From precision agriculture to Industry 4.0

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (8) ◽  
pp. 1730-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonello Trivelli ◽  
Andrea Apicella ◽  
Filippo Chiarello ◽  
Roberto Rana ◽  
Gualtiero Fantoni ◽  
...  

Purpose Circumstances that are have a significant impact on it. In particular, environmental sustainability related to the increase of worldwide population, and market demand for agricultural products (with consumers more and more aware about cultivation and breeding techniques and interested in healthy and high-quality products) represent two of the key challenges that the agricultural sector is going to face in next years. In such a landscape, technological innovations that can support organizations and entrepreneurs to face these problems become increasingly important, and Industry 4.0 is the most striking example. Indeed, the Industry 4.0 paradigm aims to integrate digital technologies into business processes to raise productivity levels and to develop new business models. Accordingly, digital technologies play a similar role in the precision agriculture domain, and the purpose of this paper is to understand if the technologies at the basis of these two paradigms are the same or not. Design/methodology/approach The present work investigates how the two domains of Industry 4.0 and precision agriculture are connected to one another by analyzing the most used technologies in both the fields in order to highlight common patterns and technological overlaps. To reach such goal, an approach combining manual and automated analysis was developed. Findings The research work generated three main results: a dictionary of precision agriculture technologies including 324 terms; a graph, describing the connections between the technologies composing the dictionary; and a representation of the main technological clusters identified. Originality/value These show how the two domains under analysis are directly connected and describe the most important technologies to leverage when approaching digital transformation processes in the agricultural sector.

Author(s):  
O. Savytska ◽  
V. Salabai

Abstract. The article considers and analyzes the importance and main scientific approaches to determining the essence of digital transformation in the conditions of Industry 4.0 development. The opinions of domestic and foreign scientists on the definition of the essence of this concept are presented and it is determined that digitalization has an important role in the activities of modern enterprises. The definition of «digitalization» is proposed, that means the process of transition to digital business, which is the use of digital technologies to change business processes in the company and provide new opportunities for additional income and development prospects of business entities. It is determined that digitalization is a very popular and necessary process of transition to new business models in the activities of companies. The essence of the category «Industry 4.0» is considered and the main technologies and tools that contribute to the gradual transition to digitalization are presented. It is noted that Industry 4.0 is part and a leading trend of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is investigated that the transition to Industry 4.0 using digital tools is quite a trend, as these key technologies such as IoT, Big Data, cloud services, artificial intelligence today play a key role in the process of digitalization of companies. The main recommendations for adapting the business to digital transformations are given. The key directions of the development of digital technologies of Industry 4.0 are considered and presented. The industries that need digital transformation and those areas of business that are actively implementing digital products in their activities are identified. It was also found that the use of digitalization processes allows companies to optimize existing business models, gain new opportunities for business development, expand the scope of activities, and have tools to increase their efficiency and competitiveness. Keywords: digital transformation, digitalization­, digital technologies, Industry 4.0. JEL Classification O39, O33 Formulas: 0; tabl.: 1; fig.: 2; bibl.: 16.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Abuzeinab ◽  
Mohammed Arif ◽  
Mohd. Asim Qadri ◽  
Dennis Kulonda

Purpose Green business models (GBMs) in the construction sector represent the logic of green value creation and capture. Hence, the call to examine GBMs is growing ever louder. The aim of this paper is to identify benefits of GBMs by adopting five essential elements of the GBM from the literature: green value proposition; target group; key activities; key resources (KR); and financial logic. Design/methodology/approach In all, 19 semi-structured interviews are conducted with construction sector practitioners and academics in the UK. Thematic analysis is used to obtain benefits of GBMs. Further, the interpretive ranking process (IRP) is used to examine which elements of the GBM have a dominant role in providing benefits to construction businesses. Findings The benefits are grouped into three themes: credibility/reputation benefits; financial benefits; and long-term viability benefits. The IRP model shows that the element of KR is the most important when evaluated against these three benefit themes. Practical implications Linking GBM elements and benefits will help companies in the construction sector to analyse the business case of embracing environmental sustainability. Originality/value This research is one of the few empirical academic works investigating the benefits of GBMs in the construction sector. The IRP method is a novel contribution to GBMs and construction research.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuc Hong Huynh

PurposeDigital innovation and circular business model innovation are two critical enablers of a circular economy. A wide variety of digital technologies such as blockchain, 3D printing, cyber-physical systems, or big data also diverges the applications of digital technologies in circular business models. Given heterogeneous attributes of circular business models and digital technologies, the selections of digital technologies and circular business models might be highly distinctive within and between sectorial contexts. This paper examines digital circular business models in the context of the fashion industry and its multiple actors. This industry as the world’s second polluting industry requires an urgent circular economy (CE) transition with less resource consumption, lower waste emissions and a more stable economy.Design/methodology/approachAn inductive, exploratory multiple-case study method is employed to investigate the ten cases of different sized fashion companies (i.e. large, small medium-sized firm (SME) and startup firms). The comparison across cases is conducted to understand fashion firms' distinct behaviours in adopting various digital circular economy strategies.FindingsThe paper presents three archetypes of digital-based circular business models in the fashion industry: the blockchain-based supply chain model, the service-based model and the pull demand-driven model. Besides incremental innovations, the radical business model and digital innovations as presented in the pull demand-driven model may be crucial to the fashion circular economy transition. The pull demand–driven model may shift the economy from scales to scopes, change the whole process of how the fashion items are forecasted, produced, and used, and reform consumer behaviours. The paths of adopting digital fashion circular business models are also different among large, SMEs and startup fashion firms.Practical implicationsThe study provides business managers with empirical insights on how circular business models (CBMs) should be chosen according to intrinsic business capacities, technological competences and CE strategies. The emerging trends of new fashion markets (e.g. rental, subscription) and consumers' sustainable awareness should be not be neglected. Moreover, besides adopting recycling and reuse strategies, large fashion incumbents consider collaborating with other technology suppliers and startup companies to incubate more radical innovations.Social implicationsAppropriate policies and regulations should be enacted to enable the digital CE transition. Market patterns and consumer acceptances are considered highly challenging to these digital fashion models. A balanced policy on both the demand and supply sides are suggested. The one-side policy may fail CBMs that entail an upside-down collaboration of both producers and consumers. Moreover, it is perhaps time to rethink how to reduce unnecessary new demand rather than repeatedly producing and recycling.Originality/valueThe pace of CE research is lagging far behind the accelerating environmental contamination by the fashion industry. The study aims to narrow the gap between theory and practice to harmonise fashion firms' orchestration and accelerate the transition of the fashion industry towards the CE. This study examines diverse types of digital technologies in different circular business models in a homogeneous context of the fashion industry with heterogeneous firm types.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Bornemann ◽  
Kay Alwert ◽  
Markus Will

PurposeThis article reports on the background, the conceptual ideas and the lessons learned from over more than 20 years of IC Statements and Management with a country focus on Germany and some international developments. It calls for an integrated management approach for IC and offers case study evidence on how to accomplish this quest.Design/methodology/approachReport on the German initiative “Intellectual Capital Statement made in Germany” (ICS m.i.G.). A brief review of the literature describes the background and theoretical foundation of the German IC method. A short description of the method is followed by four detailed case studies to illustrate long-term impact of IC management in very different organizations. A discussion of Lessons Learned from more than 200 implementations and an outlook on current and future developments finalizes the article.FindingsIC Statements made in Germany (ICS m.i.G.) was successful in providing a framework to systematically identify IC, evaluate the status quo of IC relative to the strategic requirements, visualize interdependencies of IC, business processes and business results as well as to connect IC reporting with internal management routines and external communication. However, ICS is not an insulated method but delivers the maximum benefit when integrated with strategy development, strategy implementation, business process optimization accompanied by change management routines. Strong ties to human resource management, information technology departments, quality management, research and development teams as well as business operations as the core of an organization help to yield the most for ICS m.i.G. Over time, the focus of managing IC changes and maturity leads to deutero learning.Practical implicationsICS m.i.G. proved easy to apply, cost efficient for SMEs, larger corporations and networks. It helps to better accomplish their objectives and to adjust their business models. The guidelines in German and English as well as a software application released were downloaded more than 100,000 times. A certification process based on a three-tier training module is available and was successfully completed by more than 400 practitioners. ICS m.i.G. is supporting current standards of knowledge management, such as ISO 9001, ISO 30401 or DIN SPEC PAS 91443 and therefore will most likely have a continuing impact on knowledge-based value creation.Originality/valueThis paper reports lessons learned from the country-wide IC initiative in Germany over the last 20 years initiated and supported by the authors. Several elements of the method have been published over time, but so far no comprehensive view on Lessons Learned had been published.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjana Mondal ◽  
Kaushik Samaddar

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the various dimensions of human factor relevant for integrating data-driven supply chain quality management practices (DDSCQMPs) with organizational performance. Keeping the transition phase from “Industry 4.0” to “Industry 5.0” in mind, the paper reinforces the role of the human factor and critically discusses the issues and challenges in the present organizational setup.Design/methodology/approachFollowing the grounded theory approach, the study arranged in-depth interviews and focus group sessions with industry experts from various service-oriented firms in India. Dimensions of human factor identified from there were grouped together through a morphological analysis (MA), and interlinkages between them were explored through a cross-consistency matrix.FindingsThis research work identified 20 critical dimensions of human factor and have grouped them under five important categories, namely, cohesive force, motivating force, regulating force, supporting force and functional force that drive quality performance in the supply chain domain.Originality/valueIn line with the requirements of the present “Industry 4.0” and the forthcoming “Industry 5.0”, where the need to collaborate human factor with smart system gets priority, the paper made a novel attempt in presenting the critical human factors and categorizing them under important driving forces. The research also contributed in linking DDSCQMPs with organizational performance. The proposed framework can guide the future researchers in expanding the theoretical constructs through initiating further cross-cultural studies across industries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1390-1398
Author(s):  
M A. Bryzgalina ◽  

This paper discusses the implementation of digital technologies in the production sector and business processes of agricultural enterprises in Russia. Implementation of digitalization into the economic entities’ business activity is necessary in order not only to increase the speed of their functioning several times, but also to open up new, broader opportunities for their development in the future. Currently, in the Russian Federation, the main leaders in the development of digital technologies are, first of all, IT companies, as well as organizations operating in the field of media, finance and insurance. The level of digitalization in the real sector of the economy is significantly lower, while the agricultural sector is in last place for this indicator. This article reflects the prerequisites for the development of the digital economy in the world, which include the automation of production technologies and business processes, as well as penetration into the social sphere of the countries of the global Internet and mobile communications. The author considered a number of interpretations of the concept of “digital economy”, of which, in her opinion, the most rational version of the definition of the term under consideration was selected. Within the framework of the study, the prerequisites for the effective implementation of innovative technologies in the economic and social spheres of enterprises’ activities were determined, and the main factors and conditions for the developing digital system of a particular country were established. In the presented work, the author identified a number of modern key problems that significantly impede the introduction of digital technologies in the production and economic activities of economic entities of Russia, especially in the field of agriculture. At the same time, quite popular and widespread advanced technologies are indicated, which are currently being successfully implemented in promising agricultural organizations of the country. With regard to the branches of agriculture in Russia, namely crop and livestock breeding, the most expedient areas for the introduction of advanced digital technologies into the business processes of agricultural enterprises are presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghu Nandan Chawla ◽  
Praveen Goyal

PurposeUbiquitous digital technologies are driving organisations to embrace non-traditional digitally transformed business models incessantly. Heterogeneous literature contributions have resulted in a spur in the research related to business transformation driven by digital technologies in recent years; consequently, the research under the digital transformation (DT), even though becoming a hotspot, remains very fragmented. The authors endeavour to holistically present the literature's intellectual structure under DT as a concept, its evolving journey and the emerging research streams in the business and management domains using the techniques of bibliometric analysis.Design/methodology/approachBy performing bibliometric analysis on 234 research articles published over the last 20 years in the DT domain, retrieved from Thompson Reuters Web of Science TM, this study culls out thorough insights from the citation, co-citation and keyword analysis. Further emerging research streams were evaluated using VOSviewer software.FindingsThe study depicts an overall incremental trend of year-on-year publications, authors' performance, publication journals, associated institutions and research driving countries, along with key insights from co-citation network analysis. Furthermore, the study evaluates four research areas – organisational impacts, applied applications and insights, operational processes and social aspects, comprising eighteen research streams that comprehensively cover-up research under the DT domain.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes to the literature of DT by amalgamating the status of the present research, but more importantly, by deriving the research areas and research streams, which can be further expanded by researchers as future research streams.Practical implicationsFor the practitioners, the study aims to act as a ready reckoner repository with practice-oriented literature references to facilitate them building knowledge and taking effective strategic decisions to harness the benefits of DT more proficiently.Originality/valueThis study illustrates the bibliometric structure of the DT literature and presents insights from the growth of the literature year-on-year.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maksym Odnorog ◽  
◽  
Mykhailo Pivtorak ◽  
Oksana Zagorodniuk ◽  
◽  
...  

To date, digital technologies and their widespread practice have formed the potential for completely new business models. However, most organizations are either in the early stages of the digital transformation process, or do not yet dare to form a digital business model that will provide real benefits from digital technologies. In any case, taking into account the enormous pace of global digitalization, it is extremely important to adapt the best practices of digital transformation to the improvement of the Ukrainian economy as soon as possible. Based on this, consider the process of researching new and adapting existing management models. Digital transformation – the introduction of modern technologies to radically change the business models of enterprise management today is considered the most important topic for organizations around the world. The requirements of the new digital economy represent the digital transformation as a conscious strategic process of business modification through adaptive management and implementation of digital technologies, ie the restructuring of existing business models. The same happens at industrial and agro-industrial enterprises, the analog period of which is coming to an end. Industries are entering the digital age, thanks to which enterprises are developing in accordance with the new focus. For this reason, it is very important for the formation of digital models of enterprise management to strategically understand the possibilities of digital technology development in their connection with business processes and business models. The analysis of the main traditional models of effective management of enterprises was carried out and their fundamental differences from the Ukrainian approach to management were revealed, the possibilities of implementation of the principles of existing business models by Ukrainian enterprises were considered. In addition, a roadmap for the transition from a traditional to a digital enterprise was proposed for consideration. The process of modeling the digital management system of the enterprise is revealed. Currently, a prerequisite for the prosperity of the economy of industry and agriculture and, consequently, the economy of Ukraine, is adaptive digital management as a basis for economic security of the enterprise. It was found that the relentless introduction of digital technologies, «copying best practices» can later be in reality as dangerous as the refusal to master new technologies. Therefore, choosing the direction of your own digitization, you must first study everything thoroughly, so as not to miss the moment and not to remain in the ranks of the latter or in the past.


Author(s):  
Ravi Kiran Mallidi ◽  
Manmohan Sharma ◽  
Jagjit Singh

Legacy Digital Transformation is modernizing or migrating systems from non-digital or older digital technology to newer digital technologies. Digitalization is essential for information reading, processing, transforming, and storing. Social media, Cloud, and analytics are the major technologies in today's digital world. Digitalization (business process) and Digital Transformation (the effect) are the core elements of newer global policies and processes. Recent COVID pandemic situation, Organizations are willing to digitalize their environment without losing business. Digital technologies help to improve their capabilities to transform processes that intern promote new business models. Applications cannot remain static and should modernize to meet the evolving business and technology needs. Business needs time to market, Agility, and reduce technical debt. Technology needs consist of APIs, better Security, Portability, Scalability, Cloud support, Deployment, Automation, and Integration. This paper elaborates different transformation/modernization approaches for Legacy systems written in very long or End of Life (EOL) systems to newer digital technologies to serve the business needs. EOL impacts application production, supportability, compliance, and security. Organizations spend money and resources on Digital Transformation for considering Investment versus Return on Investment, Agility of the System, and improved business processes. Migration and Modernization are critical for any Legacy Digital Transformation. Management takes decisions to proceed with Digital Transformation for considering Total Cost Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI) of the program. The paper also includes a TCO-ROI calculator for Transformation from Legacy / Monolithic to new architectures like Microservices.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 965-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Bienhaus ◽  
Abubaker Haddud

Purpose While digitisation is a key driver of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0); organisations have different approaches to deal with this topic to get a clearer picture of the opportunities and challenges concerning the digital transformation. The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of digitisation on procurement and its role within the area of supply chain management. The research will also explore potential barriers to digitising procurement and supply chains and ways to overcome them. Finally, the significance of potential enabling technologies to the digitisation will also be examined. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approached utilising an online survey was used to collect the primary data for this study. Data were collected from 414 participants directly involved with procurement or related business functions and work for different organisations in different industries. The survey included eight items about the impact of digitisation on organisational performance in the area of procurement and supply chains; ten items related to key barriers to digitisation of organisations and ways to overcome them; and seven items about enabling technologies to leverage procurement procedures and processes digitisation. All of these items utilised the Likert five-point level of agreement scale. Findings The findings indicate that digitisation of procurement process can yield several benefits including: supporting daily business and administrative tasks, supporting complex decision-making processes, procurement will become more focussed on strategic decisions and activities, procurement will become a strategic interface to support organisational efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability, and supporting the creation of new business models, products, and services. The authors were also able to confirm that there are barriers to digitising procurement process and supply chains and such barriers found in existing procedures, processes, capacities, and capabilities. Finally, the significance of a number of enabling technologies to the digitisation process was revealed. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind with participants located world-wide. Industry 4.0 as a topic had been explored within different business areas and functions but very limited research specifically explored potential impact, barriers, and enabling technologies of procurement 4.0. The results can be beneficial for organisations already implemented Industry 4.0 or planning to do so. The study can also benefit academic scholars interested in the researched topic, business professionals, organisations within different sectors, and any other party interested in understanding more the concept of procurement 4.0.


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