Collaborative networks: A pillar of digital transformation

UID/EEA/00066/2019 POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033926The notion of digital transformation encompasses the adoption and integration of a variety of new information and communication technologies for the development of more efficient, flexible, agile, and sustainable solutions for industrial systems. Besides technology, this process also involves new organizational forms and leads to new business models. As such, this work addresses the contribution of collaborative networks to such a transformation. An analysis of the collaborative aspects required in the various dimensions of the 4th industrial revolution is conducted based on a literature survey and experiences gained from several research projects. A mapping between the identified collaboration needs and research results that can be adopted from the collaborative networks area is presented. Furthermore, several new research challenges are identified and briefly characterized.publishe

METHODOLOGY FOR EVALUATING THE STRATEGY AND PROGRESS OF INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

The article is devoted to topical issues of transformation and development of Russian industry. The purpose of the research is to develop and test a methodology for evaluating the strategy and progress of institutional transformations of industrial complexes in the digital economy. The article defines the content of the methodology as a sequence of analytical stages that allow us to give a multidimensional and integrated assessment of strategic, process, structural, functional, technological, innovative, digital, institutional and other key aspects of the transformation of industrial complexes. The novelty and distinctive feature of the method are the ability to analyze the efficiency, speed, scale and resource support of institutional transformations of various types of industrial complexes in comparison with the average values of indicators for the Russian industry. Testing of the method was carried out on the production complex of Russia as a whole, as well as four industry, five territorial and fifteen local complexes. It is determined that transformations in the domestic industry are local, reactive and low-dynamic. Reengineering of functions, business processes, organizational structures, institutions and management systems of enterprises is carried out at an insufficient pace. Most Russian companies have not changed their strategies in the context of the digital economy. A list of ways to improve the efficiency of transformation of domestic enterprises is proposed

Sustainable manufacturing in the fourth industrial revolution: a big data application proposal in the textile industry

Purpose: Design an industrial production model with a focus on industry 4.0 (Big Data) and decision-making analysis for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the clothing sector that allows improving procedures, jobs and related costs within the study organization Develop a sustainable manufacturing proposal for the industrial textile sector with a focus on Big data (entry, transformation, data loading and analysis) in organizational decision making, in search of time and cost optimization and environmental impact mitigation related. Design/methodology/approach: The present research, of an applied nature, raises a value proposition focused on the planning, design and structuring of an industrial model focused on Big Data, specifically in the apparel manufacturing sector for decision-making in a structured and automated way with the methodological approach to follow: 1) Approach of production strategies oriented in Big Data for the textile sector; 2) Definition of the production model and configuration of the operational system; 3) Data science and industrial analysis, 4) Production model approach (Power BI) and 5) model validation. Methodological design of the investigation. 1) Presentation of the case study, where the current situational analysis of the company is carried out, formulation of the problem and proposal of solution for the set of data analyzed; 2) Presentation of a solution proposal focused on Big Data, on the identification of the industrial ecosystem and integration with the company's information systems, as well as the solution approach in the study and science of data in real time; 3) Presentation of the Model proposal for SQL structured databases in the loading, transformation and loading of important information for this study; 4) Information processing, in the edition of data in the M language of Power BI software, construction and elaboration of the model; 5) Presentation of the related databases, in the integration with the foreign key of the Master table and the transactional Tables; 6) Data analysis and presentation of the Dashboard, in the design, construction and analysis of the related study variables, as well as the approach of solution scenarios in the correct organizational decision making Findings: The results obtained show an improvement in operational efficiency from the value-added proposal. Research limitations/implications: Currently, the number of studies applying Big Data technology for organizations in the textile and manufacturing sector in organizational decision making are limited. If analyzed from the local scene, there are few cases of Big Data implementation in the textile sector, as a consequence of the lack of projects and financing of value propositions. Another limiting factor in this research is the absence of digital information of high relevance for study and analysis, which leads to longer times in data entry and placement in information systems in real time. Finally, there is no data organizational culture, where there are processes and/or procedures for data registration and its transformation into clean data. Originality/value: This research integrates, as well as the correct organizational decision making For the verification of originality, the project search and systematic review of literature in the main online search engines are carried out for this research; In addition, the percentages of coincidence with online reviewers such as turnitin and plag.es are reviewed in the transparency of this study projectPeer Reviewe

Social Construction of Retail Digitalization: Managerial Perspectives

Digitalization is a pervasive movement, shifting society rapidly into the next industrial revolution and causing disruption to traditional ways of working. This movement has had major ramifications on brick and mortar retailers, redefining the traditional business model and offering opportunities to enhance the customer experience. The purpose of this study was to gain a holistic understanding of the digital transformation of retail from a retail manager’s perspective, thus, this study explores the ways in which retail managers are socially constructing retail digitalization. To address the lack of an established conceptualization of digitalization from a retail managers’ perspective, I applied an exploratory, framing analysis approach to this research gap. This procedure involved integrating field-based insights from 26 managers within the retail sector across Finland and the UK with supplementary literature on the topic of retail digitalization. Through conducting this research, three framing categories were identified, including: 1) investing in digital strategy and management, 2) changing organizational competences and mindset, and 3) shifting power to the retail customer, which were formulated based on nine managerial framings that were developed in the analysis. The findings indicate that though managers are aware of the various threats caused by digitalization, overall, they consider it a positive movement that stimulates innovation, offers new solutions, improves business processes, and enables a better service offering for customers. This study suggests that undergoing the digital transformation is not only a technological change in processes and systems, but a human change in terms of ways of thinking and working. The findings further indicate that retail managers must develop with the organization and have a thorough understanding of their business and the retail market. This study makes theoretical contributions by supporting ideas that are explored in existing literature such as the challenges related to creating the omni-channel business model, while adding the managerial perspective on various issues surrounding this organizational change. This study also contests some points made in the current literature on the death of high street by highlighting the hedonic value that brick and mortar retailers offer their customers which cannot be replaced by other channels. New perspectives were also contributed through this study by exploring how managers view data and analytics as important tools in organizational decision making and understanding the business. Finally, this study highlights an unexplored area in the literature, more specifically, the significance that retail managers place on the human side of the organization through the digital transformation

The role of high-performance people management practices in Industry 4.0: The case of medium-sized Spanish firms

Purpose: This paper wants to build the case for the key role of high-performance people management practices in the development of I4.0 in SMEs. The research upon which this paper is based wants to prove that the consolidation of those practices should be a priority for any company willing to embark in this journey. The paper deals specifically with medium-sized Spanish firms which, on top, are already having significant issues with digitization. Design/methodology: The paper starts by digging into the literature to see how past technologies have impacted productivity, followed by a review of the material available on digitization and Industry 4.0. It moves on to explore the relationship between people management practices, productivity and innovation. Finally, the focus is placed on Spanish medium-sized companies, understanding their current levels of consolidation of high-performance people management practices as well as digitization. With all this information, several propositions are posited for validation using the Delphi methodology. Findings: I4.0 is, at its core, about productivity improvements through business process and business model innovation. People management practices are found to be strongly correlated with both productivity and innovation. It has also been found that Spanish medium-sized firms already have a significant initial gap compared to those of other OECD countries not only in productivity, but also people management practices and digitization. The experts seem to agree on the key role of people management practices and that they should be a high priority for any firm seriously thinking about industry 4.0. This is not to say that strategy or leadership will not play a paramount role in any digital transformation, but to emphasize the fact that the normally-forgotten people management practices will be important enablers in this process. Originality/value: It is believed that this is a topic that has been mostly neglected in the I4.0 literature. In that sense, the findings of this paper could be relevant for small and medium-sized businesses embarking on the industry 4.0 journey. This will entail a significant investment of time and money and, if the key role of people management practices is not on the radar screen, it may have significant implications for the success of those ventures.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Contextual impacts on industrial processes brought by the digital transformation of manufacturing: a systematic review

The digital transformation of manufacturing (a phenomenon also known as "Industry 4.0" or "Smart Manufacturing") is finding a growing interest both at practitioner and academic levels, but is still in its infancy and needs deeper investigation. Even though current and potential advantages of digital manufacturing are remarkable, in terms of improved efficiency, sustainability, customization, and flexibility, only a limited number of companies has already developed ad hoc strategies necessary to achieve a superior performance. Through a systematic review, this study aims at assessing the current state of the art of the academic literature regarding the paradigm shift occurring in the manufacturing settings, in order to provide definitions as well as point out recurring patterns and gaps to be addressed by future research. For the literature search, the most representative keywords, strict criteria, and classification schemes based on authoritative reference studies were used. The final sample of 156 primary publications was analyzed through a systematic coding process to identify theoretical and methodological approaches, together with other significant elements. This analysis allowed a mapping of the literature based on clusters of critical themes to synthesize the developments of different research streams and provide the most representative picture of its current state. Research areas, insights, and gaps resulting from this analysis contributed to create a schematic research agenda, which clearly indicates the space for future evolutions of the state of knowledge in this field

Eco‐Holonic 4.0 Circular Business Model to Conceptualize Sustainable Value Chain Towards Digital Transition

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a circular business model based on an Eco-Holonic Architecture, through the integration of circular economy and holonic principles. A conceptual model is developed to manage the complexity of integrating circular economy principles, digital transformation, and tools and frameworks for sustainability into business models. The proposed architecture is multilevel and multiscale in order to achieve the instantiation of the sustainable value chain in any territory. The architecture promotes the incorporation of circular economy and holonic principles into new circular business models. This integrated perspective of business model can support the design and upgrade of the manufacturing companies in their respective industrial sectors. The conceptual model proposed is based on activity theory that considers the interactions between technical and social systems and allows the mitigation of the metabolic rift that exists between natural and social metabolism. This study contributes to the existing literature on circular economy, circular business models and activity theory by considering holonic paradigm concerns, which have not been explored yet. This research also offers a unique holonic architecture of circular business model by considering different levels, relationships, dynamism and contextualization (territory) aspects

The transformative capacity of new technologies. How innovations affect sectoral change: Conceptual considerations

Following up on recent debates about sectoral systems of innovation and production, the paper introduces a heuristic framework for analyzing and explaining distinct patterns of technology-based sectoral change. The concept is based on two interrelated influencing factors. The first is the sectoral-specific transformative capacity of new technologies themselves, that is, their substantial or incremental impact on socioeconomic and institutional change in a given sectoral system. The second is the sectoral adaptability of socioeconomic structures, institutions, and actors confronted with the opportunities presented by new technologies. The first factor the sectoral transformative capacity of new technologies enables us to identify the technology-driven pressure to change and adjust the structural and institutional architectures of the sectoral system. The second, complementary factor sectoral adaptability helps us to discern the distinct social patterns of anticipating and absorbing this technology-based pressure. The specific interplay between the two influencing factors creates distinguishable modes of sectoral transformation, ranging from anticipative and smooth adjustments to reactive and crisis-ridden patterns of change. Even processes of radical sectoral change continue over longer periods of mismatch, characterized by a cumulation of numerous and mostly gradual organizational, structural, and institutional transformations. --

Standardization Framework for Sustainability from Circular Economy 4.0

The circular economy (CE) is widely known as a way to implement and achieve sustainability, mainly due to its contribution towards the separation of biological and technical nutrients under cyclic industrial metabolism. The incorporation of the principles of the CE in the links of the value chain of the various sectors of the economy strives to ensure circularity, safety, and efficiency. The framework proposed is aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development regarding the orientation towards the mitigation and regeneration of the metabolic rift by considering a double perspective. Firstly, it strives to conceptualize the CE as a paradigm of sustainability. Its principles are established, and its techniques and tools are organized into two frameworks oriented towards causes (cradle to cradle) and effects (life cycle assessment), and these are structured under the three pillars of sustainability, for their projection within the proposed framework. Secondly, a framework is established to facilitate the implementation of the CE with the use of standards, which constitute the requirements, tools, and indicators to control each life cycle phase, and of key enabling technologies (KETs) that add circular value 4.0 to the socio-ecological transition

Technology, governance, and a sustainability model for small and medium-sized towns in Europe

New and cutting-edge technologies causing deep changes in societies, playing the role of game modifiers, and having a significant impact on global markets in small and medium-sized towns in Europe (SMSTEs) are the focus of this research. In this context, an analysis was carried out to identify the main dimensions of a model for promoting innovation in SMSTEs. The literature review on the main dimensions boosting the innovation in SMSTEs and the methodological approach was the application of a survey directed to experts on this issue. The findings from the literature review reflect that technologies, governance, and sustainability dimensions are enablers of SMSTEs’ innovation, and based on the results of the survey, a model was implemented to boost innovation, being this the major add-on of this research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio