Impact of Management Tools Supporting Industry 4.0 on the Importance of CSR during COVID-19. Generation Z

Szymon Cyfert,Maciej Zastempowski,Waldemar Glabiszewski

doi:10.3390/en14061642

Abstract

Taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 and adopting the assessment optics of students from Generation Z currently entering the labor market, we have made the aim of this article to provide better insight into the relationship between Industry 4.0 and corporate social responsibility. The survey was conducted in the form of an online survey in two leading universities in Poland in the field of economic education. 646 students took part in the survey. The data were analyzed using logit regression models. The results of the study suggest that the increase in the use of management solutions supporting Industry 4.0 in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis will increase the importance of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of corporate social responsibility. Pointing to the forecasted increase importance of corporate social responsibility, we suggest linking management solutions supporting Industry 4.0 with corporate social responsibility. However, we also draw attention to the impact of individual management solutions supporting Industry 4.0 on specific Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) dimensions.

Highlights

The observed increase in awareness of shared responsibility for solving social and consumer problems, affecting the change in attitudes of customers’ preferences and the way enterprises operate, is reflected in the growing interest in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept, which has lasted for over a decade [1]
The results of the study suggest that the increase in the use of management solutions supporting Industry 4.0 as a result of the COVID-19 crisis will have an impact on the increase in importance of the economic, social, and environmental dimension of corporate social responsibility
The general image that emerges from the results of the study suggests that the increase in the use of management solutions supporting Industry 4.0 expected by the students of Generation Z will increase the importance of the economic, social, and environmental dimension of corporate social responsibility

Summary

Introduction

The observed increase in awareness of shared responsibility for solving social and consumer problems, affecting the change in attitudes of customers’ preferences and the way enterprises operate, is reflected in the growing interest in the CSR concept, which has lasted for over a decade [1]. Taking into account the impact of COVID-19 and adopting the assessment optics of students from Generation Z currently entering the labor market, we have made the aim of this article to provide a better insight into the relationship between Industry 4.0 and corporate social responsibility, and in particular we have attempted to answer the following two questions (1) which management solutions supporting Industry 4.0 will increase the importance of the economic, social, and environmental dimension of corporate social responsibility; (2). Which management solutions supporting Industry 4.0 will increase the importance of the economic, social, and environmental dimension of corporate social responsibility. Based on the results of the research, we conduct a discussion indicating the directions of changes in the significance of corporate social responsibility as a result of management solutions supporting Industry 4.0

Dimensions of Corporate Social Responsibility

Crisis and Corporate Social Responsibility

Generation Z and CSR

Empirical Analysis

Results and Discussion

Conclusions