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Loose Coupling (loose + coupling)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	62%
Life Sciences	25%

Selected Abstracts

Regionalizing Healthcare in Alberta: Legislated Change, Uncertainty and Loose Coupling

BRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 2003
C. R. Hinings
In this paper,we examine the re-organizing attempts of the Alberta government in healthcare from the viewpoint of uncertainty,loose coupling and the frequently unrecognized consequences of such change. We suggest that our understanding of change processes can be enhanced by conceptualizing the impact of task and environmental uncertainty through the nature of coupling between organizational elements.Based on our .ndings,we propose that the greater the degree of loose coupling in an organization,the more di .cult change is likely to be,and the more likely the occurrence of unanticipated consequences. [source]

Organization Structure from a Loose Coupling Perspective: A Multidimensional Approach,

DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 2 2001
Rafik I. Beekun
Abstract Organizational theories frequently rely on notions of sharing and dependence among organizational participants, but researchers usually focus on characteristics of the actors themselves instead of the relational patterns among the actors. Loose coupling is one conceptual tool that emphasizes relational patterns. Loose coupling, however, is an abstract metaphor that is simultaneously fertile and ambiguous. This paper develops a rigorous and comprehensive framework that sharpens the theoretical contributions of loose coupling to our understanding of structural relationships. Characteristics of loose coupling capture some important and underexplored features of multidimensional fit and interdependence in organizations. The proposed framework clarifies these theoretical contributions of loose coupling with concepts and equations modified from network analysis. Testable hypotheses are proposed with respect to three key independent variables that may affect patterns of coupling: organization strategy, technology, and environmental turbulence. Additional hypotheses are advanced with respect to the use of the multidimensional approach to loose coupling in studying new organizational forms. Initial psychometric and empirical evidence are presented. [source]

Effects of estimates from different geochemical models on metal fate predicted by coupled speciation-fate models,

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2008
Satyendra P. Bhavsar
Abstract Coupled metal speciation-fate models are an improvement over stand-alone fate-transport models for accurately assessing metal fate and transport. These coupled models estimate fate-controlling partition coefficients using geochemical speciation/complexation models. Commercially available geochemical models are practical options for a two-step, loose coupling with fate-transport models. These models differ in their partitioning estimates because of differences in assumptions, databases, and so on. The present study examines the effects of differences in estimates from geochemical models on estimates of cationic metal fate using two geochemical models: the Windermere humic aqueous model (WHAM) and the minicomputer equilibrium+ model (MINEQL+). The results from each geochemical model were used as input to the fate module of TRANSPEC (a general, coupled metal transport and speciation model). The two versions of the TRANSPEC model were then used to assess the fate of five cationic metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in Ross Lake (Flin Flon, MB, Canada; alkaline, eutrophic, mine impacted), Kelly Lake (Sudbury, ON, Canada; circumneutral, mesotrophic, mine influenced), and Lake Tantaré (Quebec City, QC, Canada; acidic, oligotrophic, pristine). For relatively soluble metals (Cd, Ni, and Zn), the WHAM and MINEQL+ estimates of speciation/complexation were similar for Ross and Kelly lakes but differed for Lake Tantaré. These differences, however, did not result in significant differences in overall fate estimates. Marked differences were observed between the WHAM and MINEQL+ estimates of partition coefficient, Kd, for more particle-reactive Cu and Pb that translated into the greatest impact on fate in mesotrophic Kelly Lake, in which particle movement is important for fate. [source]

NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT: PERSPECTIVES ON PERFORMANCE AND THE USE OF PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2008
E. Pieter Jansen
Performance information is a key-element of NPM, but politicians and managers rarely use this information. On the basis of three case studies, this paper seeks to explain the use of the newly developed performance information. The paper argues that there is a distinction between the customer perspective and the citizen perspective on performance. NPM implies a customer and an internal perspective on performance. These perspectives may be relevant to managers, but politicians are primarily interested in a citizen perspective and a financial perspective. Two situations are identified in which governmental organizations more actively use performance information with a customer perspective and an internal perspective (as implied in NPM): (1) a crisis in the organization's internal processes with political and/or financial consequences and (2) loose coupling of the performance reports to politicians and to managers, which stimulates the information use by both politicians and managers. [source]

The loose coupling mechanism in molecular machines of living cells

GENES TO CELLS, Issue 1 2000
Fumio Oosawa
Living cells have molecular machines for free energy conversion, for example, sliding machines in muscle and other cells, flagellar motors in bacteria, and various ion pumps in cell membranes. They are constructed from protein molecules and work in the nm (nanometer), pN (piconewton) and ms (millisecond) ranges, without inertia. In 1980s, a question was raised of whether the input,output or influx,efflux coupling in these molecular machines is tight or loose, and an idea of loose coupling was proposed. Recently, the long-distance multistep sliding of a single myosin head on an actin filament, coupled with the hydrolysis of one ATP molecule, was observed by Yanagida's group using highly developed techniques of optical microscopy and micromanipulation. This gave direct evidence for the loose coupling between the chemical reaction and the mechanical event in the sliding machine. In this review, I will briefly describe a historical overview of the input,output problem in the molecular machines of living cells. [source]

Competing interests: Toronto's Chinese immigrant associations and the politics of multiculturalism

POPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE (PREVIOUSLY:-INT JOURNAL OF POPULATION GEOGRAPHY), Issue 2 2007
J. Salaff
Abstract Social service agencies and advocacy groups have played an integral role in mediating between the Asian ethnic populations. In the Canadian institutional setting, associations become a means of political expression. Canada incorporates new immigrants into its national institutions. However, these neo-liberal institutions and policies have not redressed major problems arising in the settlement process. Under Canada's discourse of enlightened multiculturalism, social service agencies are funded to help to integrate diverse peoples. The policy of multiculturalism meshes well with the liberal ideology underlying loose coupling, encouraging people to retain their cultural identities while settling and participating in national processes. These policies are designed to be sensitive to clients' cultural backgrounds; however, there are unforeseen consequences. In this system, different groups are granted different amounts of social, cultural and economic capital along with differential access to this capital, which affects their position and potential for action in other arenas. In particular, we find that the social service approach treats new Chinese immigrants as similar, thereby fostering competition between subgroups over leadership, funds and representation. Our data come from interviews with key figures in the Chinese-Canadian community and associations, and reviews of press and other media. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]