Fourth Industrial Revolution Research Articles

Additive manufacturing in the energy sector and the fourth industrial revolution

Additive manufacturing in the energy sector and the fourth industrial revolution

Navigating the Sustainable Business Model: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis at the Intersection of circular economy and innovation management in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

This study aims to comprehensively analyze the Intersection of the circular economy and innovation management during the fourth industrial revolution, uncovering evolving trends and influential contributors. Design/methodology: Using the Biblioshiny web app, this pioneering research conducts a bibliometric analysis to review the Circular Economy and innovation management literature, quantify scientific output, and identify mathematical advances. Findings: This study provides quantitative insights into the progress of circular economy research and innovation management toward creating sustainable business models and provides a map of evolving trends, thematic developments and influential contributors. The practical implications of these findings offer businesses and managers valuable insights and guide them through fundamental, driving, and emerging thematic trends. It also advises them to focus on motor and basic themes for strategic decision-making in designing sustainable business models. Social consequences: By fostering active engagement with evolving trends, this research contributes to the ongoing circular economy and innovation management discourse, potentially leading to social well-being, prosperity, and progress. Authenticity/value: This pioneering study is an in-depth bibliometric analysis of the Intersection of circular Economy and innovation management, which provides unique insights and quantitative assessments of scientific outputs and thematic trends and improves the orientation of innovation management toward sustainable circular rather than linear models. Therefore, it adds considerable value to the existing literature

Basic School Leaders’ Continuous Professional Development for the 4IR: A Systematic Literature Review across Africa

The role of continuous professional development (CPD) in advancing basic school leaders in the context of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) cannot be overemphasised in the actualisation of positive change in the school system. The 4IR transformed the nature of work across human endeavours, requiring school leaders to be trained and retrained. The study endeavoured to understand CPD approaches available in Africa for school leaders in 4IR. This study adopted a systematic review of the literature. Several bibliographic databases identified two thousand three hundred and fifty-three academic articles using the PRISMA protocol. Hence, the eleven studies on basic school leadership CPD in Africa were used. As a result of the review, CPD activities should focus on enhancing school leaders' abilities to manage, build teams, be professional, communicate effectively in interpersonal situations, and teach and assess. Furthermore, in-service training, cohort meetings, group learning/collegial learning, learning by exposure, formal leadership training for new principals, compulsory leadership courses through the leadership training centre, regular training, networking, and coaching, among others, could be used as CPD to prepare school leaders for the 4IR. Keywords: continuous professional development, collegial training, education leaders, in-service training, 4IR

Digital Evolution in Nigerian Heavy-Engineering Projects: A Comprehensive Analysis of Technology Adoption for Competitive Edge

The fourth industrial revolution has introduced a range of digital technologies (DTs) that possess the potential to significantly enhance the operations and competitiveness of heavy-construction firms. Grounded in the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) Framework, the Resource-Based View (RBV) and the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI), this study investigates the relationship between the adoption of digital technologies and the competitive edge (CE) of heavy-engineering firms. Specifically, this research seeks to assess how the adoption of DTs impacts four critical competitive-edge metrics: efficient resource management (CE1), real-time monitoring and control (CE2), data-driven decision-making (CE3) and improved collaboration and communication (CE4). A quantitative research approach was employed, using a structured questionnaire distributed to construction professionals in Lagos State, Nigeria. The principal results of the study revealed that firms adopting artificial intelligence (AI), cloud-based technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) exhibited significantly higher competitive-edge metrics compared to their counterparts. Notably, AI and cloud-based technology were found to have a particularly strong association with improved resource management, real-time monitoring, and decision-making processes. A major contribution of this research is the development of a DT-adoption model which can serve as a benchmarking tool for firms to assess their current adoption levels and identify areas for improvement. This model can also guide policymakers and regulators in developing strategies to encourage the integration of digital technologies within the heavy-construction industry. The originality of this study lies in its holistic approach, examining a broad spectrum of digital technologies and their collective impact on enhancing the competitive edge of construction firms.

Landscapes of Tourism in the Era of a New Cultural Economy of Space: A Reformulated Analytical Framework

Building on previous publications on the “new cultural economy of space,” this article aims to expand, update, and develop this scheme further, while advancing relevant discourse toward a theoretical and analytical reexamination of unfolding sociospatial transformation, in the era of the fourth technological revolution, with an application in the scientific area of tourism. Specifically, this work represents an effort to organize and make sense of the spatial dynamics of global contemporary change, as set forth by tourism, with a bearing on the landscape. It aims at a deeper understanding of how these ongoing macrogeographical transformational forces are affecting and shaping landscapes of tourism. The article takes an integrative and synthetic approach, while highlighting the centrality of culture. This ongoing global new cultural economy of space, as a product and expression of its times, signals a postmodern neo-liberal cultural renegotiation of social space manifested in multiple human relationships with space, through processes termed trans-worldment, en-worldment, me-worldment, un-worldment, de-worldment, and re-worldment. It is characterized, among other things, by rapidly growing interconnectivity, mobility, consumption, commodification, digitalization, and individualization, all highly prominent and key to tourism growth and development.

4IR modules in accounting curriculum: the university of Johannesburg in perspective

The main aim of this paper is to provide justification for the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology innovations in the higher educational institutions’ curriculum based on evidence from modular, short-learning courses, degree and master’s programmes with particular focus on 4IR technology currently being offered by the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. In achieving this objective, this paper reviews the University’s policy document on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and various programmes and courses aligned to the 4IR, which have been designed and offered by the Department of Accountancy of the University of Johannesburg to provide both sensitization and knowledge of the 4IR technologies including AI. The content and outcomes of these courses and programmes together with target learners were reviewed. The Department of Accountancy of the University of Johannesburg in conjunction with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) developed short learning programmes (SLPs) namely: Introduction to 4IR for Accountants; Introduction to 4IR for Professionals in Business; Artificial Intelligence for Accountants; Artificial Intelligence for Professionals in Business; Blockchain Technology for Accountants; Blockchain Technology for Professionals in Business. SAICA mandated their members to enroll for these courses as part of their continuous professional education. Apart from accountants, other professionals in other fields in various organisations were also encouraged to enroll for these SLPs. The findings show that in line with the institution’s policy on the fourth industrial revolution, various courses and programmes were developed to provide opportunity for the students, academics, professionals and managers to appreciate and acquire relevant knowledge on the 4IR technologies. This ensures that students are adequately prepared for the work of the future and that the current workforce are made relevant for the work of the future more so as the future is already here. The paper’s main recommendation is that other higher institutions of learning in South Africa and other parts of the world should join the train by developing course contents and providing training for students and the workforce in various field of endeavors to create ‘a better world in the future’.

Assessing the improvement of information communication technology for the construction SMES in the 4IR

Purpose: The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is assured to transform the construction sector from a project-based industry to a market-based industrialised process. Yet, its slow uptake can be attributed to current emphasis on technological adoption. This study focused on the development of small medium enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry (CI) of South Africa (SA). The study explicitly focused on the adoption of information communication technology (ICT) in the construction SMEs. In a bit to further advance SMEs, the study observed the practice of communication technology tools. The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extend ICT is practised in the construction SMEs. Methodology: the research design was established on explanatory case study approach in Gauteng province, South Africa – the methodology adopted is quantitative method. The approach was done via the use of survey questionnaires which was distributed virtually by means of emails, LinkedIn and WhatsApp. Participants are questioned regarding their experience of practicing ICT tools within their organizations. Findings: The study findings indicated that ICT tools have been in practice to a negligible extend in SA construction SMEs, the empirical results affirm that the number 1 classified communication tool used in SA construction SMEs is face to face meetings, seconded by phone calls. However, the experience is diverse; it shows that ICT tools are being practised in the organizations with 4IR experience unlike the SMEs without experience that portrays the highly practised paper-based system in their organizations. Originality: the study recommends that the SMEs review the influence of ICT tools in construction and implement them in their organizations considering their benefits to the industry in this era (4IR). This will help maximise the opportunities brought by ICT and further improve the South Africa construction SMEs in terms of technology adoption.

Pathway for Industry 4.0 implementation in a Lean Manufacturing environment: evidence from Sri Lankan apparel sector

The fourth industrial revolution (I4.0) was based on several technological pillars developed over the years. Organizations are expected to embrace these technologies to realize the benefits associated with I4.0. However, manufacturing organizations that have optimized their operations through lean management philosophies need a clear pathway to embrace the I4.0 technologies without disrupting the existing good practices. Therefore, this study aims to conceptualize a much-needed path for implementing I4.0 technologies in a Lean environment. To achieve that, researchers followed a qualitative approach and an exploratory framework. Researchers started with Apparel organizations with highest export revenue and employed a snowball sampling approach within each organization to identify the most suitable professionals for the study. The data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews conducted through Zoom online platform. The collected data was analyzed through thematic analysis, allowing the identification of different themes. Our findings suggest that such a pathway involves four steps: (1) setting a Lean base, (2) strategic management, (3) human resource development, and (4) getting external support. Since the implementation of I4.0 technologies in a Lean environment is a relatively recent phenomenon, our study provides guidelines for managers and practitioners to help them prioritize efforts and narrow their attention more objectively to the proper mix of procedures and technologies.

Research and Implementation of Adaptive Production Scheduling Algorithm in Digital Transformation and Upgrading of Manufacturing Industry

With the use of digital innovations including artificial intelligence (AI), the manufacturing business has been reshaped by the fourth industrial revolution. Yet, since rescheduling determinations are unpredictable and random mechanisms exist, controlling enhanced production scheduling still presents challenges. So, this study presents an innovative digital technologies-driven scheduling mechanism leveraging AI to tackle the difficulties of rescheduling in the aspect of production scheduling. A genetic-assisted beetle swarm optimization (GBSO) strategy is introduced for the flexible job shop problem (FJSP) with sequence-dependent configuration and constrained dual supplies. Then, rescheduling sequences are discovered using the support vector machine (SVM) approach. The Python environment is utilized for testing the suggested procedures, and the effectiveness of these approaches is examined in terms of scheduling latencies and the rate of rescheduling. This research demonstrated that the developed methodologies achieved the best performance in rescheduling frequency and scheduling latencies, thereby enhancing the manufacturing sector operations.

The AI revolution: Identifying the internal capabilities to AI-powered innovation among manufacturing small and medium enterprises

The ongoing fourth industrial revolution has undoubtedly had a significant impact on virtually all aspects of society and business, and in this disruptive digital landscape. This study investigates the critical internal capabilities that enable small and medium enterprises to effectively adopt AI-driven innovations in the South African context. By examining key factors such as AI readiness, organizational learning capacity, strategic flexibility, and data management capabilities, the research provides a comprehensive analysis of their impact on AI-powered innovation performance. Using structural equation modelling to analyse data from SME owners and managers, the findings reveal significant positive correlations between these internal capabilities and innovation success. The results highlight the importance of investing in technological infrastructure, fostering a learning-oriented culture, and enhancing data management systems to ensure sustained competitiveness in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. These insights are crucial for SMEs aiming to leverage AI technologies for business growth and for policymakers seeking to support technology-driven sector development in emerging markets.

Process‐Technology Fit Decisions: Evidence From an Expert Panel and Case Studies

ABSTRACTBusiness process management (BPM) combined with new technologies can trigger both incremental and disruptive improvements in how organizations operate. More specifically, today's fourth industrial revolution can bring rapid changes in an organization's process dynamics. Our study explores differences between possible process‐technology “fit” and “unfit” situations in BPM innovative projects. We extend relevant past studies and theories using a mix of qualitative techniques consisting of expert panel interviews and a case design using two field studies. Our findings reveal that, although alternative process‐technology “fit” and “no‐fit” situations exist, elements such as creativity, efficiency, integration, user friendliness, and proper task monitoring turn out to be the most promising factors to gain a process‐technology fit. Novelty in our work includes discovering “fit” and “no‐fit” factors in terms of process‐technology alignment, and the development of a decision framework with a generic set of suggestions for BPM practitioners and decision makers. Our mixed‐method approach is based on qualitative results by emphasizing in‐depth insights and lessons learned rather than building a generalizable theory. We intend to guide managers and decision makers to help them think about possible directions, as suggested by our experts and case participants at the time of their technology adoption in a BPM context.

Religion vs. ethics: Tail dependence between Sukuk, green bond, Islamic Fintech, and fourth industrial revolution assets

Religion vs. ethics: Tail dependence between Sukuk, green bond, Islamic Fintech, and fourth industrial revolution assets

Assessing the industry 4.0 strategies for a steel supply chain: SWOT, game theory, and gap analysis.

The recent adoption of modern technologies has led to the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 (I4.0). The supply chain of large industries, such as steel, is of significant importance in the economies of countries. According to data published by the National Iranian Steel Company, the steel industry is one of the most vital sectors in Iran, contributing about 1% to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Therefore, implementing I4.0 in the steel supply chain is a highly significant and practical endeavor, with the potential to drive considerable advancements in this industry. This study develops an efficient integrated framework to identify and evaluate the most critical factors influencing the implementation of I4.0 in the supply chains of large industries. The study also reviews the most effective policies for implementing these factors and analyzes the gap between the current state of the steel supply chain in Iran and the desired state within the framework of I4.0. The components of I4.0 are determined based on a review of existing literature and interviews with experts from the Iranian steel industry, utilizing the fuzzy Delphi method. Afterward, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) policies are developed. The optimal combination of policies for implementing I4.0 in the Iranian steel supply chain is identified using game theory. Finally, a gap analysis is conducted between the current state of the industry and the desired state. The critical gap analysis revealed that the current state of the supply chain significantly lags behind the desired I4.0 goals, particularly in terms of infrastructure and supply chain balancing. The findings highlight a stark contrast between the current performance score of 0.16 and the target score of 0.84, underscoring the substantial improvements needed to realize I4.0 within this sector.

Smart manufacturing paradigms in the context of industry 4.0: Bibliometric analysis

Following each industrial revolution, spanning from Industry 1.0 to Industry 4.0, a distinct manufacturing paradigm has consistently emerged. In the current manufacturing environment and consumer-driven markets, Mass Customization and Mass Personalization are the newer smart manufacturing paradigms. Those novel approaches are designed to offer customers personalized products and services, all while preserving the efficiency of Mass Production. Within this framework, a bibliometric analysis was conducted in order to review and analyse the existing literature. The main findings reveal numerous parallels and differences between Mass Customization and Mass Personalization, especially in aspects such as scope, customer involvement, product variety and flexibility. Simultaneously, there are various limitations revolving around data availability and product uncertainty. Those smart manufacturing paradigms are studied within the context of Industry 4.0, and thus our study also focus on the impact and challenges of this fourth industrial revolution on Mass Customization and Mass Personalization.

RAISING PERFORMANCE BY INTELLIGENT SUPPLY CHAIN REFORM

The fourth industrial revolution has created new opportunities for global industries. This dissertation discusses the advantages of supply chain intelligence and proposes a framework for the intelligent supply chain reform of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study confirms that the various technologies brought by Industry 4.0 will support the intelligent transformation of supply chains, with particularly significant benefits for SMEs. Given that the adoption of these technologies requires time to develop and mature, NVIVO12 is employed as the analysis software to select and analyze relevant literature from the past decade. This qualitative research applies word frequency analysis, node analysis, and text analysis methods. The dissertation identifies the key goals and directions for intelligent supply chain reform. Finally, it offers suggestions for SMEs reform and outlines potential directions for future research in the field.

유아교사의 역할에 대한 포괄적 이해

The purpose of this study is to investigate comprehensive meaning of early childhood teacher’ roles. Research findings reviewing study results on early childhood teacher’ roles are as follows: Firstly, role models were suggested by children educators are different from times. Recently, teacher’ roles to carry out high quality education and reflect demands of education field are added. secondly, early childhood teachers in era of the fourth industrial revolution are fostering children’s creative and critical thinking, supporting self-directed learning of children. Thirdly, teachers should perform national curriculum in educational institution. There are differences between teachers’ roles in traditional curriculum and recently those in child-centered curriculum. Fourth, parents and young children conceive teachers’ role as a close interaction with children. Fifth, early childhood teachers are awareness of their own main roles as nurturant and instructional roles. Finally, early childhood teacher’ roles of this study are classified with what to do. They are a warm-hearted caregiver, a child-centered curriculum manager to the future, a cooperative education assistant.

EXPLORING THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE INDONESIAN AUDITORS' INTENTION TO USE BIG DATA ANALYTICS: APPLICATION OF THE UTAUT MODEL WITH PERCEIVED RISK AND TRUST

The adoption of Big Data Analytics (BDA) in auditing is vital in the fourth industrial revolution era, yet imany auditors in Indonesia hesitate to embrace these tools. This study aims to identify factors influencing Indonesian auditors' intention to use BDA, applying the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model and including perceived risk and trust variables. Using quantitative approach, questionnaires were distributed via Google Form to 134 auditor respondents in Indonesia, primarily in DKI Jakarta. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS. Result shows that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and trust significantly influence auditors' intention to use BDA, while perceived risk does not significantly affect the intention to use BDA. This study underscores the importance of strengthening auditor trust in technology to enhance BDA adoption, with training and technical support identified as supportive factors to increase auditor comfort and confidence in using BDA in the future, also future research could explore the longitudinal impacts of BDA adoption or extend the study to diverse industries and regions.

Analysis of successful practices and determination of promising directions for implementing innovations in the sphere of housing and communal services in Russia

Since the key direction of modern development is the introduction of digital technologies in order to optimise all the aspects of economic activity, the main focus of the work is aimed at analysing the current state and prospects for the introduction of innovations in the housing and utilities sector (here-inafter referred to as HUS) from the point of view of digitalisation of the industry. To achieve this goal, we have used the analysis of statistical data in the context of the economic activities to determine the current level of innovative development of the HUS of Russia as well as individual indicators of the distribution and effectiveness of applying digital solutions in the industry. In the course of the work, it has been found that it significantly lags behind the average Russian indicators of innovation of innovative activity of companies, expenses on innovations as well as of modern products, works, and services. In the formation of the Russian “industry 4.0”, the HUS also demonstrates a significant lag in the development. The use of the most advanced and promising digital technologies is at an extremely low level, and the digital solutions applied in the activities of companies in the industry demonstrate extremely low efficiency rates, and most of them have virtually no significant impact on the work of the organisations. We believe that the negative experience of investing in the digital infrastructure is the reason for low involvement of the HUS companies in the fourth industrial revolution and low indicators of the innovative development on a national scale.

Vision-guided robotic system for aero-engine inspection and dynamic balancing

The fourth industrial revolution witnessed significant advancements in automating numerous aircraft inspection tasks. Still, certain critical procedures continue to rely on manual execution, including the aero-engine blade weighing process. This task is of paramount importance for blade mass inspection and engine dynamic balancing. Yet, automation of aero-engine blade weighing remains a challenge due to the intricate geometry of engine blades, and the stringent requirements on precision. To address this gap, this paper introduces, for the first time, a vision-guided robotic system for autonomous aero-engine blade weighing. The proposed system presents a novel end-effector design incorporating a high-precision load cell for accurate and rapid weighing coupled with an imaging sensor for autonomous robotic perception capabilities. The system is tested in industrial settings, and the results show a high weighing precision and accuracy of 0.0404 g and of 0.0252 g, respectively. Our system offers the advantage of seamless integration into existing industrial setups without the need for facility reconfiguration. Video Link

Employability within South African businesses in the 4IR era: The impacts of abilities, self-efficacy, and work-integrated learning effectiveness

The South African education sector and businesses are concerned about whether higher education institutions could meet the demands and expectations of the labor market in the context of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Hence, it becomes essential to examine the perceived employability of work-integrated learning graduates within businesses in the context of the 4IR. This study seeks to examine employees’ perceptions of the influence of graduates’ abilities, self-efficacy, and effectiveness of work-integrated learning on their employability in the context of 4IR. The sample was obtained from employees from four South African firms (Syntech Ltd, Centrevo Ltd, Outsurance Ltd, and First National Bank Plc) in the information technology, sales, insurance, and banking industries. This study used a cross-sectional questionnaire. Of the 200 surveys randomly floated, 196 were fitting for scrutiny, cleaning, and analysis. Consequently, this study found that South African employees perceive graduates’ employability as being significantly and positively influenced by their abilities (β = .802, p < .001), self-efficacy (β = .815, p < .001), and work-integrated learning (β = .864, p < .001). In the third-step model, these three factors substantially impacted graduates’ employability more than other likely combination matrices. Therefore, 97% of South African graduates are perceived employable in the fourth industrial revolution era due to their abilities, self-efficacy, and participation in work-integrated learning. This investigation concludes that in the 4IR, the employability of South African graduates is mainly impacted by their self-efficacy, abilities, and the effectiveness of work-integrated learning. AcknowledgmentsWe thank the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management at the University of Johannesburg’s College of Business and Economics for funding this study and its publication.