Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Web management and knowledge management systems have made significant technological advances in recent years, culminating in large information management systems such as enterprise content management (ECM). ECM is a Web based publishing system that manages large numbers of electronic documents and other Web assets intended for publication to Web portals and other complex Web sites. Work in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) can benefit from adopting new communication technologies that promote collaboration and enterprise-wide knowledge management. The unique characteristics of ECM are enumerated and analyzed from a knowledge management perspective. We identify three stages of document life-cycles in ECM implementations: content, reification, and commodification/process (CRCP). We present the CRPC model as a mechanism for decision-makers and scholars to evaluate the organizational impacts of systems such as ECM. We also argue that NPO decision-makers should take care to avoid overly-commodifying business processes in the final stage where participation may be more beneficial than efficiency.

Publication Type: Poster Presentation
Abstract: Increased public scrutiny, increasing production costs, interest in government conservation incentive programs, alternative production systems, and expanded awareness of soil, water, and air quality all contribute to the continued interest in environmental management systems (EMS). EMS can be a powerful tool for farm managers to improve both the environmental impact of their operation as well as its financial well-being.

The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) has been developing and implementing an EMS program, Certified Environmental Management Systems for Agriculture, since 2002. The goal of the program is to evaluate the effectiveness of EMS in addressing environmental concerns on Iowa farms in an economical manner.

CEMSA has evolved to encompass 195 farm operations throughout Iowa. These producers work directly with ISA staff, with their crop consultant or agronomist, or within a watershed project. Each producer works to develop a comprehensive plan that, at a minimum, helps the producer address soil, nutrient, and pest management concerns while complying with NRCS guidelines and standards. With the assistance of their service provider, the producer also implements evaluation and testing protocols to measure the baseline performance of their system, to validate the performance of changes made, and to inform the planning process during the annual review.

A number of challenges and successes have been documented during the implementation of this program. Current activity includes development of tools and processes to address legal and regulatory updates for participants, energy auditing, emergency preparedness and response, and wildlife habitat improvement.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The literature on collaborative public management is still searching for a “theory of origins” for collaborations. While research has increasingly investigated the best practices for managing networks and the impact that networks can have on service delivery, there has been considerably less attention to how networks emerge. How do networks recruit new members? When do members decide to stop participating in collaborative networks? One barrier to investigating this question has been the difficulty of collecting data on networks over time. There have been valuable case studies, but few quantitative studies of network emergence and persistence. To address this void in the literature, I am collecting data on the weekly collaborative behaviors of a single chief executive in a local emergency management office. With these data, the paper will address three key research questions: How much does turnover in individuals affect the probability of continued organizational collaborations? What is the relative fragility of new collaborations compared to pre-existing collaborations? How do responses to predominant cross-sectional survey measures of collaboration compare to responses to weekly measures?

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: One of the most fundamentally important yet invariably overlooked aspects of effective collaboration between scientists and resource managers is effective data management. Frequently unanswered questions include where is it, how well is it documented, and how does it contribute to a cumulative body of knowledge? The USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure is focused on answering these questions. The relevancy of data management is illustrated via a case study. The grassy balds of the Roan Mountain Massif is a national hotspot for species diversity and richness at risk. Federal and state agencies and three NGOs collaborate on adaptive management and the area has been a focus of scientific study for over 50 years but the data from research and management practices has not been systematically documented so there is no foundation to track ecosystem health nor interdisciplinary science. Six legacy databases were documented to illustrate the extent of the problem. In every case, documentation was lacking on all aspects of data management. This concern is a systemic problem that needs to be solved as the stressors on ecosystems escalate exponentially. A data management toolkit has been developed to provide guidelines to facilitate documentation with a minimal amount of complexity and cost.

Publication Type: Oral Presentation
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: A major proportion of coral reefs around the world occur in small island developing countries (SIDS). The status of reef resources is declining, while these countries simultaneously face major challenges in sustainable development for their people. Reef conservation in SIDS cannot be approached in the same way as conservation in more developed countries, even though the tools such as Marine Protected Areas may be effective for both situations. One of the main differences relies on the widespread inability of government services within SIDS to ensure adherence to legal frameworks aimed at protecting the reef resources from irreversible depletion. This gap can be compensated with a strong ownership by local communities through locally managed marine areas. The emergence of a real ownership strongly depends on the ability of developing actors in promoting the cultural dimension as a root of the process of locally based management which should include traditional tools (such as Ra�hui in Polynesia), even if they need, most of the time, to be updated regarding ecological constraints. Therefore, a particular focus should be put by developing agencies on human factors (anthropology, socio-economics) for insuring the success of the ground actions. Local ownership can also be boosted by real examples of grounds successes to be shown to candidate communities as functional networks at a regional level allow it. The Coral Reef InitiativeS for the Pacific (CRISP) is a US$ 20 million programme which implements this specific approach and specifically seek to show its economical interest through transaction costs.