Enormous power entails enormous risk. Yes, the stakes are high. If we get the revolution right, digitalization will benefit the humans inhabiting our planet. If we get it wrong, societies will be divided into winners and losers, social unrest and anarchy will arise, the glue that holds societies and communities together will disintegrate, and citizens will no longer believe that governments are able to fulfil their purpose of enforcing the rule of law and providing security. That’s why the Fourth Industrial Revolution is not just about technology or business; it’s about society. It is fascinating when a computer beats the best human GO player when bots write texts, and machines talk to each other. Nevertheless, we humans define the algorithms that govern machines and not the other way around. And make no mistake about it: we are now writing the code that will shape our collective future.
As in previous industrial revolutions but on a much larger scale, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will eliminate millions of jobs and create millions of new jobs. And because manufacturing accounts for 70% of global trade, this really is about ”the wealth of nations”, to quote Adam Smith. That raises the question that what can we do to make sure as many citizens as possible benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
First, we can learn from the past and lay the conceptual foundation for an inclusive society that aims to unite the principle of the free market with that of the fair distribution of prosperity. Second, because the Fourth Industrial Revolution runs on knowledge, we need a concurrent revolution in training and education. Third, we must encourage innovation and the ability to adapt. Fourth, the policymakers must summon the courage to address the tough questions and there are plenty of them. How can we secure the future of those whose jobs will be eliminated by machines? Do we need a guaranteed basic income? Should we impose taxes on software and robots? Do companies that provide global IT platforms have to comply with national rules and regulations? If so, how can they be enforced? What freedoms and rights should individuals have in the digital age?
E-Commerce, being the utmost evolving phenomena of the Fourth industrial Revolution – and more generally the rise of the digital economy – is rapidly transforming the way in which enterprises are interacting with each other, as well as with consumers and Governments. E-commerce is creating new opportunities for technological leaps, productivity gains across the economy, the rise of new sectors and boosting trade. At the same time, the transformation is raising new challenges and costs for countries. Some of the greatest dynamism in e-commerce and information and communications technologies (ICTs) can be found in developing countries, but the potential is far from fully realized.
Making ICTs work for development means adapting to the benefits and the legal challenges that go along with their use. Conducting domestic and international trade online has to be simplified, and there is a need for legal protection for users and providers in order to ensure that citizens, consumers and enterprises can trust online transactions. Developing countries, in particular, should establish legal, institutional and policy frameworks, as well as effective national strategies, to leverage the dynamism of e-commerce, whether via the Internet, mobile telephones or cloud computing. Developing countries also require better access to reliable statistics on the digital economy. It is also important for policymakers to receive evidence-based guidance on the design of sound policies and to learn from best practices in securing development gains from e-commerce and the digital economy. Seizing development gains from this evolving landscape requires a holistic, cross-sectoral and cross-institutional approach.
To equip with the changing business techniques due to E-Commerce and the overall Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is necessary to apprise oneself of the global happenings and best practices followed around the world. Moreover, as it is in the evolving phase, everyone must contribute their part by sharing his ideas and thoughts at the forums, where these matters are discussed. Keeping in view the said reason, our firm occasionally contributes to such forums through its active participation at local and international levels.
New and Emerging Concepts:
The following are the key new concepts which will surely be going to change the business processes of today to actually reap Industry 4.0:
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Internet of things and connected devices
- Blockchain and distributed ledger technology
- Digital trade and cross-border data flows
Readiness Assessment:
We understand that businesses must now study and evaluate their readiness to match the pace with this exponential growth towards Industry 4.0. The businesses can assess their readiness through (what we describe) an SSTT approach:
- Social Impact: Industry 4.0 will lead to more social and economic equality and stability, technology is an equalizer that will provide more access to education, jobs and financing
across different geographies and social groups. - Strategy: Industry 4.0 offers great opportunities for innovation well beyond products and services that may require a new set of approaches in areas such as talent, cyber risk and competitive disruption. These are the areas where Industry 4.0 applications can help deliver continuous learning, tap new sources of talent, reach underserved markets, offer predictive tools to help improve processes and reduce risk, connect supply chains, create new ecosystems, enable more agile systems that can adapt and respond to changes in real-time.
- Talent and Work Force: Businesses need to create a workforce for Industry 4.0, complete (or) drastic rethinking and changes are required in education/vocational training systems, the skills required now will evolve much more rapidly, and the existing workforce needs to be trained to acquire the Industry 4.0 compatible skills.
- Technology: Industry 4.0 means the ability to adopt and integrate digital and physical technologies to improve operations, become more productive, grow and innovate. The full
transformational potential of Industry 4.0 requires taking a broader perspective on how to use smart and connected technologies.
Once a readiness assessment is done, based upon its findings the businesses then need to have an immediate, intermediate and long-term action plan cum strategy with measurable and achievable tangible targets, continuous monitoring and evaluation of each set of targets to bring harmony and continuous improvement and efficiency in the said action plan.
How Bizilance can Help you with Digital Transformation
- Fostering multichannel thinking and culture in strategy, operations and metrics
- Exploring new growth avenues via global expansion and non-linear models
- Realizing a measurable return on investment (ROI) from investments in social and mobile initiatives
- Optimizing technology development processes and infrastructure for digital commerce innovations
- Creating an objective governance model to prioritize digital commerce investments