Recent advances in green technology and Industrial Revolution 4.0 for a sustainable future

This review gives concise information on green technology (GT) and Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0). Climate change has begun showing its impacts on the environment, and the change is real. The devastating COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected lives and the world from the deadly consequences at a social, economic, and environmental level. In order to balance this crisis, there is a need to transition toward green, sustainable forms of living and practices. We need green innovative technologies (GTI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to develop green, durable, biodegradable, and eco-friendly products for a sustainable future. GTI encompasses all innovations that contribute to developing significant products, services, or processes that lower environmental harm, impact, and worsening while augmenting natural resource utilization. Sensors are typically used in IoT environmental monitoring applications to aid ecological safety by nursing air or water quality, atmospheric or soil conditions, and even monitoring species' movements and habitats. The industries and the governments are working together, have come up with solutions-the Green New Deal, carbon pricing, use of bio-based products as biopesticides, in biopharmaceuticals, green building materials, bio-based membrane filters for removing pollutants, bioenergy, biofuels and are essential for the green recovery of world economies. Environmental biotechnology, Green Chemical Engineering, more bio-based materials to separate pollutants, and product engineering of advanced materials and environmental economies are discussed here to pave the way toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN and achieve the much-needed IR 4.0 for a greener-balanced environment and a sustainable future.

Potential impact of artificial intelligence on the emerging world order

The fast-paced diffusion of technologies broadly falling under the umbrella of artificial intelligence (AI) is said to be shaping the emerging world order in international relations (IR). It is expected that the global AI race will pave the way for another rise and fall of great powers in the international system, similar to the impact caused by the three industrial revolutions of the past. The literature in IR identifies three major powers - namely, the United States of America (USA), China, and Russia, as the leading contenders in this AI race. The ongoing AI-enabled fourth industrial revolution is all the more unique due to the markedly different approaches these three powers have adopted for integrating AI into their military, political, and socio-economic spheres. The AI strategies of these countries further reflect their capabilities and intentions towards how they plan on employing the technology to elevate their prestige and power status in the international system. This paper draws from a historiography of the First, Second, and Third Industrial Revolutions to study how technological innovations have altered relative power capabilities of nations, triggering a re-ordering of power hierarchies at a systemic level. Drawing from this understanding, it analyses the nature of AI as an emerging technology and assesses whether it can cause systemic alterations. It critically examines and compares the AI strategies of the USA, China, and Russia as leading contenders in the global AI race and outlines their strengths and weaknesses. It further draws from the Adoption Capacity Theory to argue that the AI race may well be determined by the relative capacity of the major institutions in each of these countries to manage and adapt to the disruptions this technology is bound to bring to the fore.

Toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution among E7 Economies: Assessment of the Combined Impact of Institutional Quality, Bank Funding, and Foreign Direct Investment

Technological innovation and its paradigm, that is, the Fourth Industrial Revolution-4IR, have shown strong impact on income levels of adopters across the globe. To this end, this analysis examines the impact of bank funding and institutional quality on technological advancement. This study adds additional variables such as high-technology exports and foreign direct investment (FDI) as control variable. Our study period spans from 2000 to 2018 on an annual frequency for E7 economies (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, India, Turkey, Russia, and China). This study leverages on cross-sectional ARDL, Augmented Mean Group (AMG), and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group Estimates (CCEMG) estimation techniques to examine long-run relationship between the outlined variables. Empirical findings show that institution quality, bank finance, income, high-technology exports, and foreign direct investments exert a positive effect on advancements in technology. Furthermore, the interaction between bank finance and institution quality on technological advancement is also positive and statistically significant. Based on the findings, it is concluded that large-scale funding is crucial for businesses to leverage revolutionary technology. Likewise, access to large capital sources if made easier encourages technology affordance as well as innovation and operational excellence. Thus, economies with established legal and financial systems stand to offer businesses such security, which encourages business innovation. Consequently, E7 economies ought to improve their financial and legal systems to boost financial security, creativity, and competitiveness of businesses.

The influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on organisational culture: An empirical investigation

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is known to transform and create opportunities for the world of work. However, little is known about how the future workforce, such as university students, are being equipped and exposed to 4IR technologies and ways of thinking in a South African (SA) context. This study's findings contribute to understanding the influence of organisational culture on the uptake of 4IR technology within higher education (HE) in SA during a pandemic. The study uses Edgar Schein's theoretical framework to explore the organisational culture at a university in the Gauteng province. The article responds further to the questions on how 4IR technology and principles are understood and applied within the context, and how to investigate to what extent the 4IR is reflected upon or embedded in the university's culture. A qualitative research design is used, and data are gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews from seven purposively selected academic and senior management staff members. Thematic analysis uncovered that the university's ambitious and competitive culture contributed to a positive uptake of 4IR technology and principles, even pre-COVID-19. Furthermore, the specific influence of the university's Vice-Chancellor to build 4IR thinking into the university helped shape more 4IR thinking and technologies, such as artificial intelligence, whilst still considering the existing disparities of SA, as a developing country.

Does the adoption of emerging technologies improve technical efficiency? Evidence from Korean manufacturing SMEs

Despite the proliferation of innovative technologies during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), there is a severe lack of quantitative and empirical studies that deal with the effectiveness of recently emerging technologies. This study examines the impact of employing core technologies of the 4IR on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). We used the firm-level cross-sectional data on Korean manufacturing SMEs, including the information on technology utilization. The stochastic production frontier estimation with selectivity correction is employed, besides matching technique to obtain unbiased estimates on technology efficiency. The empirical analysis finds that adopting emerging technologies enhances the productivity of SMEs. After observed and unobserved factors are controlled, the technical efficiency of adopters is higher by more than 26% on average, compared to non-adopters. Moreover, if the gap among production frontiers is considered, the difference in productivity would rise further. Additionally, a strategic alliance is a crucial route for SMEs to accept new technologies.

Reframing sociotechnical imaginaries: The case of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

In recent years, a Fourth Industrial Revolution emerged in public discourse as a narrative of exceptional societal disruption. At the core of this conceptual construct, led by the World Economic Forum, rests a sociotechnical imaginary of future essentialism, based on the revolutionary potential of digital, biological and physical innovations. This article addresses the lack of studies assessing the dynamics between the institutionalisation and the public performance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution concept through news media. We present the results of a quantitative content analysis of how the topic has been covered (frames, sources, tone) by the Portuguese national circulation press (2013-2020). This exploratory case study informs a proposal for an epistemic and methodological articulation between the theoretical frameworks of sociotechnical imaginaries and of media framing.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution of Healthcare Information Technology: Key Business Components to Unlock the Value of a Blockchain-Enabled Solution

Editor's note: This article is one of an ongoing series covering topics published in conjunction with the Health Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) describing the development of blockchain technology and its applicability to healthcare.

Research, Technology, Education & Scholarship in the Fourth Industrial Revolution [4IR] : Influences in Nursing and the Health Sciences

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) generated considerable interests among scholars, informaticists and educational leaders around the globe. This industry shift brings with it exciting opportunities and inevitable challengesto various industries and professional practices including the health sciences. The purpose of the article is to illuminate the influences of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the research,education and technology on Nursing and the Health Sciences. This article is organized as follows : the historical developments in the evolution of nursing images, industries and technologies in healthcare praxis, juxtaposing of current and impending trends and their impact on education, research and scholarship, and education in the healthcare sector. This article concludes with shared insights on several creative and proactive solutions in preparing for, creating new technologies, and mitigating the effects of the upcoming revolution. J. Med. Invest. 66 : 3-7, February, 2019.

Need for a new workplace safety and health (WSH) strategy for the fourth Industrial Revolution

We are on the cusp of the fourth Industrial Revolution which promises to revolutionize the way we live and work. Throughout history, as society and technology progress, so too have our workplace safety and health (WSH) strategies in regard to better knowledge and enhanced regulation. In this paper, we argue for a new WSH 4.0 strategy which requires us to adopt an adaptive and highly responsive approach to promote Total Worker Health in the face of rapid technological advancements and changes in employment relationships. To do so, we propose a multi-pronged strategy comprising (i) adaptive WSH solutions in regard to surveillance, risk assessment, and control measures leveraging on new technologies; (ii) effective multi-stakeholder dialogues for collaborative and sustainable solutions; (iii) an anticipatory WSH governance framework based upon shared values and cooperative responsibility; and (iv) professional development among WSH practitioners. This new WSH 4.0 strategy will enable WSH professionals to remain effective in this coming Industrial Revolution.