Explore the vast range of titles available.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze cross-functional integration processes and their respective impacts on resilience capabilities, with particular emphasis on collaboration, in an automotive supply chain. Design/methodology/approach A case study was conducted in an automotive supply chain through 18 in-depth interviews with managers from six different companies, namely, two suppliers, one focal manufacturer and three customers. The automotive industry is one of the most vital industries in the Brazilian economy and is still recovering from the 2015 financial crisis, making it an interesting case for this research. Findings The findings reveal several links between resilience and cross-functional integration literatures through the analysis of three basic categories, namely, disruptions (lack of product, interruption of production, delivery delay, organizational bankruptcy and sales loss); capabilities (redundancy, flexibility, adaptability, collaboration, visibility and agility); and integration factors (cross-functional meetings, adequate communication, longevity of relationships, cross-functional training, recognition of interdependence and the consideration given to informal groups). Practical implications This research addresses several implications for practitioners. Managers should pay attention to the cross-functional teams, which may provide internal collaboration, and hence collaboration in the supply chain. Originality/value This paper suggests a new concept for the collaboration capability. According to the results, collaboration is the capability of dealing with formal and informal factors to integrate both the internal functions and supply chain members, which can provide visibility, agility and adaptability toward supply chain resilience.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of a specific mechanism for cross-functional integration (CFI) in the relationship between product innovation and firm performance. It takes a contingency perspective, accounting for how these relationships vary depending on the degree of organizational knowledge complexity.Design/methodology/approachHypotheses are tested via regression analysis with interaction effects in a sample of 105 wineries from Spain, using both objective and subjective firm performance data.FindingsThe results obtained confirm the existence of significant triple interaction effect of CFI, knowledge complexity and product innovation on firm performance. CFI has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between product innovation and performance and this effect varies according to the degree of organizational knowledge complexity.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper looks at variables that have been hitherto studied at the project or product level, at the firm level, in an attempt to untangle the relationship between innovation, CFI, knowledge complexity and firm performance. Study’s main limitations lie in the use of a cross-functional design and its focus on a single industry.Practical implicationsFirms dealing with complex organizational knowledge could use this CFI mechanism in the development of new products when their size and resources do not allow the creation of more formal temporal structures, such as cross-functional teams. However, unless the winery has to deal with a high degree of knowledge complexity, involving the oenologist in several functional areas for the purpose of coordination, may detract resources from product innovation effort and lead to a poorer performance.Originality/valueThis study showcases a mechanism of CFI not explored in previous research, but used in practice at many firms, i.e. the cross-pollination of ideas across different functional areas through the participation of the responsible for the product development, and tests its role in the relationship between product innovation and different types of firm performance.

Mounting pressure for sustainable business practices has led to a greatly increased focus on highlighting sustainability drivers throughout the supply chain. While the literature has concentrated on why downstream original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retailers become “sustainable,” much less is known regarding why and how upstream suppliers implement sustainability practices. Based on findings from a cross‐case analysis of eight first‐tier (FT) suppliers and an integration of resource dependency theory (RDT), this study explores the drivers and mechanisms of FT supplier engagement in sustainable supply chain management. Suppliers need to understand the sustainability priorities of customers and stakeholders to derive the effective focus and depth of further upstream integration with subsuppliers. Therefore, the integration between the two functions that manage the relevant external interfaces, namely marketing (downstream and stakeholder communication) and procurement (upstream), appears to be the essential cornerstone to move beyond FT supplier compliance to actual commitment to sustainability practices. We present findings on how (1) stakeholder‐related, (2) process‐related, and (3) product‐related drivers influence the choice and effectiveness of the procurement–marketing integration (PM integration) mechanisms. Stakeholder pressures are considered to be the principal drivers of sustainability efforts. However, on their own, they rarely provide sufficient grounds for permanent and embedded PM integration initiatives at FT suppliers. Evidence suggests that suppliers' commitment to PM integration is motivated by the opportunity to leverage sustainability initiatives in their product offerings and sustainability certificates recognizable by customers and secondary stakeholders.

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the influence of information technology (IT) capability (i.e. IT exploration and exploitation) on service innovation and ultimately financial performance in manufacturing firms. Moreover, this paper examines the contingent role of cross-functional integration (CFI) on the IT capability–service innovation relationship.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs seemingly unrelated regression to test the theoretical model based on survey data from 121 manufacturers in China.FindingsIT exploration is positively related to radical and incremental service innovations, whereas IT exploitation is only positively related to radical service innovation. CFI positively moderates the relationship between IT exploitation and service innovation. Radical and incremental service innovations are positively related to manufacturers' financial performance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to existing information systems and servitization literature by uncovering the varying effects of IT exploration and exploitation on radical and incremental service innovations and by revealing the different contingent roles of CFI in moderating the above effects in the manufacturing context.

PurposeThe external business environment of the organization is always changing at a rapid pace. For a firm to adapt to changing client requirements, it must implement the right business procedures and strategies. To improve competitive advantage, this study investigates the roles that supply chain partnerships, cross-functional integration, responsiveness and resilience play in achieving competitive advantages in Palestine.Design/methodology/approachIndustrial institutions in Palestine constitute the study population. Data are collected by distributing surveys via Google Forms linked to manufacturers in industries such as the Leather and shoe Industry, metal industries, chemical industries, construction industries, textile industries, stone and marble industries, pharmaceutical industry, veterinary industry, food industry, plastic industry, paper industry, major advantages and disadvantages. The SEM-PLS approach is used to analyze the data.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that supply chain responsiveness, resilience and cooperation are all improved by cross-functional integration in inventory data integration and immediate operation. Supply chain partnerships improve the supply chain’s responsiveness, resilience and competitive advantage by involving partners in work teams and exchanging best practices. The enhancement of supply chain resilience and competitive advantage is influenced by the company’s capacity to act promptly in response to variations in demands.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper faces some limitations and it can be drawn as follows: To enhance supply chain risk management, the study continues to concentrate on manufacturing organizations that have internal integration. It also emphasizes the necessity of supply chain integration, which establishes direct connections with outside partners.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study suggest some policy implications, as follows: To provide the manufacturing sector with a competitive edge, operations supervisors must be able to track and assess processes to ensure they are meeting demand. Firms that possess the ability to adjust to novel procedures or advancements in technology gain a competitive edge by guaranteeing consistent and high-quality delivery of products.Originality/valueBy implementing IT integration, this study theoretically and practically advances the understanding of the resource-based view of competitive advantages. This study focuses on providing insights into the nature of the relationship between supply chain partnership, cross-functional integration, responsiveness and flexibility and competitive advantages in the manufacturing sector in the Palestinian market.

Although cross-functional integration is often considered an important element in a successful new product development program, a great deal of variance exists in extant literature regarding how integration is defined and implemented and how relevant studies are conducted. The authors attempt to bring clarity to a diverse set of 25 studies that investigate cross-functional integration by empirically analyzing 146 correlations between integration and aspects of new product success. The authors examine the impact of 12 potential moderators that affect the integration—success link using meta-analysis techniques. The findings indicate that though cross-functional integration may indeed have a direct impact on success, the combination of integration with other variables may be of greater importance. Furthermore, because most of the nine variables that significantly affect the integration—success relationship are either managerially controlled or industry specific, the findings imply that firms should design cross-functional structures to maximize their effectiveness. Other variables that affect the integration—success relationship reflect researchers' methodological decisions, suggesting that care should be taken when designing and interpreting the results of such studies. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and directions for further research.

PurposeThe objective of this article is to analyze the integration between the internal functions related to demand and supply processes. The studied object was an agribusiness company that uses digital technologies to operate its inbound logistics.Design/methodology/approachA case study was conducted in a global agribusiness company that went through a restructuring process with the implementation of a shared service center. In-depth interviews were conducted with employees from the demand and supply areas. The analysis involved description of cross-functional integration processes from the areas of demand and supply, the identification of technologies from Industry 4.0 present in the activities of those areas and their role in the integration process.FindingsThe analysis revealed the mediating role of technology in cross-functional integration, the presence of new integration factors and their impact on process performance. A framework was developed that describes the relationship between technology and integration factors, their impacts, and the implications for theory and practice.Practical implicationsRegarding this study, the focal company migrated its activities, which were previously isolated and dispersed across branches, to a centralized shared services unit. This research contributes by providing managers with elements to support their investment decisions in technologies that facilitate the integration process, mainly in the areas of planning and execution. It also contributes to the planning of processes, helping managers who are implementing or migrating activities and areas to new management structures.Originality/valueThis paper brings two new assumptions that may guide future investigations about cross-functional integration and its effects on demand and supply integration (DSI): (1) Digital technologies are able to support cross-functional integration in order to provide information integrity, team alignment, agile and assertive decision making within supply and demand processes; (2) Cross-functional integration, mediated by digital technologies, can generate agility and accuracy of information in the demand and supply processes. This accuracy and agility provide improvements in demand and supply process performance metrics, such as predictability, assertiveness, standardization, productivity and response time.

Background Bipolar disorder (BD) is a heterogeneous psychiatric condition characterized by distinct episodes: manic (BipM), depressive (BipD), mixed (mBD), and remission (rBD). Current evidence indicates alterations in brain functional connectivity in BD, yet a comprehensive understanding across all episodes remains incomplete. Methods Here, to investigate how different BD episodes alter brain functional organization, we calculated the sensory-association axis using diffusion map embedding on the functional connectome matrix and compared this axis between the four BD groups and neurotypical controls. Then, we employed regression dynamic causal modeling to investigate the directional information flow along the reorganized sensory-association axis across different BD episodes. Furthermore, we applied Nested Spectral Partitioning to decode functional integration and segregation along the same axis. Finally, we compared the reorganization patterns with normative maps of clinical symptomatology, cellular composition, and receptor distribution to elucidate symptom-related and molecular-level associations. Results Compared to healthy controls, we observed sensory region expansion and association region compression in BipM, BipD, and rBD. The mBD showed expanded visual and prefrontal regions but compressed motor and precuneus regions. Analyzing neural information flow revealed reduced connectivity in association regions for BipM and BipD, indicating association dominance in functional reorganization. Conversely, mBD exhibited heightened bidirectional signal flow between sensory and association regions, emphasizing increased integrative processing. Network analyses further revealed increased integration and decreased segregation across unipolar episodes, with the highest integration in mBD. Clinical correlations highlighted that emotional fluctuations primarily related to association region reorganization, suggesting potential biomarkers for mood episode detection. Moreover, these functional reorganizations spatially correlated with serotonin transporter, gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor, alpha-4-beta-4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and specific cortical neuron layers (layer 4 and layer 5 excitatory neurons). Conclusions Our findings propose functional reorganization as both a biomarker and a simplified neural phenotype framework for systematically quantifying BD-related neural abnormalities.

PurposeCross-functional integration has been an important factor for manufacturing firms' performance outcomes. The study aims to expand previous research by investigating the moderating role of goal-based incentive systems in the relationship between cross-functional integration and competitive performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on multi-source data from 269 manufacturing firms around the world, regression analysis is used to test the proposed research model.FindingsThe authors' findings suggest that cross-functional integration enhances manufacturers' innovation and operational performance. Moreover, cross-functional integration has a stronger impact on operational performance when firms implement a well-designed goal-based incentive system. However, the authors find that the goal-based incentive system does not moderate the relationship between cross-functional integration and innovation performance.Originality/valueThe study, by investigating the fit between goal-based incentive systems and cross-functional integration, provides practical insights into the ways that firms apply cross-functional integration and goal-based incentive systems to enhance competitive performance.

As core equipment for precision agriculture, precision seeders directly impact the sustainability and economic efficiency of modern agriculture. With the increasing demands for precision farming and high-speed operation, precision seeders featuring state-of-the-art mechanical designs, multi-source data fusion, and flexible system expansion have become the current research trend. This paper reviews the research status and development trends, focusing on advanced mechanical design, precise control, and adjustability: (1) innovative mechanical structures, including seeding unit, driving system, and sensing system of precision seeders; (2) precision control technologies, including seed spacing, seeding depth, trajectory control, and monitoring; (3) flexible system extensibility, such as multi-crop adaptability and multi-functional integration. After systematically reviewing and analyzing these technologies, this paper further discusses the current development status, identifies existing challenges, and explores future trends in precision seeders, offering valuable insights for the advancement of precision seeders and the intelligent transformation of agriculture.