency department in planning for mass casualties during an emergency. The demand on hospital emergency departments has stretched the capacity for normal operations beyond their original design. Hospital surge capacity is not only complex, but affects every hospital emergency department in the country. Factors, such as hospital bed capacity, surge levels, staffing and the use of volunteers in time of emergency, all play a critical role in the ability and accessibility of the hospital to react during times of need. The recommendations provided are based on the analysis of county, state and federal plans along with case studies that provide a varied approach to emergency preparedness and the role of the hospital, focus on some of the facets of preparedness and the immediate need for emergency planning, training/exercising and communication in hospitals across America, and specifically, in hospitals in South Carolina.

This study identifies the impacts to the internal Information Technology (IT) department's policies and procedures caused by outsourcing selective IT functions and assesses the threats and opportunities to an internal IT group, presented by outsourcing selective IT functions. The trend to selectively outsource IT functions implies that this can be done with minimal disruption and risk to the IT departments policies and processes. This research investigates whether this assertion is valid and develops a model for internal IT departments to respond to the challenges presented by selective outsourcing. Existing models of outsourcing currently in use and available to organizations are reviewed to assess their suitability or adaptability for `selective outsourcing' and from this identifies which areas of internal IT policy and procedures are most impacted. An analysis of the threats and opportunities presented to the internal IT department is also provided. Research was conducted into one organization's experience with selective outsourcing to investigate how internal IT departments could approach selective outsourcing of internal IT functions and how internal IT departments could develop strategies for responding to the challenges posed by selective outsourcing. A case study was conducted of a recent selective outsourcing arrangement within the IT group of the target organization. The personal interview method was adopted to survey a cross section of management and staff from the work groups involved in the selective outsourcing arrangement. The results obtained revolved around the major themes of: 1. Planning (identified as time constraints, resource constraints and work load). 2. Management control (which encompasses the structuring of the outsourcing relationship, human resource concerns, level of ownership, communication, structure of the internal IT group and inter-departmental concerns). 3. Process (which applies to the quality of the procedures, inherent internal knowledge required, the informality of the procedures and concerns over adherence to procedures). For an IT group to develop strategies to respond to the challenges of selective outsourcing it was identified that the IT group needs to remove internal barriers to process and strive to achieve single ownership of processes within functional work groups; nurture a shift in internal groups thinking to more planning rather than doing; improve the quality of internal IT procedures and implement appropriate project team structures for task specific selective outsourcing engagements and for ongoing vendor relationship management.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-146). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1981. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.H.A.)--University of Michigan, 1977.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980. / Also available in print.

Thesis--Columbia University, 1927. / Vita. Published also as Studies in history, economics, and public law, edited by the Faculty of Political Science of Columbia University, no. 289.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1975. / Title from title page screen, viewed Nov. 10, 2004. Dissertation Committee: J.H. McGrath (chair), Charles Edwards, D. Gene Watson, Ronald Laymon, Mary Kay Huser. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-114) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.H.A.)--University of Michigan, 1977.