The purpose of this study is to develop an e-government readiness model and to test this model. Consistent with this model several instruments, IS assessment (ISA), IT governance (ITG), and Organization-IS alignment (IS-ALIGN) are examined for their ability to measure the readiness of one organization for e-government and to test the instruments fit in the proposed e-government model. The ISA instrument used is the result of adapting and combining the IS-SERVQUAL instrument proposed by Van Dyke, Kappelman, and Pybutok (1997), and the IS-SUCCESS instrument developed by Kappelman and Chong (2001) for the City of Denton (COD) project at UNT. The IS Success Model was first proposed by DeLone and McLean (1992), but they did not validate this model. The ITG instrument was based on the goals of the COD project for IT governance and was developed by Sanchez and Kappelman (2001) from UNT. The ISALIGN instrument was also developed by Sanchez and Kappelman (2001) for the COD project. It is an instrument based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) that measures how effectively a government organization utilizes IT to support its various objectives. The EGOV instrument was adapted from the study of the Action-Audience Model developed by Koh and Balthazrd (1997) to measure how well a government organization is prepared to usher in e-government in terms of various success factors at planning, system and data levels. An on-line survey was conducted with employees of the City of Denton, Texas. An invitation letter to participate in the survey was sent to the 1100 employees of the City of Denton via email, 339 responses were received, yielding a response rate of 31%. About 168 responses were discarded because they were incomplete and had the missing values, leaving 171 usable surveys, for a usable set of responses that had a response rate of 16%. Although the proposed and some alternate models were partially consistent with the hypothesized theory, the confirmation of the relationships among the constructs warrants further research via either by replication of this research or by development a new theoretical model. However, the significant validity and reliability measures obtained in this study indicate that the e-government readiness model has the potential for use in future studies.

Yes / Participation in community programmes by the Roma community is low whilst this community presents with high risk of poor health and low levels of wellbeing. To improve rates of participation in programmes compatibility must be achieved between implementation efforts and levels of readiness in the community. The Community Readiness Model (CRM) is a widely used toolkit which provides an indication of how prepared and willing a community is to take action on specific issues. We present findings from a CRM assessment for the Eastern European Roma community in Bradford, UK on issues related to nutrition and obesity. We interviewed key respondents identified as knowledgeable about the Roma community using the CRM. This approach applies a mixed methodology incorporating readiness scores and qualitative data. A mean community readiness score was calculated enabling researchers to place the community in one of nine possible stages of readiness. Interview transcripts were analysed using a qualitative framework analysis to generate contextual information. An overall score consistent with vague awareness was achieved, which indicates a low level of community readiness. This score suggests there will be a low likelihood of participation in currently available nutrition and obesity programmes. To our knowledge this is the first study to apply the CRM in the Roma community for any issue. We present the findings for each of the six dimensions that make up the CRM together with salient qualitative findings. / Better Start Bradford

Long dismissed as a third world issue, the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) has been a significant problem across the United States over the past two decades, causing major concerns for child welfare stakeholders. The literature has shown a broad range of adverse consequences associated with CSEC. These include—but are not limited to—malnutrition, severe trauma, physical and sexual assault, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, and medical neglect. The purpose of the study is to assess the readiness level of a large county in Southern California with regards to the well-being of children with a past or current record of victimization from commercial sexual exploitation. Embracing the Community Readiness Model, this case study aimed to evaluate (a) the county’s level of knowledge about programs and services to address CSEC, (b) the county leadership’s attitude toward addressing CSEC, (c) the county’s attitude toward addressing CSEC, (d) the county’s knowledge about CSEC, and (e) explore the county’s range of resources available to address CSEC. Results indicated that the county’s overall readiness score was 4.1 out of a possible 9. That is, the county had a low readiness level with respect to addressing the challenges associated with CSEC within its boundaries. Implications of the findings for theory, research, policy, and macro social work practice were discussed. Keywords: commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), community readiness model

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Marquette University, 2009. / Sarah Knox, Susan Turell, Alan Burkard, Advisors.

Elder abuse has traditionally been a silent social issue in America. However, with an estimated increase in the older population over the next 50 years, and given the preventable nature of violence, it is quickly becoming a major public health priority area. Each year hundreds of thousands of elderly are abused, neglected, or exploited financially worldwide. In the United States alone, it is estimated that 500,000 cases of elder abuse occur annually—with research indicating that substantiated cases are a mere underreport of the true problem. The US federal government has appointed State Units on Aging to address elder abuse. Georgia’s Division of Aging Services (DAS) is located within the Department of Human Services and administers various services to elderly including advocating for their safety and well being. DAS carries out its work through locally appointed Area Agencies on Aging (AAA). While AAAs serves as a first point of entry for elderly population locally, their involvement in reporting and intervening in elder abuse cases has been limited. The purpose of this capstone project is to examine the AAAs’ stage of readiness to address elder abuse using the Community Readiness Model, developed by researchers at the University of Colorado. Telephone administered surveys were completed with 7 out of the 12 Georgia AAAs. Through a double rater review process, transcripts were coded according to diverse constructs of the Community Readiness Model and ultimately a readiness score was produced. The Community Readiness Score provides insight into evidence-based strategies that can be implemented in order to advance elder abuse intervention and prevention within the AAA communities. The findings from this study provide insights into cost-efficient, tailored strategies that can maximize the use of DAS funding for AAA elder abuse case response and service delivery.

Yes / Evidence for early intervention and prevention-based approaches for im-proving social and emotional health in young children is robust. However, rates of participation in programmes are low. We explored the dynamics which affect levels of community readiness to address the issues of social and emotional health for preg-nant women, young children (0-4 years) and their mothers.Setting:A deprived inner‐city housing estate in the north of England. The estate falls within the catchment area of a project that has been awarded long-term funding to address social and emotional health during pregnancy and early childhood.Methods:We interviewed key respondents using the Community Readiness Model. This approach applies a mixed methodology, incorporating readiness scores and qualitative data. A mean community readiness score was calculated enabling the placement of the community in one of nine possible stages of readiness. Interview transcripts were analysed using a qualitative framework approach to generate con-textual information to augment the numerical scores.Results:An overall score consistent with vague awareness was achieved, indicating a low level of community readiness for social and emotional health interventions. This score suggests that there will be a low likelihood of participation in programmes that address these issues.Conclusion:Gauging community readiness offers a way of predicting how willing and prepared a community is to address an issue. Modifying implementation plans so that they first address community readiness may improve participation rates. / Better Start Bradford