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The Impact of Technological Innovation on Industry 4.0 Implementation and Sustainability: An Empirical Study on Malaysian Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

Author

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  • Sreenivasan Jayashree

    (Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya 63100, Malaysia)

  • Mohammad Nurul Hassan Reza

    (Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya 63100, Malaysia)

  • Chinnasamy Agamudai Nambi Malarvizhi

    (Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya 63100, Malaysia)

  • Hesti Maheswari

    (Economic and Business Faculty, Pertamina University, South Jakarta 12220, Indonesia)

  • Zohre Hosseini

    (Sales and Marketing Department, Azarpakhsh Kerman Company, Kerman 63651, Iran)

  • Azilah Kasim

    (Langkawi International Tourism and Hospitality Research Centre, School of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Malaysia)

Abstract

Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the pillars on which most of the economies worldwide rest. Without the support of qualified technological innovation, it will be very difficult for SMEs’ performance to improve and impossible for them to reach their sustainability goals. Small businesses should therefore be encouraged to embrace the next technological frontier, Industry 4.0 (I4.0). The main purpose of this research is to understand the relationship between the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainability goals, along with an analysis of how innovation characteristics make implementing I4.0 easier for small businesses. To answer the research questions and analyse the high complex data, this research performed a structural equation model by using AMOS software. The results indicated that technology innovation characteristics have a positive significant effect on I4.0 implementation and sustainability goals. However, effective implementation of I4.0 mediates between the relationship of innovation characteristics and sustainability goals, except observability. The implications of this research are that SMEs should develop effective I4.0, implement it, and build innovation characteristics to reach sustainability goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Sreenivasan Jayashree & Mohammad Nurul Hassan Reza & Chinnasamy Agamudai Nambi Malarvizhi & Hesti Maheswari & Zohre Hosseini & Azilah Kasim, 2021. "The Impact of Technological Innovation on Industry 4.0 Implementation and Sustainability: An Empirical Study on Malaysian Small and Medium Sized Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-23, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:18:p:10115-:d:632296
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    2. Alok Raj & Anand Jeyaraj, 2023. "Antecedents and consequents of industry 4.0 adoption using technology, organization and environment (TOE) framework: A meta-analysis," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 322(1), pages 101-124, March.
    3. Grzegorz Kinelski & Jakub Stęchły & Piotr Bartkowiak, 2022. "Various Facets of Sustainable Smart City Management: Selected Examples from Polish Metropolitan Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-23, April.

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