Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing. Theoretical base and empirical analyses

A new industrial revolution \u2013 also called \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d \u2013 is unfolding fueled by the introduction of broadly interconnected digital technologies, including the Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. Many industries are witnessing the entrance of new players integrating new technologies into disruptive business models; incumbents are also urged to rethink how they operate against trends that are expected to further accelerate in the current pandemic situation. The overarching aim of the research presented in this doctoral dissertation is to investigate to what extent Industry 4.0 represents a fundamental challenge to existing paradigms and requires researchers to modify their theoretical frameworks to approach emerging issues. With this in mind, each chapter can be seen as a step forward in journey whereby some core issues come progressively into focus. The starting point is a conceptual work analyzing the phenomenon \u2013 \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d and similar labels \u2013 and its underlying technological and non-technological components. As a second step \u2013 under the assumption of Industry 4.0 having paradigmatic properties comparable to previous industrial revolutions \u2013 potential new configurations of manufacturing value chains are investigated. Through a future-oriented expert study, eight scenarios are conceived identifying critical drivers to value chain configurations. Finally, one of these critical drivers \u2013 data sharing in inter-organizational relationships \uac\u2013 is investigated through the development of a multiple case study analysis in the automotive sector. The contribution of this dissertation to the academic debate is at least twofold. On the one hand, the research highlights the cornerstones of the phenomenon to make sense of its overarching features and building elements. This contributes to lay solid theoretical foundations needed to advance the understanding in the field. On the other hand, my empirical investigations suggest that several barriers counterbalance the technological drivers for change, posing significant questions as for when and how the future of manufacturing will materialize. Overall, an approach focused on understanding how technologies influence the assumptions behind the current reasoning might lead at a synthesis between \u201cold\u201d and \u201cnew\u201d elements in the Industry 4.0 phenomenon

The ISO/IEC 27001 information security management standard: literature review and theory-based research agenda

Purpose \u2013 After 15 years of research, this paper aims to present a review of the academic literature on the ISO/ IEC 27001, the most renowned standard for information security and the third most widespread ISO certification. Emerging issues are reframed through the lenses of social systems thinking, deriving a theorybased research agenda to inspire interdisciplinary studies in the field. Design/methodology/approach \u2013 The study is structured as a systematic literature review. Findings \u2013 Research themes and sub-themes are identified on five broad research foci: relation with other standards, motivations, issues in the implementation, possible outcomes and contextual factors. Originality/value \u2013The study presents a structured overview of the academic body of knowledge on ISO/IEC 27001, providing solid foundations for future research on the topic. A set of research opportunities is outlined, with the aim to inspire future interdisciplinary studies at the crossroad between information security and quality management. Managers interested in the implementation of the standard and policymakers can find an overview of academic knowledge useful to inform their decisions related to implementation and regulatory activities

Performance implications of ISO/IEC 27001 certification.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the operational impact of the adoption of the most renowned norm in the field of information security: ISO/IEC 27001. We develop six research hypotheses; three of them related to firm’s operating performance and three which shed light on the moderating role of some contextual factors. The results indicate that the ISO/IEC 27001 certification improves the profitability and the labor productivity of the adopting firms while no effect is recorded on sales performance. The impact appears affected by the munificence of the industry and the level of internationalization of the firm

The evolving configuration of production networks: a secondary data analysis in the automotive industry

Aims By adopting a production network perspective, this paper analyzes the evolution of the manufacturing footprint of automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in terms of geography, size, and specialization/focus. Methods/Approach The study provides a secondary data analysis based on the automotive industry portal MarkLines database, an industry-specific source containing information on automotive sales, production volumes, plant locations, and supply chain relationships. Building on this data, we performed several longitudinal analyses taking the OEMspecific network as the unit of investigation. In particular, we explored location choices, geographic dispersion (at global and regional level), plant numerosity, and size. A cluster analysis enabled us to identify the different paths pursued by the various companies in our sample. Results/Findings The preliminary findings show that OEMs with different characteristics take different decisions as regards the configuration of their manufacturing networks. Implications From a theoretical point of view, the study broadens the current knowledge on production networks through the longitudinal analysis of secondary data. We highlight that global industry trends in the configuration of manufacturing footprint (location, dimension, specialization) need to be read against company-specific characteristics. Moreover, the methodology can be replicated in different contexts to analyze other economic sectors as well. In terms of the contribution to practice, we provide evidence of the strategies pursued by different automotive firms and highlight the factors behind them