Discussion of some Recent Empirical Research on Integration, Uncertainty and their Influence on Performance

As long as the production processes become more complex, specialized and geographically dispersed, the need for reintegrating functions and firms becomes stronger. Recently, several researchers have been investigating this topic. The uncertainty faced by the companies in their competitive environment must also be considered in this investigation, as a contingency variable. This paper reviews and discusses the empirical research that focus on integration, uncertainty and their relationships with firm performance. The different dimensions that form each construct are presented, and a conceptual framework to classify the reviewed studies is also proposed.