The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Inclusiveness, Affordability, Cultural Identity, and Ethical Orientation

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
Reginald M.J. Oduor
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Cultural Imperialism ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Ethical Orientation ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Normative Considerations

Discussions on the impact and future directions of technology often proceed from an empirical point of view that seems to presume that the ebb and flow of technological developments is beyond the control of humankind, so that all that humanity can do is adjust to it. However, such an approach easily neglects several crucial normative considerations that could enhance the standing of individual human beings and whole communities as rational users of technology rather than its slaves. Besides, more often than not, technological products are designed in ways that neglect the needs of persons with disabilities, thereby perpetuating their exclusion from society. Consequently, this article proposes four normative considerations to guide the initiatives of African societies in their deployment of the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, namely, inclusiveness to meet the needs of all human beings, affordability to bridge the digital divide, respect for cultural identity to guard against cultural imperialism, and an ethical orientation as the over-arching guide to building a truly human society.

Socio-Technological Aspects of Automation in Public Works Activities

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 633-643
Author(s):  
William F. Garber
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Training Problem ◽  
Total Employment ◽  
The Usa ◽  
History Of ◽  
Complete Automation ◽  
The Impact

The history of human society is replete with examples of advances in technology overrunning the ability of societal organizations to efficiently handle the resulting massive societal dislocations. The social impacts of the “Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th Centuries” illustrate how profound such effects can be. The automation-computer-robotics revolution now underway also has the potential for serious societal changes. In this regard public works activities are subject to increasing amounts of automation with impacts upon current and net total employment and training needs. To evaluate the present status of automation in the USA, questionnaires were sent to public works authorities in 110 cities or agencies. The current degree of automation, the impact upon employment and the skills now needed by public works employers were queried. It was found that in most cases automation was just starting; but that as complete automation as was possible was inevitable given the increasing complexity of the tasks, the demands of the public and the long term prospects for public works funding. In many cases the candidates now in the work force were not properly trained for automation needs. Retraining and changes in the educational system appeared necessary if the employees now needed were to be continuously available. Public works management as well as several labor organizations appeared to be aware of this need and were organizing to handle the training problem and the changes in employment qualifications now necessary. It appeared to be a consensus that the larger societal effects of automation should be handled by society as a whole.

Engels on women, the family, class and gender

2021 ◽  
pp. 194277862110000
Author(s):  
Sheila Margaret McGregor
Keyword(s):  
Historical Materialism ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
True Nature ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Women's Oppression ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
Socialist Movement ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

This article looks at Engels’s writings to show that his ideas about the role of labour in the evolution of human beings in a dialectical relationship between human beings and nature is a crucial starting point for understanding human society and is correct in its essentials. It is important for understanding that we developed as a species on the basis of social cooperation. The way human beings produce and reproduce themselves, the method of historical materialism, provides the basis for understanding how class and women’s oppression arose and how that can explain LGBTQ oppression. Although Engels’s analysis was once widely accepted by the socialist movement, it has mainly been ignored or opposed by academic researchers and others, including geographers, and more recently by Marxist feminists. However, anthropological research from the 1960s and 1970s as well as more recent anthropological and archaeological research provide overwhelming evidence for the validity of Engels’s argument that there were egalitarian, pre-class societies without women’s oppression. However, much remains to be explained about the transition to class societies. Engels’s analysis of the impact of industrial capitalism on gender roles shows how society shapes our behaviour. Engels’s method needs to be constantly reasserted against those who would argue that we are a competitive, aggressive species who require rules to suppress our true nature, and that social development is driven by ideas, not by changes in the way we produce and reproduce ourselves.

The education system in the era of the fourth industrial revolution: developing skills and thinking for learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-51
Author(s):  
S. Bespalyy ◽  
◽  
Ye. Ifutina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Education System ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
The Impact

Computer systems and technologies are changing our society significantly. These changes are interconnected with both social and production spheres. Innovative digital technologies have a huge impact on the labor market and professional activity, contributing to their transfer to the electronic environment. Using digital technologies, modern people set new goals and solve problems with an increasing speed of problem solving, capitalizing on the possibilities of collaborative distributed actions within networks. In this regard, new competencies of specialists are in demand. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the education system and the development of skills and thinking for learning. Methods: When conducting scientific research, economic and statistical methods were used. These methods were also used in comparative analysis, as well as in assessing data and indicators of the higher education system, taking into account the impact of the fourth industrial revolution. The analytical method was used to consider the characteristics and factors influencing the development of skills and thinking for learning in modern conditions. The abstract-logical method is used to identify problems affecting the development of the labor market under the influence of digital technologies. Results and their value: The result of the study is that conclusions are drawn about the upcoming changes. Automation and digitalization are likely to lead to significant unemployment in most countries, so adaptation innovation policies are needed to help offset unemployment due to digitalization. Governments need to invest heavily in higher education as an economic development tool for their citizens. Lifelong learning should be identified as a critical element of success in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. Curricula should develop digital skills and address workforce disruptions due to automation.

scholarly journals Impact of the World’s New Technological Revolution on Economic Development and Educational Reform in the Information Age

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 207-216
Author(s):  
Feng Cao
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Educational Reform ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
Technological Revolution ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Important Impact

The fourth industrial revolution of human society is also known as the “world’s new technological revolution,” which has brought human society into the information age and has had an extremely important impact on economic development and educational reform. In the information age, economic development and wealth creation are dominated by the acquisition, mastery, distribution, and utilization of information instead of capital. Therefore, the cultivation of talents is very important, and educational reform is imperative with the rise of the world’s new technological revolution.

scholarly journals HUMAN CAPITAL AND ITS ROLE IN THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yelyzaveta Snitko ◽  
Yevheniia Zavhorodnia
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Technological Change ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Modern Economy ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

The development of a modern economy, in the context of the fourth industrial revolution, is impossible without the accumulation and development of human capital, since the foundation of the transformation of the economic system in an innovative economy is human capital. In this regard, the level of development and the efficiency of using human capital are of paramount importance. This article attempts to assess the role of human capital in the fourth industrial revolution. In the future, human talent will play a much more important role in the production process than capital. However, it will also lead to a greater division of the labor market with a growing gap between low-paid and high-paid jobs, and will contribute to an increase in social tensions. Already today, there is an increase in demand for highly skilled workers, especially in high-income countries, with a decrease in demand for workers with lower skills and lower levels of education. Analysis of labor market trends suggests that the future labor market is a market where there is simultaneously a certain demand for both higher and lower skills and abilities, combined with the devastation of the middle tier. The fourth industrial revolution relies heavily on the concept of human capital and the importance of finding complementarity between human and technology. In assessing the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, the relationship between technology, economic growth and human resources was examined. The analysis was carried out in terms of three concepts of economic growth, technological change and human capital. Human capital contributes to the advancement of new technologies, which makes the concept of human capital an essential factor in technological change. The authors emphasize that the modern economy makes new demands on workers; therefore it is necessary to constantly accumulate human capital, develop it through continuous learning, which will allow the domestic economy to enter the trajectory of sustainable economic growth. The need to create conditions for a comprehensive increase in the level of human capital development is noted.

The Impact of Cryptocurrencies on the General Powers and Duties of South African Insolvency Practitioners

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-318
Author(s):  
Sidasha Singh ◽  
Juanitta Calitz
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Insolvency Law ◽  
International Courts ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Legal Position ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Regulatory Model ◽  
The Impact

Within the context of the fourth industrial revolution, cryptocurrencies pose several challenges in the framework of corporate insolvency law. In South African law, no statutory framework vis-à-vis cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, currently exists. This has however not prevented entities from engaging in the cryptocurrency market. The specific dilemma is that insolvency practitioners do not have legislative guidelines to assist them in dealing with the subject of cryptocurrencies. Consequently, international judicial developments must be consulted and analysed with the aim to close the gap between the legislature and Industry 4.0. This article unpacks the South African legal position on cryptocurrencies within the context of the statutory powers and duties of insolvency practitioners. It engages in an analysis of selected international courts cases that have dealt with the concept of cryptocurrencies within the context of insolvent estates and continues to make recommendations for the development of an efficient and effective regulatory model.

Digital transformation: “jobocolypse” or empowerment?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep Hizir
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Industry Research ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of digital transformation on jobs and to assess whether or not the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution will lead to mass redundancies. The piece also looks at the role human resources (HR) departments will have to play in the implementation of, and response to, digital transformation within the workplace. Design/methodology/approach This paper combines research based on media articles, a parliamentary report and wider digital transformation industry research. The author looks to explain what digital transformation is, deconstruct misconceptions around digital transformation, assess the true evidence-based impact of digital transformation on jobs and advise HR departments on the impact of digital transformation within the workplace. Findings This piece finds that there remains a considerable degree of misunderstanding and many misconceptions around digital transformation and that while digital transformation will lead to the loss of some jobs, it will also lead to the change of existing ones and creation of new ones. Furthermore, this piece finds that HR departments will play a crucial role in the implementation of digital transformation, but that they too will need to pivot and adjust to new workplace realities as a result. Originality/value Many HR departments face confusion and misconceptions around the impact of digital transformation on the workforce, and there also remains concern among many employers that technology will replace their jobs. This piece seeks to dispel the myths and paint a clearer picture to both HR departments and employees around the impact of digital transformation.

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