Economies of scale: 9-1-1 center consolidation as a means to strengthen the homeland security enterprise

Download
Author
Womack, Trevor W., Sr.
Date
2014-03Advisor
Moghaddam, Fathali
Kiernan, Kathleen
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Since the Great Recession, local governments have been under pressure to cut programs, personnel, and services due to decreased tax revenues and a weak economic recovery. As a result, government agencies, aiming to do more with less, have consolidated services, including those of local 9-1-1 dispatch centers. This thesis explores whether 9-1-1 center consolidation has been successful thus far. Through a multiple case-study approach, the effects of consolidation upon cost efficiency, service levels, and organizational structure are examined. Primary data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with executives of three consolidated 9-1-1 centers. Secondary data were obtained from related budget documents, published reports, emergency call and response statistics, staffing rosters, organizational charts, and intergovernmental agreements. This mixture of qualitative and quantitative data was analyzed to identify individual first-order concepts, generalized into patterns, and synthesized into overarching dimensions. The key findings suggest that the consolidation of 9-1-1 centers can result in increased cost efficiency through economies of scale; regionally, 9-1-1 center consolidation may standardize and raise the quality of service provided across disciplines and jurisdictions; and in the near-term, organizational behavior issues present challenges for the newly consolidated 9-1-1 center
Description
CHDS State/Local
Rights
Copyright is reserved by the copyright owner.Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
ENGAGING MILITARY IN POSTWAR RECONCILIATION A CASE STUDY OF IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY IN SRI LANKA
Wickramaratne, Chaminda (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2013-03);Engaging military in post war reconciliation A case study of implications for the consolidation of democracy in Sri Lanka was prompted by post-war developments in Sri Lanka related to Civil-Military relations. The longest ... -
Impact of Contract Bundling and Consolidation on Defense Acquisition System and Defense Industrial Base: The Case of the U.S. Department of the Navy
Kidalov, Max V. (2012-08);Despite Congressional and Presidential emphasis on reducing bundling and consolidation of defense contracts, recent research studies cast doubt on whether bundling and consolidation are problems for small defense contractors ... -
The Changing Shape of the Defense Industry and Implications for Defense Acquisitions and Policy
Greenfield, Victoria A.; Brady, Ryan R. (2008-04-01); NPS-AM-08-027In the mid-1990s, the US defense industry experienced a dramatic wave of consolidation. This paper seeks to establish the statistical facts of defense industry consolidation, including the ways in which it reshaped the ...