Выражение встречается в следующем контексте:

In contrast, senior managers of diversified corporations rarely possess enough knowledge about operations to make specific capital proposals - like that made in Dover Apparel Company. Instead, they often lapse into a resource conservation mode and merely set up criteria for investments. Such criteria normally will reflect portfolio objectives for the various businesses. If the criteria are ambiguous, they invite padded estimates by operating managers who seek approval for pet projects. Another danger is that a wide separation of strategy formulation from operations will result in capital expenditure proposals that are unrelated to strategy. The larger and more diverse the corporation, the greater is the risk of such disconnection.

Заранее спасибо