Search Results (70)

This research investigates the spillover effects between assets of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), focusing on the role of climate policy uncertainty in shaping these interactions. Using a time-varying parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) approach and a joint connectedness method, the analysis incorporates five global indices representing key 4IR domains: the internet, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and robotics, fintech, and blockchain. The findings reveal significant interdependencies among 4IR assets and evaluate the effect of risk factors, including climate policy uncertainty, as a critical driver of the determinants of returns. The results indicate the growing impact of climate-related risks on the structure of connectedness between 4IR assets, highlighting their implications for portfolio diversification and risk management. These insights are vital for investors and policymakers navigating the intersection of technological innovation and environmental challenges in a rapidly changing global economy. Full article

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) reshapes society, digital leadership in education becomes crucial. This study explores teachers’ perspectives on high school principals’ digital leadership competencies in Oyo State, Nigeria, a region grappling with the digital divide. This offers a counterpoint to research in high-income countries. Using a quantitative, descriptive research design, 381 teachers across three senatorial districts were selected via multi-stage sampling. The study addressed one research question and tested two hypotheses. Data were collected using the High Schools’ Digital Leadership Standards Questionnaire (HSDLSQ). The reliability coefficients ranged from α = 0.85 to 0.91 across five domains: visionary leadership, digital learning culture, professional development, systemic improvement, and digital citizenship. Descriptive statistics (percentages, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent t-test) were used for analysis at a 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that high school leaders possess the skills to meet the ISTE-A digital leadership standards set by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Female leaders exhibited slightly higher digital skills than males, though gender was insignificant in meeting the ISTE-A standards overall. The study underscores the importance of digital leadership in school management, offering practical implications for leadership practices, policy decisions, and future research. Although the ISTE-A standards are met, the emphasis on systemic improvement highlights how Nigerian principals adapt strategies to local resource constraints, differing from high-tech education systems. Recommendations include promoting the ISTE-A standards among school leaders, investing in digital leadership training, fostering digital literacy, and supporting adaptability to technological changes to advance digital transformation in education. Full article

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), characterized by the integration of advanced digital technologies, is transforming industries globally and significantly impacting leadership practices, particularly in the healthcare sector. As organizations adapt to this digital evolution, the demand for effective leadership becomes increasingly critical. This paper explores Leadership 4.0, a framework that identifies the skills and competencies required for successful leadership in the digital age. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with qualitative insights gathered through case studies and the Delphi method, involving healthcare leaders, to investigate leadership practices in organizations undergoing digital transformation. Through case studies and literature reviews, the research seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the changing leadership landscape, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities presented by digital transformation in healthcare. The findings indicate that effective Leadership 4.0 requires a combination of digital literacy, strategic foresight, and emotional intelligence. Leaders must exhibit adaptability, drive innovation, and foster a culture of continuous learning to navigate the complexities of digital transformation successfully. The study also emphasizes the importance of internal branding as a critical strategy for aligning employees with the organization’s mission and digital vision, thereby fostering collective commitment to transformation objectives. Key challenges include resistance to change and the ongoing need for upskilling, while opportunities lie in leveraging digital innovations to enhance organizational performance. Full article

Background: Nursing and midwifery expertise exceeds the realms of clinical and biomedical knowledge. With the healthcare system transforming towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), midwives are expected to broaden their knowledge and skills to provide quality care through the use of digital health technologies. However, there is a paucity of studies that look at the perceptions of midwives towards these digital health technologies. Objective: Hence, in this case, the authors sought to investigate the perceptions of the midwives towards the adoption of digitalized triage system in their maternity units, prior to designing and implementing the digitalized system. This was undertaken to avoid imposing a huge change upon the midwives which will consequently affect the widespread implementation of the proposed system. Methods: A sequential exploratory research design within a pragmatic paradigm underpinned this study to gain a comprehensive understanding of the midwives’ perceptions on the adoption of a digitalized triage system in the maternity units. The qualitative phase embraced purposive sampling to select participants, and data saturation was reached at 20th midwife. Meanwhile, the quantitative phase embraced a stratified sampling technique and the sample size was 155. The mixed methodological analysis was conducted using a case-comparison analytical strategy. Results: The study revealed that the midwives perceived that the adoption of a digitalized triage system would improve their skills and enhance positive health outcomes for the patients. However, they were concerned with implementation challenges such as the availability of resources and network connectivity. Conclusions: The findings suggested that midwives in this modern era are accepting of digital health interventions as they perceive them to be useful. However, the digital health intervention was also perceived to possibly be affected by external factors such as digital illiteracy, lack of resources and internet connectivity failures. Therefore, there is a need for the development of guidelines and a conceptual framework dedicated to facilitating the widespread implementation of digital triaging in maternity units in South Africa. Full article

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has accelerated the construction industry’s shift toward digital transformation. This progress is mainly driven by the emergence of innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins (DTs). While global research has extensively explored the benefits and challenges of AI-based DTs, the rapid growth of Saudi Arabia’s construction sector—fueled by substantial local investments and international partnerships—underscores the urgent need to examine their specific impact within this context. To address this gap, this study aims to investigate the potential benefits and challenges of integrating AI-driven DTs into Saudi Arabia’s construction industry. To achieve this, a structured literature review and a survey were conducted among architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms, with 106 complete responses analyzed using correspondence analysis (CA). The findings revealed that AI-driven DTs substantially benefit Saudi Arabia’s construction industry. For example, among the 17 identified benefits, the top-ranked ones include AI capabilities to improve analytics, AI’s facilitation of digital twins in modeling complex real-world systems, and the facilitation of strategic decision making. However, several challenges hinder the realization of these benefits, including a lack of standardization of integrated DT and AI in construction projects, a lack of understanding of AI’s capabilities, a lack of logistics and the limited availability of IT infrastructure, and the complexity of AI algorithms. These findings underscore the transformative potential of integrating AI-driven DTs to optimize construction performance, improve decision-making, and address real-world complexities. This study provides actionable insights for stakeholders and recommends future research exploring strategies for overcoming adoption challenges, fostering technological innovation, and capacity building in Saudi Arabia’s construction sector. Full article

The Industrial Revolution (IR) involves a centuries-long process of economic and societal transformation driven by industrial and technological innovation. From agrarian, craft-based societies to modern systems powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), each IR has brought significant societal advancements yet raised concerns about future implications. As we transition from the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) to the emergent Fifth Industrial Revolution (IR5.0), similar questions arise regarding human employment, technological control, and adaptation. During all these shifts, a recurring theme emerges as we fear the unknown and bring a concern that machines may replace humans’ hard and soft skills. Therefore, comprehensive preparation, critical discussion, and future-thinking policies are necessary to successfully navigate any industrial revolution. While IR4.0 emphasized cyber-physical systems, IoT (Internet of Things), and AI-driven automation, IR5.0 aims to integrate these technologies, keeping human, emotion, intelligence, and ethics at the center. This paper critically examines this transition by highlighting the technological foundations, socioeconomic implications, challenges, and opportunities involved. We explore the role of AI, blockchain, edge computing, and immersive technologies in shaping IR5.0, along with workforce reskilling strategies to bridge the potential skills gap. Learning from historic patterns will enable us to navigate this era of change and mitigate any uncertainties in the future. Full article

The current research aimed to identify the needs for developing the University of Ha’il (UoH) administration in light of the requirements of the fourth industrial revolution by discussing the potential obstacles and challenges that the administration may encounter in meeting these demands, as well as the potential mechanisms for resolving them from the perspectives of academic leaders and teaching staff, and to determine the existence of statistically significant differences in the responses of academic leaders and faculty members regarding the most important challenges facing the development of the administration of Ha’il University and the mechanisms for dealing with them. A cross-sectional/descriptive and analytical method was used to analyze, describe, investigate, and acknowledge the obstacles that prevent the development of university administration to meet the requirements of the fourth industrial revolution and to derive the proposed mechanisms to overcome these obstacles from both academic leaders’ and teaching staff’s points of view. This study’s findings confirmed that the UoH administration faces a number of challenges, such as the lack of regulations governing the use of technologies and software, the lack of a clear and specific plan to employ the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution in the development of university administration, the delayed maintenance of devices on which the software and technologies are installed, and the lack of acceptance by some administrators of the idea of using the techniques of the fourth industrial revolution in the development of university administration out of fear of losing their jobs. By addressing these challenges and embracing some potential mechanisms, the university can effectively navigate the complexities of the 4IR. Therefore, this study suggests implementing cloud computing, artificial intelligence applications, and new technologies to develop the administrative work system at the University of Ha’il. This can lead to development and excellence in administrative performance. Full article

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has significantly impacted healthcare, including sexually transmitted infection (STI) management in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly among key populations (KPs) with limited access to health services. This review investigates 4IR technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), that assist in diagnosing, treating, and managing STIs across SSA. By leveraging affordable and accessible solutions, 4IR tools support KPs who are disproportionately affected by STIs. Following systematic review guidelines using Covidence, this study examined 20 relevant studies conducted across 20 SSA countries, with Ethiopia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe emerging as the most researched nations. All the studies reviewed used secondary data and favored supervised ML models, with random forest and XGBoost frequently demonstrating high performance. These tools assist in tracking access to services, predicting risks of STI/HIV, and developing models for community HIV clusters. While AI has enhanced the accuracy of diagnostics and the efficiency of management, several challenges persist, including ethical concerns, issues with data quality, and a lack of expertise in implementation. There are few real-world applications or pilot projects in SSA. Notably, most of the studies primarily focus on the development, validation, or technical evaluation of the ML methods rather than their practical application or implementation. As a result, the actual impact of these approaches on the point of care remains unclear. This review highlights the effectiveness of various AI and ML methods in managing HIV and STIs through detection, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. The study strengthens knowledge on the practical application of 4IR technologies in diagnosing, treating, and managing STIs across SSA. Understanding this has potential to improve sexual health outcomes, address gaps in STI diagnosis, and surpass the limitations of traditional syndromic management approaches. Full article

The 5th Generation Mobile Communication (5G) plays a significant role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), facilitating significant improvements and innovations in various fields. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is currently standardizing the Authentication and Key Management for Application (AKMA) system for the 5G convergence applications (5G cAPPs). The Transport Layer Security (TLS) is recommended as the application-specific Ua* protocol between User Equipment (UE) and Application Function (AF) to securely transmit the AKMA identifiers of UE as well as guarantee traffic protection. Among TLS protocols, session resumption in TLS 1.2 and the Pre-Shared Key (PSK) modes of TLS 1.3 are particularly desirable for Ua*. Unfortunately, the integration of PSK options of TLS 1.3, namely PSK-only, PSK-(EC)DHE, and 0-RTT (0 Round-Trip Time) modes, with AKMA has not yet been thoroughly investigated; hence, security, performance, compatibility, and effectiveness remain uncertain. In response, this paper explores the integration of the TLS 1.3 PSK options with AKMA and investigates the said metrics by conducting formal security verification and emulating exemplary applications. According to the formal verification and experimental results, the PSK-(EC)DH mode shows a security strength trade-off with efficiency. On the one hand, the 0-RTT mode demonstrates better efficiency but exhibits drawbacks on forward secrecy and replay attacks. The result suggests that 0-RTT mode has to be approved to ensure seamless integration of the TLS 1.3 PSK option with AKMA. In addition, adjustment on the AKMA architecture is also imperative to enhance security level. Full article

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has ushered in a new era of technological advancements that are transforming industries worldwide. One such technology that is revolutionizing the construction industry is mechatronics, which has the propensity to enhance the operations, activities, productivity and efficiency of the sector’s activities. Despite the numerous advantages of mechatronic technologies, their successful implementation in the context of developing countries poses unique challenges and considerations. Therefore, this study seeks to identify and evaluate the critical success factors (CSFs) for mechatronics implementation in architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AECO) projects. Existing CSFs were extracted from extant studies, which helped formulate the questionnaire disseminated to 372 construction professionals in Nigeria, including architects, builders, quantity surveyors, and engineers (mechanical, civil, electrical). The methodology also employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which facilitated the identification of key themes within the data. Through this application, six clusters of CSFs were revealed: organizational factors, financial considerations, technological aspects, collaboration and knowledge sharing, regulatory and policy factors, and sustainability and environmental considerations. From a theoretical perspective, the identified clusters of critical success factors provide a comprehensive framework that encompasses various dimensions of successful mechatronics adoption in the Nigerian construction industry. This study advances scientific knowledge on CSFs for the adoption of mechatronic technologies in the Nigerian construction industry, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors that drive successful implementation. For policymakers, this study’s findings will be invaluable in shaping supportive policies and strategies that foster the widespread adoption of mechatronics in the construction sector. Full article

Energy is pivotal in achieving sustainable development’s economic, social, and environmental objectives. However, to attain this crucial goal, it is essential to focus on the type of energy we generate and the methods by which we use them. The availability, accessibility, and use of green technologies have improved significantly since the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This paper applies the pooled mean group Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PMG ARDL) model from 2000 to 2021 to 11 countries that, according to the Climate Council, are most affected by environmental degradation issues and are taking new initiatives to reduce their emissions. The results indicate a significant relationship between renewable energy consumption and technological advancements in the short and long term. However, there needs to be more of the literature about the negative impact of research and development on renewable energy consumption. The findings of this paper can assist policymakers in determining effective strategies in the renewable energy sector, as any technological advancement is an innovative way to transform the renewable energy industry completely. By optimizing energy production and reducing costs, technological advancement can help a country achieve its renewable energy goals. Full article

In the era of digitalisation, the construction industry is fast embracing digital technology, which evolved from Industry 4.0 (fourth industrial revolution [4IR]). Built environment programmes (BEPs) are expected to meet the needs of the digitalisation era via Education 4.0. Education 4.0 aims to transform education’s future with diverse digital automation and innovative paedagogical procedures. Studies concerning Education 4.0 in Nigeria’s BEPs are scarce. Hence, this study aims to appraise Education 4.0 and investigate the perceived issues facing implementing Education 4.0 in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), using BEPs as a case study. The findings intend to improve Education 4.0 implementation practices in BEPs. Data were sourced from 40 participants across Nigeria for better coverage and representation via a semi-structured interview approach. The participants were knowledgeable about Education 4.0 and Nigeria’s BEPs. This study adopted a thematic analysis of the virtually collected data and presented the findings in themes. This study shows that Education 4.0 implementation in Nigeria’s BEPs is lax and should be overhauled to improve achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)—quality education—and other related SDGs. The findings reveal that improved Education 4.0 can enhance the achievement of SDG 4. The findings cluster the perceived 18 hindrances facing Education 4.0 implementation into three main groups. Also, the findings proffer feasible measures to improve Education 4.0 implementation in Nigeria’s HEIs, using BEPs as a case study, via improved transformative competencies, technological advancement, innovative paedagogical procedures, and stakeholders’ collaboration to improve achieving SDG 4. The proposed framework could assist in creating new values and transforming the students’ BEP competencies via stakeholder collaboration and Education 4.0 for the private sector (future talents’ beneficiary), thus fostering their employability. Full article

Transportation systems through the ages have seen drastic evolutions in terms of transportation methods, speed of transport, infrastructure, technology, connectivity, influence on the environment, and accessibility. The massive transformation seen in the transportation sector has been fueled by the Industrial Revolutions, which have continued expansion and progress into the fourth Industrial Revolution. However, the methodologies of data collection and processing used by the many drivers of this progress differ. In order to achieve a better understanding of the impact of these technologies, in this study, we methodically reviewed the literature on the subject of the data collection and processing mechanisms of 4IR technologies in the context of transport. Gaps in present practices are identified in the study, especially with regard to the integration and scalability of these technologies in transportation networks. In order to fully reap the rewards of 4IR technologies, it is also necessary to apply standardized methods for data gathering and processing. In this report, we offer insights into current obstacles and make recommendations for future research to solve these concerns through a comprehensive evaluation of the literature, with the goal of promoting the development of intelligent and sustainable transportation systems. Full article

Formal methods (FMs) have been cited as a viable methodology for developing high-quality software. However, the steep learning curve in efficiently using the underlying discrete mathematics and logic has hindered FMs’ adoption, leading to a decline in their initial interest in the 1980s. Traditionally, technical approaches have been pursued to address the FMs challenge. Having taken cognisance of a similar pre-4IR decline in AI, the researcher views FMs as technology and considers solutions at intersections of 4IR-5IR technology adoption, leveraged by the support of governors, termed leadership-management in this work. Following a qualitative research choice, scholarly literature is reviewed, and sets of qualitative propositions are defined to develop a conceptual framework for a 4IR-5IR leadership-management adoption of FMs. Aspects that emerged and are incorporated into the framework are cross-functional and executive levels of leadership, transformative, adaptive, and servant leadership styles, using FM tools that embed a high level of user experience, and 4IR technologies, augmented with 5IR human aspects. The framework is hoped to motivate a company’s leadership to contribute to technology and technical ICT-based decision-making increasingly. Future work in this area would involve securing input from practitioners and exercising the framework in an industrial setting. Full article

The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) forms a significant component of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This study examined the impact of ICT on agricultural development in South Africa utilizing time series data from 1995 to 2022. Agricultural development was measured through agricultural output and agriculture total factor productivity as dependent variables. Traditional factors of production (land, labor, and capital) together with ICT variables (mobile cellphone subscriptions, Internet usage, and fixed telephone subscriptions) were used. Additional variables such as inflation, human development, access to energy and climate change were used. Data analysis was performed using the ARDL approach. The findings revealed that mobile phone subscriptions and Internet usage positively affect agricultural output and ATFP in the short and long run despite having a negative effect through the second lag in the short run. Fixed telephone subscriptions negatively affect ATFP in the long run while affecting output negatively in the short run through the first lag. Land, human development index, access to energy, and capital generally exhibited an increasing effect on both agricultural output and ATFP both in the short and long run through the various models estimated. Climate change and inflation were generally found to affect both agricultural output and ATFP negatively in the short and long run. The study concluded that ICT plays a significant role in promoting agricultural output and total factor productivity growth. Recommendations included that the South African government should promote the digitalization of the agriculture sector through the provision of ICT infrastructure that can be utilized by both smallholder farmers and large-scale agricultural producers. Full article