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The purpose of this study is to explore the emerging issue of Digital Transformation (DT) in the Greek fashion industry, which according to literature, is highly fragmented, populated by a large number of digitally immature SMEs and financially strained, even before the outburst of the COVID-19 crisis. This paper aims to explore the current level of knowledge, understanding and adoption of Digital Transformation from fashion companies in Greece, by evaluating the results of an online survey of sixty middle and top-level executives from the fashion industry. The descriptive analysis of the survey data reveals the aforementioned technology lag and -among other findings- showcases the need for a more comprehensive, efficient, structured, less fragmented and coordinated approach towards developing a digital strategy and implementation roadmap that will guide fashion companies through the harsh realities of the post-COVID19 era, as dictated and imposed by the 'next normal' for manufacturers and retailers all over the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Advanced digital production technologies – often clustered under the label of 'Industry 4.0'– are reshaping industrial production. Using novel firm-level data collected by UNIDO this paper investigates the extent to which these technologies shielded developing countries' manufacturing firms in times of COVID-19. The results of the analysis show that the adoption of the latest vintage of digital technologies strengthened firms' robustness against the shock and, at the same time, facilitated their readiness to respond and adapt to the new context. These findings pose relevant implications for the design of post-COVID recovery strategies to strengthen future industrial resilience in developing and emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Service Industries Journal is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

According to the Solow paradox, the impact of the computer age can be seen everywhere but in the productivity statistics. Despite much debate about productivity gains promised by technologies associated with the 'fourth industrial revolution,' these are largely yet to materialise. Paradoxically, not only has there been a global productivity growth slowdown but also a decline in research and development (R&D) productivity: a 'burden of knowledge' effect. Given the potentially catastrophic costs of research failure and the inability of the scientific discovery system to anticipate fully and find a solution to the coronavirus pandemic, the purpose of this paper is to apply a detailed conceptual review methodology to understand better the fundamental causes of the global productivity growth slowdown. Challenging prevailing assumptions in the literature, the original contribution of the paper is a theoretical analysis that suggests a root cause of the global production growth slowdown may be a burden of knowledge effect associated with innovation failure. A causal ordering of relevant causes is discussed, and hypotheses are derived. Implications are derived for research management, and for policy regarding how a decline in global productivity growth might be arrested by remedying the burden of knowledge effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic literature review synthesises the literature on human centric IN 4.0 and IN 5.0 while exploring driving forces behind the transition from technocentric IN 4.0 to value centric IN 5.0 using the principles of the multiple level perspective (MLP). Works that discuss contextual, regime and niche level factors which impact on the transition were explored. The Covid- 19 pandemic and Climate change are identified as key contextual, 'Landscape', factors impacting the transition while Trust, Mass personalisation and Autonomy are highlighted as key Regime factors. In terms of Niche innovations, Advanced Extended reality technologies, Cobots/ Advanced Robotics, and Advanced AI are often connected with landscape or regime issues. Drawing on MLP theory, the study demonstrates that the transition from IN 4.0 towards IN 5.0 is occurring through a reconfiguration pattern. The paper further emphasises aspects that both practitioners and academics need to be cognisant of in order to affect a transition from IN 4.0 to IN 5.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the impact of COVID-19 on Korean cosmetics firms. The research framework (i.e. OEM/ODM Business Model) shows sensing customer requirements, translating them through a fusion complex design lab, digital technologies (e.g. Big Data, AI, Supply Chain Technologies), and applying manufacturing capabilities for achieving sustainable competitive outcomes. It examines how digital technologies influence the ODM business model. The research methods include a literature review, an analysis of internal documents, and field interviews with top executives. It also focuses on the model's response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution opportunities such as the IoT/AI. The case study covers both prior to the COVID-19 and post pandemic world contexts. We propose propositions based on our research model and discuss relevant lessons to other industries in terms of designing cross-functional creativities, implementing organizational flexibility, and achieving market expansion through operational speed and network partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Johor Port and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) are two adjacent seaports act as backbone of the Malaysian international trade and economy. The probability of these seaports catering the same client is very high and may cause overlapping in the hinterland area. This will further result in the waste of resources, congestion in traffic and reducing the competitiveness of seaports. The situation worsened during Covid-19 outbreak as these two seaports faced issues related to capacity and efficiency. This paper employs geoeconomics concept to assist these seaports to design a post Covid-19 recovery plan for these seaports via temporal, spatial and policy taxonomies. An explanatory sequential mixed method design has been employed to meet aims of the paper. The results show that hinterlands in the Southern region are important as production centres, providing logistics efficiency and improving the connectivity. Given the importance of service recovery to continue patronage of these seaports among customers, revitalising 4th industrial revolution and materialising inland capacity are additional post Covid-19 recovery strategies for improved seaport performance from a policy and spatial taxonomies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic might accelerate Fourth Industrial Revolution such as FinTech, AI and Robotics. This study explores impact of the COVID-19 on Fourth Industrial Revolution by quantifying such an impact on stock market. Stock indices and ETFs are handled to find log-return distributions via kernel estimation. Before, during and after outbreak of the COVID-19, distributions and related measures are investigated. Results reveal that E-commerce and Fourth Industrial Revolution have grown 1.5-1.7 times in increase rates of daily net returns, compared to main stock indices. A statistical test supports that AI & Robotics sector has grown under influence of the COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During this Covid 19 pandemic, the government introduced many restrictions on industries, such as 50% working manpower, social distance, permits only for essential industry, work from home policy, etc. Hence the industries were forced to face severe manpower reduction, which led to low production with less quality and an increase in equipment downtime. This lower productivity and inadequate machine performance with low speed and minor stoppages lead to failure in achieving the customer demand in manufacturing industries. By implementing data-centric digitalized smart Autonomous Maintenance called Jisu Hazen (JH) pillar of Total Productive Maintenance through Industry 4.0 transformation, around 70% of breakdowns due to forced deterioration, manual error, poor skill and poor decisions can be eliminated. The failure part can be identified for decreasing the Mean Time To Rectify (MTTR) and increased productivity can be achieved with less manpower by adhering to the Covid-19 protocol. Through smart JH, operators work hours together for Clean, Lubricate, Inspection and Tightening (CLIT) time, repair time, operators' working duration due to minor stoppages and machine low speed, the number of employees related to machine operation and maintenance are reduced along with planned productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theorize a notion of a digital supply chain (SC) twin – a computerized model that represents network states for any given moment in real time. We explore the conditions surrounding the design and implementation of the digital twins when managing disruption risks in SCs. The combination of model-based and data-driven approaches allows uncovering the interrelations of risk data, disruption modeling, and performance assessment. The SC shocks and adaptations amid the COVID-19 pandemic along with post-pandemic recoveries provide indisputable evidences for the urgent needs of digital twins for mapping supply networks and ensuring visibility. The results of this study contribute to the research and practice of SC risk management by enhancing predictive and reactive decisions to utilize the advantages of SC visualization, historical disruption data analysis, and real-time disruption data and ensure end-to-end visibility and business continuity in global companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)