270 research outputs found
Quête identitaire des cadres intermédiaires hospitaliers
Cet article porte sur les tiraillements identitaires des cadres intermédiaires des hôpitaux romands. Face à des réformes hospitalières nombreuses et de grande ampleur, les cadres intermédiaires sont contraints d'endosser un rôle managérial remettant en cause leur attachement à leur groupe professionnel d'origine. De multiples tensions professionnelles les conduisent à accepter une managérialisation de leur rôle, d'une part, tout en continuant à défendre leur corporation professionnelle, d'autre part
The slow transformation of Swiss federal administrative elites
This article sets out to study the profile of Swiss administrative elites at federal level by showing how their profile has evolved in the light of what has come to be known as the wave of New Public Management (NPM), which has benefited from a very fertile ground in Switzerland. These elites correspond to a specific institutional order, in relation to specific organizational structures and workings, and have specific characteristics in terms of career paths and academic background. However, the administrative reforms that have been rolled out since the 1980s have transformed the institutional order within which executives of the federal administration evolve. This article analyses the extent to which these transformations have had an impact on the characteristics of these elites, through indicators such as academic capital, social capital, and career path within and outside the administration. The results show a slow but significant transformation in the profiles of these elites towards an increasing managerialization, reflecting that of the context in which they evolve.Points for practitioners The relationship between politics and the administration is naturally shaped by individuals but is closely dependent on the profiles of the players. They are currently undergoing a transformation in the wake of administrative reforms, and also of the changing profiles of both the political and administrative players. Gaining an insight into the slow transformation of the profiles of administrative elites therefore sheds light on the political-administrative nexus. The gradual managerialization of the administrative elite highlighted in this article also allows for a better understanding of which professional experiences, qualifications and skills are valued today within the senior civil service in Switzerland
HRM Practices Sustaining PSM: When Values Congruency Matters
Abstract: This study aims at identifying the organisational antecedents of
public service motivation (PSM). It focuses on human resources management
(HRM) practices as one category of organisational factors that impact on PSM.
Concretely, this research questions how intrinsic and extrinsic HRM practices
are related to PSM and whether these relationships are direct or mediated by
person-organisation (P-O) fit. The empirical findings are based on a survey of
6,885 civil servants working in Switzerland. Regression analyses highlight that
intrinsic HRM practices are positively related to PSM, whereas extrinsic ones
are negatively related to PSM. Furthermore, mediation tests shows that only the
intrinsic HRM practices are mediated by PO fit. Thus, civil servants who value
intrinsic work incentives maintain a high PSM level when they perceive
congruence between their individual expectations and the values of their
organisation
Professionalisation of sport federations - a multi-level framework for analysing forms, causes and consequences
Research question: International and national sport federations as well as their member organisations are key actors within the sport system and have a wide range of relationships outside the sport system (e.g. with the state, sponsors, and the media). They are currently facing major challenges such as growing competition in top-level sports, democratisation of sports with 'sports for all' and
sports as the answer to social problems. In this context, professionalising sport organisations seems to be an appropriate strategy to face these challenges and current problems. We define the professionalisation of sport organisations as an organisational process of transformation leading towards organisational rationalisation, efficiency and business-like management. This has led to a profound organisational change, particularly within sport federations, characterised by the strengthening of institutional management (managerialism) and the implementation of efficiency-based management instruments and paid staff. Research methods: The goal of this article is to review the current international literature and establish a global understanding of and theoretical framework for
analysing why and how sport organisations professionalise and what consequences this may have.
Results and findings: Our multi-level approach based on the social theory of action integrates the current concepts for analysing professionalisation in sport federations. We specify the framework for the following research perspectives: (1)
forms, (2) causes and (3) consequences, and discuss the reciprocal relations between sport federations and their member organisations in this context. Implications: Finally, we work out a research agenda and derive general methodological consequences for the investigation of professionalisation processes in sport organisations
Wind tunnel model surface gauge for measuring roughness
The optical inspection of surface roughness research has proceeded along two different lines. First, research into a quantitative understanding of light scattering from metal surfaces and into the appropriate models to describe the surfaces themselves. Second, the development of a practical instrument for the measurement of rms roughness of high performance wind tunnel models with smooth finishes. The research is summarized, with emphasis on the second avenue of research
Direct observation of the ice rule in artificial kagome spin ice
Recently, significant interest has emerged in fabricated systems that mimic
the behavior of geometrically-frustrated materials. We present the full
realization of such an artificial spin ice system on a two-dimensional kagome
lattice and demonstrate rigid adherence to the local ice rule by directly
counting individual pseudo-spins. The resulting spin configurations show not
only local ice rules and long-range disorder, but also correlations consistent
with spin ice Monte Carlo calculations. Our results suggest that dipolar
corrections are significant in this system, as in pyrochlore spin ice, and they
open a door to further studies of frustration in general.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Ground State Entropy of Potts Antiferromagnets: Bounds, Series, and Monte Carlo Measurements
We report several results concerning , the
exponent of the ground state entropy of the Potts antiferromagnet on a lattice
. First, we improve our previous rigorous lower bound on for
the honeycomb (hc) lattice and find that it is extremely accurate; it agrees to
the first eleven terms with the large- series for . Second, we
investigate the heteropolygonal Archimedean lattice, derive a
rigorous lower bound, on , and calculate the large- series
for this function to where . Remarkably, these agree
exactly to all thirteen terms calculated. We also report Monte Carlo
measurements, and find that these are very close to our lower bound and series.
Third, we study the effect of non-nearest-neighbor couplings, focusing on the
square lattice with next-nearest-neighbor bonds.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Titan's lakes chemical composition: sources of uncertainties and variability
Between 2004 and 2007 the instruments of the CASSINI spacecraft discovered
hydrocarbon lakes in the polar regions of Titan. We have developed a
lake-atmosphere equilibrium model allowing the determination of the chemical
composition of these liquid areas. The model is based on uncertain
thermodynamic data and precipitation rates of organic species predicted to be
present in the lakes and seas that are subject to spatial and temporal
variations. Here we explore and discuss the influence of these uncertainties
and variations. The errors and uncertainties relevant to thermodynamic data are
simulated via Monte-Carlo simulations. Global Circulation Models (GCM) are also
employed in order to investigate the possibility of chemical asymmetry between
the south and the north poles, due to differences in precipitation rates. We
find that mole fractions of compounds in the liquid phase have a high
sensitivity to thermodynamic data used as inputs, in particular molar volumes
and enthalpies of vaporization. When we combine all considered uncertainties,
the ranges of obtained mole fractions are rather large (up to ~8500%) but the
distributions of values are narrow. The relative standard deviations remain
between 10% and ~300% depending on the compound considered. Compared to other
sources of uncertainties and variability, deviation caused by surface pressure
variations are clearly negligible, remaining of the order of a few percent up
to ~20%. Moreover no significant difference is found between the composition of
lakes located in north and south poles. Because the theory of regular solutions
employed here is sensitive to thermodynamic data and is not suitable for polar
molecules such as HCN and CH3CN, our work strongly underlines the need for
experimental simulations and the improvement of Titan's atmospheric models.Comment: Accepted in Planetary and Space Scienc
- …