IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eurman/v40y2022i5p778-792.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A resource-based view on SMEs regarding the transition to more sophisticated stages of industry 4.0

Author

Listed:
  • Estensoro, Miren
  • Larrea, Miren
  • Müller, Julian M.
  • Sisti, Eduardo

Abstract

The integration of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the concept Industry 4.0 represents one of its main challenges, as they play a vital part in industrial value chains that shall be digitized from suppliers to the end customer. However, what the implementation stages for Industry 4.0 in SMEs should be as well as the respective resources for achieving the next stage are scarcely understood. In response, this paper proposes a framework using a resource-based review for Industry 4.0 implementation according to the stage of development in SMEs, created between researchers, policy makers, and 354 manufacturing SMEs in the province of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain). The paper applies a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative (interviews) and quantitative elements (survey data). The results are used to develop a model with four stages of SMEs that are characterized by having distinct preconditions and conditions for Industry 4.0. Thereupon, the required measures to achieve the next stage of Industry 4.0 implementation are derived. This highlights Industry 4.0 for SMEs as a process with different stages toward achieving sustainable competitive advantage and offering insight into how the different resources operate. The high importance and advanced position regarding industrial value creation and SMEs in Gipuzkoa allows to generalize and transfer the findings to other European regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Estensoro, Miren & Larrea, Miren & Müller, Julian M. & Sisti, Eduardo, 2022. "A resource-based view on SMEs regarding the transition to more sophisticated stages of industry 4.0," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 778-792.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:40:y:2022:i:5:p:778-792
    DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2021.10.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263237321001444
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.emj.2021.10.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Weijters, Bert & Cabooter, Elke & Schillewaert, Niels, 2010. "The effect of rating scale format on response styles: The number of response categories and response category labels," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 236-247.
    2. Steven M. Shugan, 2006. "Editorial: Errors in the Variables, Unobserved Heterogeneity, and Other Ways of Hiding Statistical Error," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(3), pages 203-216, 05-06.
    3. Ricci, Riccardo & Battaglia, Daniele & Neirotti, Paolo, 2021. "External knowledge search, opportunity recognition and industry 4.0 adoption in SMEs," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    4. Gautam Dutta & Ravinder Kumar & Rahul Sindhwani & Rajesh Kr. Singh, 2021. "Digitalization priorities of quality control processes for SMEs: a conceptual study in perspective of Industry 4.0 adoption," Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, Springer, vol. 32(6), pages 1679-1698, August.
    5. Bhandari, Krishna Raj & Rana, Sudhir & Paul, Justin & Salo, Jari, 2020. "Relative exploration and firm performance: Why resource-theory alone is not sufficient?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 363-377.
    6. Müller, Julian Marius & Buliga, Oana & Voigt, Kai-Ingo, 2018. "Fortune favors the prepared: How SMEs approach business model innovations in Industry 4.0," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 2-17.
    7. Alexandre Moeuf & Robert Pellerin & Samir Lamouri & Simon Tamayo-Giraldo & Rodolphe Barbaray, 2018. "The industrial management of SMEs in the era of Industry 4.0," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(3), pages 1118-1136, February.
    8. Francisco Liñán & Justin Paul & Alain Fayolle, 2020. "SMEs and entrepreneurship in the era of globalization: advances and theoretical approaches," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 695-703, October.
    9. Miren Estensoro & Miren Larrea, 2016. "Overcoming policy making problems in smart specialization strategies: engaging subregional governments," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(7), pages 1319-1335, July.
    10. Kevin Morgan, 2016. "Collective entrepreneurship: the Basque model of innovation," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(8), pages 1544-1560, August.
    11. Alexandre Moeuf & Samir Lamouri & Robert Pellerin & Simon Tamayo-Giraldo & Estefania Tobon-Valencia & Romain Eburdy, 2020. "Identification of critical success factors, risks and opportunities of Industry 4.0 in SMEs," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(5), pages 1384-1400, March.
    12. Paul, Justin, 2020. "SCOPE framework for SMEs: A new theoretical lens for success and internationalization," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 219-230.
    13. Müller, Julian M. & Buliga, Oana & Voigt, Kai-Ingo, 2021. "The role of absorptive capacity and innovation strategy in the design of industry 4.0 business Models - A comparison between SMEs and large enterprises," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 333-343.
    14. Hendrik S. Birkel & Johannes W. Veile & Julian M. Müller & Evi Hartmann & Kai-Ingo Voigt, 2019. "Development of a Risk Framework for Industry 4.0 in the Context of Sustainability for Established Manufacturers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-27, January.
    15. Scott L. Newbert, 2008. "Value, rareness, competitive advantage, and performance: a conceptual‐level empirical investigation of the resource‐based view of the firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(7), pages 745-768, July.
    16. Guilhem Bascle, 2008. "Controlling for endogeneity with instrumental variables in strategic management research," Post-Print hal-00576795, HAL.
    17. Frank, Alejandro G. & Mendes, Glauco H.S. & Ayala, Néstor F. & Ghezzi, Antonio, 2019. "Servitization and Industry 4.0 convergence in the digital transformation of product firms: A business model innovation perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 341-351.
    18. Sahi, Gurjeet Kaur & Gupta, Mahesh C. & Cheng, T.C.E., 2020. "The effects of strategic orientation on operational ambidexterity: A study of indian SMEs in the industry 4.0 era," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    19. Mikel Navarro Arancegui & Xabier Sabalza Laskurain, 2016. "Reflexiones sobre la Industria 4.0 desde el caso vasco," EKONOMIAZ. Revista vasca de Economía, Gobierno Vasco / Eusko Jaurlaritza / Basque Government, vol. 89(01), pages 142-173.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Muhammad Adeel & Biao Wang & Ji Ke & Israel Muaka Mvitu, 2024. "The Nonlinear Dynamics of CO 2 Emissions in Pakistan: A Comprehensive Analysis of Transportation, Electricity Consumption, and Foreign Direct Investment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-26, December.
    2. Abbasali Hosseinian Dastjerdi & Mustafa Tumer, 2024. "The Effects of Strategic Orientation on Mass Customization Capacity in Iran: The Mediating Role of Intellectual Capital," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(3), pages 21582440241, August.
    3. Magaletti, Nicola & Leogrande, Angelo & Nortarnicola, Valeria & Mariani, Stefano & Di Molfetta, Mauro, 2025. "Integrating IoT, AI, and Data Analytics in Food Machinery Production: A Digital Innovation Model for SMEs," OSF Preprints g7qy2_v1, Center for Open Science.
    4. Mercedes Rubio-Andrés & Santiago Gutiérrez-Broncano & Jorge Linuesa-Langreo & Miguel Ángel Sastre-Castillo, 2025. "Exploring the reality of corporate sustainability strategy and sales performance in entrepreneurial SMEs: the mediating effect of innovation and sustainability performance," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-34, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ricci, Riccardo & Battaglia, Daniele & Neirotti, Paolo, 2021. "External knowledge search, opportunity recognition and industry 4.0 adoption in SMEs," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    2. Yüksel, Hilmi, 2020. "An empirical evaluation of industry 4.0 applications of companies in Turkey: The case of a developing country," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    3. Marino-Romero, Jorge Alberto & Palos-Sánchez, Pedro R. & Velicia-Martín, Félix, 2024. "Evolution of digital transformation in SMEs management through a bibliometric analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    4. Paiola, Marco & Schiavone, Francesco & Khvatova, Tatiana & Grandinetti, Roberto, 2021. "Prior knowledge, industry 4.0 and digital servitization. An inductive framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    5. Cugno, Monica & Castagnoli, Rebecca & Büchi, Giacomo, 2021. "Openness to Industry 4.0 and performance: The impact of barriers and incentives," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    6. Muawia Ramadan & Tariq Amer & Bashir Salah & Mohammed Ruzayqat, 2022. "The Impact of Integration of Industry 4.0 and Internal Organizational Forces on Sustaining Competitive Advantages and Achieving Strategic Objectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-20, May.
    7. Büchi, Giacomo & Cugno, Monica & Castagnoli, Rebecca, 2020. "Smart factory performance and Industry 4.0," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    8. Chatterjee, Sheshadri & Rana, Nripendra P. & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Baabdullah, Abdullah M., 2021. "Understanding AI adoption in manufacturing and production firms using an integrated TAM-TOE model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    9. repec:ehu:cuader:69660 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Benitez, Guilherme Brittes & Ayala, Néstor Fabián & Frank, Alejandro G., 2020. "Industry 4.0 innovation ecosystems: An evolutionary perspective on value cocreation," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    11. Pellegrini, Giustina & de Mattos, Camila Silva & Otter, Verena & Hagelaar, Geoffrey, 2022. "Exploring how EU agri-food SMEs approach technology-driven business model innovation," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 26(3), December.
    12. Rakshit, Sandip & Islam, Nazrul & Mondal, Sandeep & Paul, Tripti, 2022. "Influence of blockchain technology in SME internationalization: Evidence from high-tech SMEs in India," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    13. Eslami, Mohammad H. & Achtenhagen, Leona & Bertsch, Cedric Tobias & Lehmann, Annika, 2023. "Knowledge-sharing across supply chain actors in adopting Industry 4.0 technologies: An exploratory case study within the automotive industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    14. Culot, Giovanna & Orzes, Guido & Sartor, Marco & Nassimbeni, Guido, 2020. "The future of manufacturing: A Delphi-based scenario analysis on Industry 4.0," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    15. Mariani, Marcello & Borghi, Matteo, 2019. "Industry 4.0: A bibliometric review of its managerial intellectual structure and potential evolution in the service industries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    16. Ghobakhloo, Morteza & Asadi, Shahla & Iranmanesh, Mohammad & Foroughi, Behzad & Mubarak, Muhammad Faraz & Yadegaridehkordi, Elaheh, 2023. "Intelligent automation implementation and corporate sustainability performance: The enabling role of corporate social responsibility strategy," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    17. Mauricio Bedoya-Villa & Elkin Pérez-Sánchez & Hugo Baier-Fuentes & Cesar Zapata-Molina & Edith Román-Castaño, 2023. "The Effects of Dynamic Absorptive Capacity on Innovation Strategy: Evidence from SMEs in a Technological Context," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, May.
    18. Malewska, Kamila & Cyfert, Szymon & Chwiłkowska-Kubala, Anna & Mierzejewska, Katrzyna & Szumowski, Witold, 2024. "The missing link between digital transformation and business model innovation in energy SMEs: The role of digital organisational culture," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    19. Ghadimi, Pezhman & Donnelly, Oisin & Sar, Kubra & Wang, Chao & Azadnia, Amir Hossein, 2022. "The successful implementation of industry 4.0 in manufacturing: An analysis and prioritization of risks in Irish industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    20. Ancillai, Chiara & Sabatini, Andrea & Gatti, Marco & Perna, Andrea, 2023. "Digital technology and business model innovation: A systematic literature review and future research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    21. Yao, Nengzhi(Chris) & Bai, Junhong & Yu, Zihao & Guo, Qiaozhe, 2025. "Does AI orientation facilitate operational efficiency? A contingent strategic orientation perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:40:y:2022:i:5:p:778-792. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/115/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.