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Top 10 Emerging Technologies in 2025: How Tech Trends Shape 40+ Industries

How are technological innovations impacting the global industry landscape? Uncover the newest advancements in AI, robotics, cloud computing, immersive technologies, 3D printing, and beyond. Learn how these cutting-edge innovations are transforming industries and daily life, heralding a new era in technological evolution.

We live in a fast-paced age full of game-changing innovations. Technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) that create content, computers that use quantum physics, and robots with human-like skills are just the tip of the iceberg. And as we move further into this new reality, it’s crucial for business leaders to understand which emerging technologies and tech trends are the most impactful and will shape our future.

Here is what this extensive report on 10 emerging technologies across 40+ industries will cover:

• Top Tech Trends : We’ll dive into up-and-coming technologies that make business more efficient and productive than ever before.
• Heavy Industries : Think large machinery and equipment.
• Process Industries : Sectors like chemicals and food.
• Light Industries : Areas like electronics and apparel fall here.
• Service Industries : This includes sectors like finance and healthcare.
• The ‘Outliers’ : Some industries like agriculture and packaging don’t fit neatly into any box but are vital players on the global stage.
• Challenges and Ethical Considerations : Explore the hurdles and societal questions arising from new technologies.
• Future Outlook : Discover the anticipated developments and trends in technology.

This article was last updated in August 2024.

Key Takeaways

• Top emerging technology trends are AI, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), big data, advanced analytics, blockchain, cleantech, the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics. Other emerging technology trends include additive manufacturing or 3D printing, connectivity technologies like 5G and LoRaWAN, nanotechnology, wearables, and biometrics.
• Emerging tech in Heavy Industries : 3D printing, cloud computing, and AI have a substantial impact in strengthening the supply chain and improving manufacturing workflows. Asset maintenance, quality control, and remote asset monitoring are the prominent use cases in this segment.
• Emerging tech in Process Industries : They emphasize AI, ML, IoT, and nanotechnology to increase operational efficiency, sustainability, and precision. AI & ML are pivotal in areas like drug discovery and quality control while nanotech delivers high-performance materials for this sector.
• Emerging tech in Light Industries : Technologies like AI, IoT, and 3D Printing are transforming consumer experiences and manufacturing processes. Trend forecasting, connected clothing and smart homes, rapid prototyping, and immersive experiences are major use cases in this sector.
• Emerging tech in Service Industries : This sector leverages technology to personalize customer experiences and enhance customer satisfaction. Primary applications include hyper-personalization, real-time monitoring, transparent transactions, and more.
• Challenges and Ethical Considerations : Compatibility issues with legacy systems and costly upgrades are the major challenges. Safeguarding data privacy and ensuring bias-free technologies is also important.
• Future Outlook : Bridging accessibility gaps of cutting-edge technologies will take center stage. Further, climate-positive practices and human-machine collaboration will evolve.

How We Researched and Where this Data is from

• Analyzed our 100+ industry reports on innovations to gather relevant insights and create a master technology-industry matrix.
• Cross-checked this information with external sources for accuracy.
• Confirm our findings using the trend analysis tool and
• Find emerging tech companies for “Spotlighting an Innovator” sections.

So, let’s look into the future of technology and see how it impacts every industry, big or small.

Top 10 Emerging Technology Trends in 2025 & Beyond

• Artificial Intelligence
• AR & VR
• Big Data & Analytics
• Internet of Things
• Advanced Robotics
• Additive Manufacturing
• Cloud Computing
• Nanotechnology

1. Artificial Intelligence: The Game-Changer for Future Industries

AI has quickly become a cornerstone for the future. How? By bringing smart, automated decision-making into the business world. It allows machines, especially computers, to mimic human-like thinking. This includes learning from data, making logical decisions, and even improving over time.

Noteworthy AI Advancements

• OpenAI’s ChatGPT : Beyond its general conversational abilities, ChatGPT finds B2B applications in customer support automation, content creation, and training simulations, enhancing efficiency and personalization.
• IBM Watson : Leveraging cognitive computing, Watson has been crucial in sectors like healthcare for drug discovery and tailored treatment plans. In finance, it aids in risk assessment and fraud detection.
• UiPath : A leading figure in robotic process automation (RPA), UiPath uses AI to automate monotonous business operations, optimizing sectors like finance, HR, and supply chain.

Financial Forecast

• 2023 : IDC predicts a global AI investment of USD 154 billion.
• A yearly growth of 37.3%.
• AI market value to reach USD 1811,8 billion by 2030.

Spotlighting an Innovator: Parea AI – LLM Development

Parea AI is a US-based startup that offers a developer toolkit allowing engineers to build and optimize LLMs for production use. It enables testing prompts across different cases and defining custom metrics to evaluate performance. Minimal Python and Typescript SDKs provide access to deployed prompts with automatic logging and metadata for debugging, enhancing prompt engineering workflows.

Core Technologies Connected to AI

• Machine Learning (ML) : ML allows systems to learn from data to improve their performance at tasks without being explicitly programmed.
• Neural Networks : By mimicking the human brain, neural networks facilitate deep learning, allowing computers to process and interpret vast datasets.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) : NLP enables machines to understand, interpret, and generate human language, powering chatbots and voice assistants.
• Computer Vision : This technology allows machines to interpret and make decisions based on visual data, finding applications in image recognition and autonomous vehicles.

Discover all trends in AI here .

2. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality: Use Cases beyond Entertainment

AR and VR are not just transforming entertainment; they are revolutionizing business operations. By integrating immersive experiences, businesses enhance training, streamline design processes, and improve customer interactions using AR and VR. While AR introduces digital enhancements to the real-world view, VR immerses users in a completely simulated environment. Together, they are becoming indispensable tools in the B2B landscape.

Noteworthy AR & VR Advancements

• Microsoft HoloLens : Used in industries for training, remote assistance, and design visualization, reducing the need for physical prototypes.
• Varjo VR : Offers high-resolution VR headsets designed for professional use in sectors like aviation for pilot training and automotive design.
• PTC Vuforia : An AR platform for industrial applications, aiding in machine maintenance, factory design, and remote collaboration.
• A yearly growth of 8.97%.
• AR & VR market value to reach USD 62 billion by 2029.

Spotlighting an Innovator: IMMERSIVE HEARING TECHNOLOGIES – Spatial Audio

US-based startup IMMERSIVE HEARING TECHNOLOGIES develops a virtual reality system for hearing aids. It utilizes a proprietary spatial audio rendering algorithm to demonstrate hearing aids to patients in realistic noisy environments. This allows audiologists to place patients in VR simulations of restaurants, churches, or playgrounds, enabling wearers to better understand hearing aid benefits.

Core Technologies Connected to AR and VR

• Computer Vision : Essential for interpreting and interacting with the real world in AR applications, computer vision enables devices to overlay digital information onto the physical world.
• 3D Mapping : This facilitates the creation of three-dimensional models of physical spaces, which is crucial for both AR and VR to create immersive environments.
• Sensors and Cameras : These hardware components are vital for tracking user movements and enabling them to interact with virtual environments.
• Haptic Technology : Novel haptic systems allow users to engage with virtual environments through touch, enhancing the immersive experience.
• Spatial Audio : It provides a three-dimensional audio experience to enhance immersion and deliver a spatially accurate auditory experience.

Explore all trends related to augmented reality and virtual reality .

3. Big Data & Analytics: Transforming Business Insights & Strategy

For businesses today, data is the new currency. Big data and analytics are enabling businesses to translate vast amounts of data into actionable insights and competitive strategies. Through the power of advanced analytics tools, businesses predict market trends, optimize operations, and deliver personalized customer experiences.

Noteworthy Big Data & Analytics Advancements

• Robust Intelligence : Specializes in ensuring the integrity of machine learning (ML) models from conception to deployment by analyzing data in real-time. Through this, it identifies biases, security vulnerabilities, and other potential issues.
• Spotify : Renowned for its Wrapped feature which provides personalized yearly summaries of listening habits to its users. This feature has evolved to include new elements like Audio Day and categorizing users into one of 16 “listening personalities”​.
• Splunk : Known for its solutions that allow searching, monitoring, and analyzing machine-generated big data, in real-time or near real-time.
• 2023 : Yahoo predicts investment in AR and VR will reach USD 40.6 billion.
• A CAGR of around 13.5%​.
• BDA’s market value is to reach USD 745.15 billion by 2030.

Spotlighting an Innovator: Media Hero – Data-driven Marketing

Brazilian company Media Hero delivers data-driven marketing using big data, AI, and machine learning. Its solution collates data from 17K sources to perform sales and brand results analysis. The insights from this analysis allow brands to plan marketing investment budgets based on per platform, per format, and per region criteria.

Core Technologies Connected to Big Data & Analytics

• Distributed Computing : Crucial for handling vast amounts of data, technologies like Hadoop’s MapReduce allow for data processing across multiple machines.
• Data Lakes : Offering a single repository to store structured and unstructured data, data lakes enable businesses to scale their data analytics needs efficiently.
• Predictive Analytics : Using historical data to forecast future trends, predictive analytics aids businesses in market analysis, inventory management, and customer behavior prediction.
• Real-time Analytics : Technologies that process data as it’s generated or collected, allowing businesses to make instant decisions based on live data.

4. Blockchain: Revolutionizing Trust and Transparency

Blockchain, often associated with cryptocurrencies, has far-reaching applications beyond digital currency. As a decentralized ledger of all transactions across a network, blockchain offers unparalleled transparency and security. For businesses, this translates to enhanced trust, traceability, and reduced fraud.

Noteworthy Blockchain Advancements

• Ethereum : Beyond being a cryptocurrency, Ethereum’s platform enables the creation of smart contracts that automate and ensure the transparency of B2B transactions.
• Hyperledger : An umbrella project of open-source blockchains and related tools initiated by the Linux Foundation. It is adopted by various industries for supply chain transparency.
• IBM Blockchain : Catering to businesses, IBM offers solutions ranging from food safety and supply chain transparency to identity verification and fraud prevention.
• 2023 : Fortune Business Insights projects investment of USD 17.57 billion.
• A compound annual growth of 59.9%.
• Blockchain market value to reach USD 469.49 billion.

Spotlighting an Innovator: Trust Hunter – Blockchain Traceability

Peru-based company Trust Hunter utilizes blockchain and smart contracts to enable automated tamper-proof data storage. Its platform tracks processes and registers them immutably on the blockchain, allowing them to be easily traced back to their origin. This solution finds use across industries like agriculture, healthcare, transportation, food, law, and government to bring transparency to the supply chain.

Core Technologies Connected to Blockchain

• Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) : The foundational technology of blockchain, DLT ensures that the data is replicated across all participants to bolster transparency and security.
• Smart Contracts : Self-executing contracts with the terms directly written into lines of code, enabling automatic, trustless transactions.
• Cryptography : Ensures data security and participant anonymity, making transactions tamper-proof.
• Consensus Algorithms : Mechanisms like Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS) that validate and verify transactions on the blockchain.

Read about all blockchain trends here .

5. Clean Tech: Spearheading a Sustainable Business Future

In an era where we all experience the effects of climate change, clean technology solutions emerge as the beacon of hope for a sustainable future. Beyond environmental preservation, it is revolutionizing the B2B landscape by offering efficient, green alternatives that promise both profitability and eco-responsibility.

Noteworthy CleanTech Advancements

• Twelve : Converts carbon dioxide emissions into sustainable jet fuel using its suitcase-sized electrochemical reactor – O12.
• Commonwealth Fusion Systems : Its proprietary fusion reactor uses 10 000 kilometers of high-temperature superconductor tape to generate carbon-free power.
• H2 Green Steel : The company builds a fossil-free electricity-powered giga-scale electrolyzer to generate green hydrogen as a raw material to produce steel.
• 2023 : HolonIQ estimates total investment of USD 36.2 billion.
• 2023-2030 : Statista projects that the CleanTech market will reach a size of USD 600 billion by 2030.

Spotlighting an Innovator: Blue Skies Minerals – Direct Air Capture (DAC)

Canadian startup Blue Skies Minerals develops a Carbonated Tailings process for carbon sequestration. The process uses direct air capture to convert CO2 into a solution that is mixed with mining waste rock, forming carbonate minerals that permanently store carbon. This eliminates metal leaching from mine tailings while providing an environmental benefit. Blue Skies Minerals then sells the resulting carbon credits to companies short of their emission goals.

Core Technologies Connected to CleanTech

• Advanced Material Science : Innovations in material science are crucial for the development of bioplastics, energy-efficient insulations, and new battery chemistries.
• Geospatial Technology : For everything from monitoring deforestation to tracking ice melt and urban heat islands, advanced satellite imagery and geospatial analytics are key.
• Synthetic Biology : This field, combining biology and engineering, is crucial for developments such as lab-grown meat or engineered algae that absorb more CO2.
• IoT and Edge Computing : The integration of Internet of Things devices and edge computing allows for real-time monitoring and management of environmental factors.

Discover all CleanTech and Climate Tech trends.

6. Internet of Things: Connecting the World Seamlessly

The Internet of Things emerges as the fabric binding the physical and digital worlds in today’s hyper-connected age. Seamlessly stitching together devices, people, and processes, IoT is made possible by advancements in connectivity. These technologies are so integral to IoT that they often become synonymous with it.

By embedding sensors and software into everyday objects, IoT transforms them into smart entities to gather, share, and act upon data, often autonomously. This interconnected mesh bridges the gap between data collection and actionable insights, crafting a seamless, interconnected business world.

Noteworthy IoT Advancements

• Cisco : Leads the way to create smart cities with interconnected traffic systems, energy grids, and public services.
• Verizon 5G : Provides ultra wideband 5G networks low-latency mobile edge computing and real-time status monitoring and business intelligence.
• Siemens : Develops end-to-end industrial IoT solutions for data acquisition, catering to the automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, food, power utility industries, and more.
• 2023 : Fortune Business Insights projects a global investment of USD 662.21 billion.
• A yearly growth of 26.1%.
• IoT market size to reach USD 3352.97 billion.

Spotlighting an Innovator: PX5 – IoT Operating System

US-based startup PX5 makes PX5 RTOS – an industrial-grade, real-time operating system that features priority-based preemptive multithreading and synchronization. It allows an unlimited number of threads, mutexes, condition variables, and counting semaphores. All inter-thread communication and synchronization primitives have deterministic, microsecond-level response times.

In addition to standard POSIX thread and synchronization APIs, PX5 extends functionality to allow user-controlled memory allocation and naming for threads, mutexes, and condition variables. This enhanced real-time operating system thus enables highly efficient and customizable implementation of multithreaded systems for IoT devices, industrial mobile, and mobile control units.

Core Technologies Connected to IoT

• Connectivity Technologies : Technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRaWAN, LPWAN, and cellular networks (including 5G) provide the necessary connectivity for data transmission between IoT devices and networks.
• Edge Computing : Edge computing allows data processing closer to where it is generated, reducing latency and bandwidth use. This is particularly useful in IoT settings where real-time processing is crucial.
• Security Technologies : Security technologies, including encryption and authentication, are essential for protecting data privacy and ensuring the integrity and security of IoT systems.
• Application Enablement Platforms (AEPs) : AEPs provide a set of middleware capabilities that empower in building and deploying IoT applications, abstracting the underlying complexities.

Explore the recent IoT trends here .

7. Robotics: Advancing Human Capability

As the lines between human capability and machine efficiency blur, advanced robotics emerges at the intersection. More than mere machines, these robots are imbued with intelligence, adaptability, and precision that reshape industries and redefine operational excellence.

Noteworthy Robotics Advancements

• Boston Dynamics : Creates robots with human- and animal-like dexterity. Their solutions automate inspections, site management, warehousing, and more.
• Kuka Robotics : Develops industrial robots for manufacturing operations such as welding, milling, palletizing, assembly processes​, and more.
• Formic : Offers Robots-as-a-Service by providing factory and warehouse robots to companies on a rental basis, automating welding, case packing, injection molding, and more​.
• 2023 : Mordor Intelligence expects a market size of USD 114.67 billion.
• Yearly growth of up to 35%.
• Market size to reach up to USD 260 billion.

Spotlighting an Innovator: Progressive Robotics – Robot Automation

Progressive Robotics is a Greek company that provides AI-powered software solutions to automate complex packing and palletizing tasks. Its dense packing software allows robots to efficiently organize items without fixtures and supports a range of objects on production lines. The software’s teaching-by-demonstration feature allows robots to learn tasks from a single example. This increases productivity while reducing labor and capital investment needs for small and medium businesses (SMBs).

Core Technologies Connected to Advanced Robotics

• Machine Vision : Enables robots to ‘see’ and interpret their surroundings, essential for tasks ranging from quality inspection to navigation.
• Sensor Fusion : By integrating data from multiple sensors, robots better understand and interact with their environments.
• Deep Learning and Neural Networks : These AI subfields empower robots with capabilities like object recognition, decision-making, and even learning from mistakes.
• Mechatronics : A multidisciplinary field combining mechanical design and electronic control into a unified discipline, essential for the intricate movements and tasks robots perform.
• Cloud Robotics : By leveraging the cloud, robots access vast computational resources, share knowledge with other robots, and benefit from remote processing power.

Explore all top robotics trends here .

8. 3D Printing: Tailoring Tomorrow’s Products, One Layer at a Time

No longer confined to prototyping, 3D printing or additive manufacturing is revolutionizing industries, offering unparalleled customization, and rapidly driving innovation. With its ability to transform digital designs into tangible products, this technology promises accelerated production while reducing waste and catalyzing on-demand manufacturing.

Noteworthy 3D Printing Advancements

• VulcanForms : Uses industrial-scale laser powder bed fusion to manufacture complex, high-value engineered components in serial production.
• Steakholder Foods : 3D prints ready-to-cook cultured meat products by extruding paste materials through a narrow nozzle.
• Sakuu : Leverages multi-material 3D printing to mass produce batteries for agile and modular production while minimizing waste.
• 2023 : CMI Consulting expects a market value of USD 23.7 billion.
• A yearly growth of 24.9%.
• Market value to reach USD 105.99 billion.

Spotlighting an Innovator: a-metal – Affordable Metal 3D Printing

Swiss company a-metal offers a compact and safe entry-level solution for metal 3D printing. Its machine is priced for even small businesses and training institutions to access metal additive manufacturing technology. The printer also features a small footprint to fit in existing workshops while the simple software interface allows operation without expensive experts. This allows for an affordable and user-friendly metal 3D printing solution without compromising process robustness or part quality.

Core Technologies Connected to 3D Printing

• Stereolithography (SLA) : This technique uses UV light to solidify liquid resin layer by layer, suitable for producing highly detailed objects.
• Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) : Melts and extrudes thermoplastic filament, commonly used for prototyping and simple parts.
• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) : Uses lasers to fuse powdered material to create robust and complex structures without the need for support.
• Digital Light Processing (DLP) : Similar to SLA but uses digital light projectors to ensure faster print times.

Read about the top technology trends in 3D printing here .

9. Cloud Computing: Redefining Horizons through the Internet

From startups to Fortune 500 companies, cloud computing has become the backbone of the business ecosystem. Offering flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, this technology allows companies to access and store vast amounts of data without the need for physical IT infrastructure. This, in turn, transforms how businesses operate and compete in the digital age.

Noteworthy Cloud Computing Advancements

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) : Provides compute power, database storage, content delivery, and other functionality to build applications with flexibility, scalability, and reliability.
• Microsoft Azure : Delivers cloud-based analytics in real-time using data warehousing, big data, and machine learning in the cloud.
• IBM Cloud : Builds a hybrid and open cloud platform to deploy pre-configured, customized security controls, distribute workloads, and improve compliance.
• 2023 : Fortune Business Insights anticipates a market value of USD 677.95 billion.
• An annual growth of 18.7%.
• Cloud computing market value to reach USD 1906.7 billion.

Spotlighting an Innovator: XeroCodee – Cloud Infrastructure Management

Indian startup XeroCodee enables developers to easily deploy applications across multi-cloud infrastructures from a single dashboard. Its platform automates infrastructure provisioning and application deployments to save developer time. The platform integrates with common tools like GitHub for continuous integration and delivery. It also allows non-technical founders to rapidly deploy products to market, improving the resilience and scalability of cloud infrastructure.

Core Technologies Connected to Cloud Computing

• Virtualization : At the heart of cloud computing, it allows multiple users to share single physical resources, maximizing efficiency and scalability.
• Cloud Storage Solutions : Tools like Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage enable vast data storage with easy retrieval and durability.
• Cloud Management Platforms : Tools such as RightScale and Scalr offer centralized control over multi-cloud environments, simplifying resource allocation, monitoring, and cost management.
• Cloud Security Solutions : As cloud adoption grows, so does the need for robust security. Such platforms safeguard data and applications in the cloud.

10. Nanotechnology: Harnessing the Power of the Minuscule

Diving deep into the atomic and molecular scale, nanotechnology transforms industries by leveraging the unique properties and behaviors of materials at the nanoscale. This pioneering field revolutionizes everything from medicine to electronics, offering innovations that could reshape the way we live and work.

Noteworthy Nanotechnology Advancements

• Nanoramic Laboratories : Utilizes nanotechnology in electrodes to increase energy density and faster charging times while removing toxic chemicals in battery production.
• Advanced NanoTherapies : Makes a nanoparticle drug delivery platform that releases two synergistic drugs in-tissue long term.
• Sigma Technologies : Develops nanoscale functional layers for use in materials for thermal management, barrier films, performance pigments, and energy storage devices.
• 2023 : Fortune Business Insights forecasts a market size of USD 79.14 billion.
• A yearly growth of 17.8%.
• Market value to reach USD 248.56 billion.

Spotlighting an Innovator: Neptune Nanotechnologies – Bio-Nano Material

Canadian startup Neptune Nanotechnologies manufactures a nano-structured material made from organic ocean waste. Its proprietary technology utilizes chitin nanocrystals found in crab shells to double the strength of materials. Potential applications include biodegradables, adhesives, aerospace composites, 3D printing materials, and biomedical implants.

Core Technologies Connected to Nanotechnology

• Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) : A tool that allows scientists to visualize and manipulate individual atoms, providing an unprecedented understanding of nanoscale materials.
• Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) : A method used to deposit materials one atomic layer at a time, ensuring precise control over nanoscale structures.
• Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) : Enables the growth of highly crystalline films at the atomic level, vital for advanced electronics and optoelectronics.
• Nano-Imprint Lithography : A technique for producing nanoscale patterns, which is essential for the next generation of semiconductor devices.

Explore all nanotechnology trends here .

Impact of Emerging Technologies on 43 Industries Globally

Table of contents, oil and gas, shipbuilding.

• Food and Beverage

Pharmaceuticals

Semiconductor, water & wastewater management, publishing and printing, consumer electronics, medical devices, furniture manufacturing, leather goods, retail and ecommerce, tourism and hospitality, transportation, real estate, biotechnology, smart cities.

Emerging technologies, once part of science fiction, are now at the heart of everyday applications, streamlining operations and unlocking new potentials. In this section, we take a deeper look into the tangible ways these technologies. We’ll explore how they are revolutionizing sectors – be it heavy industries with their large-scale operations or service industries that define modern consumer experiences.

Impact of Emerging Technologies on Heavy Industries

In a world where innovation continually redefines the norm, heavy industries are not exempt from the transformative wave of disruptive technologies. From the sprawling fields of manufacturing to the precise nature of aerospace, technological advances are shaping the way we produce, construct, and operate. Let’s explore how modern tools and methodologies are sculpting a new era for these vital sectors.

• 3D Printing : enables rapid prototyping and on-demand production to reduce waste and inventory.
• IoT : allows real-time equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance for improved asset management, enabling smart factories.
• AI & ML : provides automated quality assurance and process optimization to increase production efficiency.
• Augmented Reality : enhances on-site visualization to accelerate project planning.
• Drones : improve site inspection and topographical mapping for project tracking.
• Robotics : automates labor-intensive tasks to enhance precision and worker safety.
• IoT : enables pipeline and refinery monitoring in real-time to enhance visibility.
• Blockchain : empowers secure and transparent transaction trails for increased efficiency.
• Nanotechnology : improves extraction processes and enables advanced materials for better petroleum processing.
• Smart Grids : ensure efficient and responsive electricity distribution through interconnected systems.
• AI : improves predictive maintenance and demand forecasting accuracy to optimize energy production.
• Cloud Computing : enables centralized data management to improve data access and analytics capabilities.
• AI & ML : drive the advancements in autonomous driving and elevate safety features to enhance road safety.
• Additive Manufacturing : streamlines rapid prototyping and accelerates spare parts production, aiding product development.
• IoT : facilitates vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication to optimize traffic flow.
• Advanced Robotics : replaces humans for exploration in deep-sea and hazardous environments.
• Big Data : delves into geological and operational data to identify promising exploration sites and optimize processes.
• Drones : conduct aerial surveys and map sites from a bird’s-eye view to improve operational visibility.
• AI : fine-tunes energy distribution and maximizes storage efficiency by advancing energy analytics.
• Blockchain : offers a transparent platform for peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading, aiding decentralized energy production.
• Nanotechnology : boosts battery storage capacities for prolonged energy retention.
• 3D Printing : fabricates intricate steel components to accelerate product development while minimizing material waste
• IoT : oversees and refines furnace operations in real-time through remote monitoring to avoid operational disruptions.
• Cloud Computing : enhances supply chain and inventory management efficiency by centralizing data.
• Advanced Robotics : ensures precision in assembly and rigorous quality control required for aerospace equipment.
• AR & VR : modernize pilot training and offer immersive aircraft maintenance simulations to improve safety.
• Nanotechnology : crafts lightweight materials to create flight bodies and increase fuel efficiency.
• IoT : provides real-time insights into rail conditions and traffic to improve infrastructure health and traveler safety.
• AI & ML : forecast maintenance needs for locomotives to prevent breakdowns and improve data analytics.
• Augmented Reality : enables assisted maintenance for efficient on-field repairs and streamlines maintenance tasks.
• Advanced Robotics : revolutionizes tasks like welding and heavy lifting to improve production efficiency.
• 3D Printing : tailors the manufacturing of intricate components on-demand and ensures timely spare parts supply.
• IoT : monitors ship health and calibrates optimal maritime routes in real-time, enhancing ship safety.

Impact of Emerging Technologies on Process Industries

Process industries are known for their role in the production of necessities like chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food products. These sectors, integral to the backbone of global supply chains, are characterized by complex and large-scale production processes. As such, they are prime candidates for the integration of emerging technologies. From artificial intelligence optimizing production lines to IoT devices ensuring real-time monitoring and quality control, the impact of these technologies is far-reaching. Explore how these advancements are streamlining operations and catalyzing a new era in the process industries.

Food & Beverage

• IoT : ensures freshness of food products through real-time monitoring of storage conditions.
• Blockchain : increases ingredient traceability from farm to table with tamper-proof data storage.
• AI & ML : analyzes customer tastes and preferences to guide product development.
• Nanotechnology : innovates with new materials and catalysts for enhancing production and delivering high-performance applications.
• Big Data & Analytics : uses advanced models to analyze material and production data to optimize reaction outcomes and ensure optimal conditions.
• IoT : safely monitors and controls chemical processes to ensure high-quality production processes.
• AI & ML : accelerate drug discovery and craft personalized medicine formulations.
• Blockchain : secures transparent supply chains for medication distribution and counterfeit risk mitigation.
• Advanced Robotics : ensures precision in drug synthesis and packaging, delivering high quality in production.
• Nanotechnology : enhances material properties at the atomic level to expand use cases.
• 3D Printing : facilitates rapid prototyping and testing of novel materials for faster time-to-market.
• IoT : observes material behaviors under diverse conditions to accelerate material design.
• AI : forecasts emerging fashion trends and discerns consumer inclinations to ensure a competitive edge.
• Nanotechnology : engineers wear-resistant fabrics and smart wearables that prioritize wearer comfort.
• IoT : promotes sustainable resource utilization during production through real-time process and equipment monitoring.
• Advanced Robotics : achieves ultra-precision during chip manufacturing to deliver cutting-edge electronics.
• AI & ML : detect faults and maintain stringent quality control throughout the manufacturing process.
• Nanotechnology : pioneers the creation of smaller, more efficient chips for high-performance applications.
• AI : customizes product recommendations after thorough skin analysis.
• Nanotechnology : refines product formulations for enhanced skin absorption.
• Blockchain : verifies the ethical sourcing of ingredients and increases supply chain transparency.
• IoT : monitors water quality and infrastructure in real-time for optimizing processes and resource utilization.
• AI & ML : foresees and manages water usage patterns to identify water-saving opportunities.
• Nanotechnology : enables advanced techniques for water filtration and purification, tackling global water shortage.

Impact of Emerging Technologies on Light Industries

The world of light industries, often associated with everyday products and consumer goods, is undergoing a silent yet profound revolution. These sectors, while differing vastly in products, share a common thread: they cater directly to end consumers. Thus, the stakes are high for innovation, customization, and efficiency. Dive into the myriad ways emerging technologies in businesses are reimagining the fabric of these industries.

• AI : provides customized fashion suggestions and facilitates virtual try-ons.
• 3D Printing : accelerates prototyping of innovative fashion accessories, enabling faster development cycles.
• IoT : integrates sensors into smart clothing to simplify health monitoring and they also track manufacturing processes.
• Augmented Reality : enhances print media with interactive experiences for increased audience engagement.
• Blockchain : ensures secure content distribution and robust digital rights management for businesses.
• AI & ML : automate content curation while tailoring content to personal preferences and improving processes.
• IoT : interlinks devices to create a unified smart home environment, thereby enhancing customer experiences.
• AR & VR : are shaping the future of immersive gaming, content consumption, and even online shopping.
• AI : curates personalized user interactions and supports voice-command operations to improve customer engagement.
• Advanced Robotics : offers precision tools for remote and intricate surgeries, increasing patient safety.
• IoT : facilitates remote patient surveillance by providing real-time health data and thus enabling timely interventions.
• AI & ML : delivers predictive health evaluations based on medical device metrics for prompt medical interventions.
• Augmented Reality : provides virtual furniture placements within actual spaces to reduce cart abandonment.
• 3D Printing : crafts customized furniture parts and accessories as well as enables on-demand furniture manufacturing.
• IoT : improves visibility into furniture manufacturing and integrates with furniture to elevate buyer experience.
• Blockchain : validates the ethical sourcing of leather and enhances supply chain transparency to improve brand trust.
• AI : forecasts design trends and anticipates demand to increase sales.
• Nanotechnology : augments leather with superior durability and resistance to stains, thereby enabling novel product lines.
• 3D Printing : enables tailored jewelry designs and swift prototyping, allowing jewelry brands to make custom designs on demand and quickly.
• AR : offers virtual try-ons and enriches shopping interactions, increasing customer satisfaction.
• Blockchain : certifies the authenticity of gemstones and traces the lineage to improve customer loyalty.

Impact of Emerging Technologies on Service Industries

Service industries, recognized as the pillars of modern economies, are where many individuals directly encounter the benefits of emerging technologies. This arena is marked by its focus on consumer interaction, experience enhancement, and efficient service delivery. In this rapidly evolving environment, emerging technology acts as both a disruptor and an enabler. Let’s explore how these innovations in technology are crafting a renewed vision for each sector within the service industries.

• AI : offers personalized shopping journeys and product suggestions to increase conversion for brands.
• Augmented Reality : facilitates virtual try-ons and delivers immersive product displays for enhanced customer interactions.
• Blockchain : guarantees transparent supply chains and validates product authenticity by leveraging tamper-free data storage.
• Blockchain : provides secure transactions, enforces smart contracts, and enables decentralized finance (DeFi).
• AI & ML : detect fraud, aid in risk mitigation, provide investment perspectives, and advance anti-money laundering (AML).
• Cloud Computing : centralizes financial data to increase efficiency and streamline operations.
• IoT : provides real-time shipment monitoring and adept inventory oversight for improved decision-making.
• AI : enables predictive analytics for optimal routing and demand anticipation, thereby streamlining resource utilization.
• Blockchain : ensures secure and transparent documentation and contractual agreements to increase compliance adherence and customer trust.
• Augmented Reality : showcases interactive tours with detailed overlays to enhance the traveler experience.
• AI : curates personalized travel agendas and delivers virtual concierge assistance, thereby increasing traveler engagement.
• IoT : crafts intelligent hotel spaces tailored for individual guest experiences.
• IoT : connects vehicles and sophisticated traffic control systems to manage traffic in real-time and improve road safety.
• AI & ML : advise on predictive upkeep and real-time travel route enhancement, mitigating traffic congestion.
• Blockchain : secures ticketing processes and offers transparent fare structures for improving the commuter experience.
• Augmented Reality : presents virtual property expeditions and intuitive layout visualizations to deliver enhanced buyer experiences.
• Blockchain : affirms transparent property exchanges and precise ownership archives to increase buyer confidence and, in turn, sales.
• AI : analyzes market predictions and evaluates property worth to drive decision-making for real estate investments.
• AI & ML : assists in disease diagnosis, strategizes treatments, and oversees patient health to deliver high-quality healthcare.
• IoT : enables connected wearables that provide comprehensive health insights and distant patient care, enabling remote patient monitoring (RPM).
• Blockchain : protects and ensures transparency in patient archives to advance medical research and enable secure and easy access to patient data.

Impact of Emerging Technologies on Interdisciplinary Industries

While many industries can be grouped under broad umbrellas like heavy, process, or service industries, some stand out for their distinct nature and influence. These unique sectors often operate at the intersections of traditional categories, wielding the power to shape everything from our daily lives to global paradigms. As technology permeates these sectors, it ushers in a blend of innovations tailored to their specific challenges and opportunities. Here, we spotlight five such industries: Agriculture, Biotech, Packaging, Telecom, and Smart Cities, and delve into the transformative power of emerging technologies within them.

• IoT & Connectivity Technologies : allow farmers to optimize crop growth and livestock care, enabling them to leverage precision farming.
• AI & ML : offer insights for pest identification, yield forecasting, and mechanized harvesting – all improving crop and soil management.
• Drones : capture aerial visuals for meticulous crop scrutiny and enable specified pesticide deployment to optimize input application.
• Nanotechnology : enables targeted drug conveyance mechanisms and refined diagnostics, impacting the pharma and healthcare industries.
• Gene Editing : utilizes CRISPR technology for exact DNA alterations, advancing treatments and investigative studies.
• AI : harvests data-driven discernments for innovative drug discoveries and comprehensive genome mapping.
• 3D Printing : pioneers tailored packaging blueprints and accelerated prototyping, enabling cost-effective personalized packages and accelerated product development.
• Nanotechnology : provides intelligent, enduring packaging substrates for packaging companies to make smart packages.
• IoT : enables ingenious packaging strategies that track product freshness and supervise thermal conditions to ensure optimal storage conditions.
• 5G and Beyond : amplify connectivity velocities and enable instantaneous data exchanges for data-intensive applications like real-time asset monitoring.
• IoT : interlinks innumerable gadgets, setting the foundation for intelligent metropolises and domiciles.
• Cloud Computing : presents scalable frameworks and utilities while reducing IT burden for the dynamic telecommunication landscape.
• IoT & Connectivity Technologies : enable interconnected systems spanning traffic, utilities, and public amenities, improving the safety and quality of living.
• Blockchain : promotes transparent governing paradigms and fortified, decentralized databanks to minimize corruption and ensure inclusive governance.
• AI, Big Data, & Analytics : facilitate urban design and upkeep of communal resources as well as enhance instantaneous civic services with real-time analytics.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations: Navigating the Double-Edged Sword of Disruptive Innovation

While these emerging technologies are driving unprecedented advancements, they simultaneously cast shadows of challenges and ethical dilemmas. Like any powerful tool, these technologies, if wielded without care, present risks that might overshadow their immense benefits. In this section, we dive into the hurdles that stand before us and the ethical quandaries that compel us to ponder the deeper implications of our technological pursuits.

• Integration with Existing Systems : Merging new technologies into current systems often demands substantial adjustments and leads to compatibility issues with legacy systems.
• Skill Gap : As newer technologies emerge, there is a growing demand for skilled professionals. Many industries face the challenge of a skill gap where there aren’t enough qualified individuals to handle novel technologies.
• Security Concerns : The growing number of connected devices increases their vulnerability to cyberattacks and data breaches.
• High Initial Costs : Investing in cutting-edge technology requires a significant financial outlay before any return on investment (ROI) is realized.
• Reliability and Maturity : Not all emerging technologies have been tested at scale, leading to concerns about their reliability and long-term viability.

Ethical Considerations

• Data Privacy : As data becomes the new oil, concerns about who has access to this data, and how it is used, become paramount. Ensuring data privacy and informed consent is crucial.
• Bias and Fairness : AI and machine learning models unintentionally perpetuate biases present in their training data, leading to unfair or discriminatory outcomes.
• Transparency and Accountability : With systems making autonomous decisions, ensuring transparency in how they operate and holding them accountable becomes a significant concern.
• Job Displacement : Technological advancements render certain job roles obsolete, leading to economic and social implications.
• Environmental Impact : While many technologies reduce environmental harm, producing and disposing of tech products have detrimental environmental effects.

Emerging technologies, while holding promise for a brighter, more efficient future, come with their set of challenges and ethical dilemmas. Balancing innovation with responsibility will be the key to ensuring that these technologies benefit society at large without compromising on fundamental values and rights.

The Future Outlook for Emerging Technologies

Emerging technologies stand as the vanguard of a new era by enabling novel tools and profound reshaping of industries, societies, and individual lives. Rooted in the convergence of biotech, infotech, cognitive science, quantum mechanics, and nanotech, these technologies are not just incremental enhancements; they are paradigm shifts. Several themes become evident about the shape and scope of technology of the future:

Ubiquitous Integration

Future technologies won’t stand isolated. They’ll become seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, working in harmony. We’ll see more homes, cars, and entire cities becoming ‘smart’, communicating and operating autonomously to enhance our quality of life.

Hyper-Personalization

Thanks to advances in AI and data analytics, technologies will have a deeper understanding of individual preferences. From healthcare treatments tailored to an individual’s genetic makeup to personalized learning experiences in education, technology will cater to each person’s unique needs and desires.

Sustainable and Ethical Innovations

As environmental and ethical concerns take center stage, future technologies will align more with climate-positive practices. Renewable energy, green transportation, and circular economies will be the pillars of innovation.

Democratization of Technology

Access to technology will become more widespread, breaking down traditional barriers. Innovations in cloud computing and open-source platforms will further ensure that even small enterprises or individuals in remote locations harness the power of high-end technological tools – take ChatGPT and Bard for example.

Emphasis on Human-Machine Collaboration

Rather than replacing humans, future technologies will focus on augmenting human capabilities. Advanced robotics, AI, and augmented reality will work hand-in-hand with humans, leading to symbiotic collaborations where both entities play to their strengths.

Resilience and Security

As our dependence on technology grows, so does the need for robust security measures. Future technologies will not only have to be efficient but also resilient against threats to ensure the safety and security of users and data.

The future, with its amalgamation of challenges and opportunities, beckons us to move forward with hope and caution. As emerging technologies pave the way forward, it’s up to us to harness their potential responsibly and ensure a brighter, more inclusive, and sustainable tomorrow.

To Stay Ahead of the Technology Curve, it’s More Important than ever to be Proactive

Identifying and understanding technological advancements and developments is foundational to navigating the complexities of the business landscape, ensuring both relevance and resilience. However, broad awareness is just the starting point. Each sector faces its unique challenges and opportunities shaped by emerging technologies, and a one-size-fits-all approach does not suffice.

Specialized innovation intelligence platforms are designed to cater to your specific needs and bridge the gap between knowledge and application. Take our AI- and Big Data-powered Discovery Platform , for instance. It covers over 3.7M emerging companies and over 20K tech trends globally – giving you a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the global startup ecosystem. Use it to efficiently identify startups and scaleups, emerging technologies, and tech trends. Explore our Discovery Platform today and be at the forefront of change.

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More From Forbes

Innovation case studies: how companies use technology to solidify a competitive advantage.

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In today’s world, every successful company is a tech company.

It’s become impossible to separate business strategy from technological innovation, so everyone from retailers to health care professionals are investing heavily in tech solutions to help them market, improve offerings and drive business. We’re also living and working in the age of industry overhaul, where tech companies like Yelp, Netflix and Lyft have essentially obliterated longstanding giants like Zagat , Blockbuster  and traditional taxis. The underlying message is clear: Adapt to the digitalization of the workplace or become obsolete.

For many executives, this push to embrace innovation is perplexing due to the constant deluge of exciting new technologies. The U.S. economy grew 2.3% last year , but technology is expensive, and examples abound of companies that went bankrupt because they invested in the wrong technology  --  or the right one but too soon.

Fortunately, early-adoption case studies offer opportunities to gauge the effectiveness of new technologies. The following tech trends are revolutionary, rapidly maturing and have been successfully applied broadly across industries. From these examples, we can all learn how to leverage emerging technology to better serve our employees and customers.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence triggers a substantial amount of both excitement and fear as well as lots of media coverage. It's not a new concept -- the term was originally coined in 1956  --  but developers finally have the processing power and data necessary to train programs to solve organizational problems and optimize efficiencies. In a recent Gartner study , every company surveyed relayed their intention to incorporate AI-driven solutions, with 41% already in the pilot or adoption phase. Machine learning has become increasingly embedded in many new technologies and solutions, delivering in-depth insight into business metrics and improving data-based decision-making.

Consider supply chain management. While even highly seasoned professionals are prone to under- or overstocking, machine-learning forecasting engines apply algorithms and hierarchies to predict future need with exceptional accuracy. Food giant Nestlé uses supply chain forecasting to improve forecasting accuracy on a global level, with more than 447 factories operating in 194 countries. This strategy improved Nestlé’s sales precision by 9%  in Brazil alone.

Meanwhile, Salesforce debuted a CRM solution that uses machine learning to build comprehensive data-based customer profiles, identify crucial touch points and uncover additional sales opportunities. Lowe’s in-store “ LoweBot ” applies sophisticated voice recognition, autonomous movement and machine learning to assist customers, process inventory and search for product or price discrepancies. And SPS Companies, Inc ., a manufacturing and wholesale distributor, has improved talent metrics and completely redefined its employee experience by implementing an AI-based HCM solution that can identify employee pain points in real time. (Full disclosure: SPS Companies, Inc. and First Horizon National Corporation are Ultimate Software customers.)

Careful data analysis is crucial for organizations to truly understand performance. This insight is increasingly valuable when coupled with analytical benchmarking, which allows organizations to compare themselves with their peers and competitors in terms of web traffic, customer churn rate or employee engagement. This industry-specific information helps identify gaps in an organization’s performance and can be leveraged to achieve a competitive advantage.

Additionally, AI is bridging the gap between operational and predictive reporting. Predictive analytics can foresee everything from employee retention to long-term weather patterns, and machine learning continuously and automatically improves predictions with experience.

Boston Medical Center applies predictive analytics to determine staff and room allocation during peak times, optimizing scheduling while improving efficiency and wait times. Netflix applies its own advanced algorithms to predict not only whether certain content will be well-received but also pinpoint exactly which users are likely to enjoy it. And the streaming giant, which has almost single-handedly disrupted the long-standing (and frequently lamented) cable industry, says an astonishing  80% of its viewed content results from their predictive recommended algorithms.

Natural Language Processing

We’re communicating with the digital world in unprecedented ways. AI-based conversational tools have certainly advanced, but when technology relies on artificial language like Java or C++, it’s automatically limited to literal translation. Human language is complex and brimming with subtleties, so there’s ample opportunity for misunderstanding.

In contrast, natural language processing (NLP) solutions learn to speak organically through practice, just like people do. These tools can even discern a wide range of emotions and recognize the differences among anger, frustration and fear.

NLP has limitless potential in the workplace. First Horizon National Corporation , a leading financial services company, uses an NLP-powered solution to deploy open-ended employee surveys, uncovering not only what their employees are saying but how they actually feel . Empowered by these unbiased insights, managers have taken immediate action to enhance the employee experience and improve business performance.

Deloitte recently partnered with Kira Systems to develop NLP models capable of rapidly digesting complex documents and extracting important information for further analysis. This type of solution is likely to have incredible implications for law, finance and other contract-heavy industries.

Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) is also gaining steam, where companies use NLP to track all internal communications, including email, HCM data and collaboration platforms like Slack to identify top performers, locate bottlenecks and even detect fraud. General Motors and Cigna Heath Insurance   are experimenting with ONA in their organizations.

Blockchain is another exciting technology that’s been around for years but is just beginning to garner mainstream attention. While most people associate it with cryptocurrency, blockchain represents a decentralized, encrypted secure system of record, with applications in government, HR and countless other industries.

Shipping companies like Maersk are already experimenting with blockchain to track cargo and discourage tampering, while farmers (and even mega-chains like Walmart) are using the technology to follow and ensure the quality of livestock transactions. Even diamond-makers are following suit.  Everledger has significantly eliminated counterfeiting by registering its diamonds in a blockchain.

What’s Next?

These technologies have incredible implications, and we’re just beginning to see their capabilities. More importantly, we’re just beginning to imagine real-world applications for their use. I challenge leaders everywhere to consider the potential of these burgeoning technologies and the positive impact they could have on their organizations and the future of work.

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Home / Resources / ISACA Journal / Issues / 2021 / Volume 5 / Technology Modernization Digital Transformation Readiness and IT Cost Savings

Case study: technology modernization, digital transformation readiness and it cost savings.

“Digital Distinction” is a major trend for growing, medium-sized organizations, with growth requiring a well-executed digital platform enabled by foresight, leadership and accountability that helps ensure that societal needs are addressed with limited input resources. 1

This digital distinction story was performed with limited resources in a multiservice urban Aboriginal agency (the Agency) providing holistic, culture-based programs and services for Aboriginal children and families. The Agency strives to provide a life of quality, well-being, healing, and self-determination for children and families in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada, urban Aboriginal community by implementing a service model that is culture based and respects the values of Aboriginal people, the extended family and the right to self-determination.

The Agency faced considerable technology challenges at the start of the pandemic-induced lockdowns. The mandatory move to a remote service model stressed the existing IT infrastructure to such an extent that it exposed issues such as network bottlenecks, Wi-Fi interruptions and landline unreliability, all of which compromised the ability of social workers to perform their duties. It had become evident to management that the Agency needed significant digital transformation as part of the journey toward the increasing virtualization of social services and a much-needed modernization of its base IT infrastructure.

To be effective, however, digital transformation must build on an IT foundation that ensures reliable and sustainable outcomes. While IT modernization is a necessary condition for digital transformation readiness, 2 it is not a sufficient condition. Readiness must identify and address all IT operating model gaps 3 before innovation; unfortunately, many organizations undertaking transformation are not ready for innovation. 4

An unprepared organization is likely to see its digital transformations flounder;

…barely one in eight are successful. Even worse, only 3 percent of … 1,733 business executives … report any success at sustaining the change required for successful digital transformation…. 5

Thus, the Agency needed improved digital capabilities to support its growth and to increase its agility in response to the pandemic, so it engaged an experienced digital transformation consultancy with one executive from the group serving in the role of interim chief information officer (CIO).

The CIO title of the 1980s 6 has evolved to become one of vision as part of enterprise strategy, of managing risk as part of enterprise risk and of managing a governed high-performance team to sustain today’s ever more complex IT ecosystems. The modern CIO creates new operating models and helps the organization become data-driven. 7 The CIO takes the organization forward “… in ways that extract the maximum value from the information on hand…to make better decisions, faster” 8 as articulated in the new data strategy.

This case study articulates all the listed requirements of the modern CIO from vision to risk management to creating high performance teams as part of IT operating model modernization. Furthermore, down the road, there will be sufficient material for a future case study to document the path of the organization to achieving fit-for-purpose data for data-driven decision-making and improved reporting efficiency.

THE AGENCY’S INTERIM CIO’S FIRST STEP WAS…TO ESTABLISH THE ORGANIZATION’S CURRENT STATE TO DETERMINE ITS STATE OF READINESS FOR THE REQUIRED DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.

The challenge: assessing the current state.

One cannot create a strategy without knowing the current state. The Agency’s interim CIO’s first step was, therefore, to establish the organization’s current state to determine its state of readiness for the required digital transformation. While tools facilitating readiness include staff surveys, 9 benchmarking and determining the business case for IT change, a survey was selected as the right tool to learn about the organization’s IT challenges (what the users experience), its IT priorities (what the users want fixed first) and its IT value chain performance (how IT creates value for the organization) through the lens of four different levels of stakeholders. The survey was distributed to staff at all levels; the output presented an end-user view of the organization’s current state.

The four key findings from the survey across these categories were:

• The organization’s executives had different perceptions of the frequency of the top IT challenges compared to the rest of the staff complement ( figure 1 ). This could be given that they were more aware of the negative impact of various IT failures on their mandate.
• The frontline staff were the most supportive of prioritizing all of the top items compared to management, who saw the priorities differently ( figure 2 ). This highlights the importance of engaging with people most actively using technology and not to depend only on management feedback for insights in this respect.
• The supervisor level experienced the severity of most of the shortcomings along the IT value chain ( figure 3 ).
• One of the major challenges experienced by end users was that it took too long for IT to fix IT issues, with users perceiving that it was getting worse. The same held for the network; network reliability was decreasing ( figure 4 ).

The fact that the survey highlighted IT challenges such as poor service request and incident management (the service desk item in figure 1 ) is more important than it may seem at first glance. As part of the journey to making IT more approachable and customer-centric, it is important that the service desk works flawlessly, as it is a major driver of staff (customer) satisfaction, which, incidentally, should be a key IT metric for any CIO.

A comparison of the actual ratio with the benchmark ratios above confirmed a historical underinvestment in IT. Reducing underinvestment in IT and addressing the associated risk areas while building future IT capabilities should be high, not only on the CIO’s agenda via IT governance, but on the board’s agenda, given the implications for enterprise governance.

The Solution: Addressing the Priority Current State Shortcomings

As a result of the current state findings, the CIO reconsidered improvements and developments that may impact the entire IT operating model. A restitution strategy was developed to address as many of the identified priority shortcomings as possible in the shortest possible time.

ADDRESSING THE NETWORK SHORTCOMINGS REQUIRED SIGNIFICANT PLANNING AND ACTIVITY, GIVEN THAT THE NETWORK WOULD NEED TO BE MODERNIZED WHILE THE AGENCY WAS STILL PERFORMING ITS MANDATE.

Restitution is about partnerships, though, another modern CIO imperative. Non-IT senior leaders are just as accountable for decisions and the delivery of ongoing IT services. 12 In other words, restitution is an organizational challenge rather than only an IT challenge, a fact that impacted the nature of the stakeholders identified to oversee the initiative. The more a CIO engages in stakeholder relationships with the goal of forging partnerships, the more effective the broad diversity of IT initiatives within the CIO’s portfolio must almost automatically become.

In this case, restitution was performed in 1) a technology stream and 2) an IT governance stream. (A data governance stream was also recently introduced but will not be explored further here.) The relationship between the CIO and IT governance took a major leap forward a decade ago when it was explicitly considered in South Africa’s King III code for corporate governance. 13 However, more than five years later, the focus still tended to be on the use of IT in regulation and compliance, 14 rather than being about the organizational performance and value creation mechanism it is meant to be.

Aligned with digital transformation principles, specifically around the operating model readiness, 15 restitution was not only about technology, but also about other important components of the organization’s operating model, such as people, process and governance.

Technology Stream

From the current state analysis, the Agency’s legacy technology landscape suffered extended maintenance, support, integration, security, and agility risk and constraints. Technology modernization projects ( figure 5 ) were identified for the Agency to address these issues while also addressing most of the user-defined IT priorities identified in the survey.

One of the CIO’s primary objectives was to measure the benefits of each IT intervention, whether they be through enhanced activity, cost savings, risk mitigation or potentially even revenue generation. Cost and activity benefits, where the interventions are complete, are highlighted for the various interventions the Agency undertook.

Network Remediation The annual operating cost of the Agency’s new network is 48 percent of the cost of the old network—savings driven largely by deploying a modern network technology with standardizing network devices using a modern network protocol.

The old network had nonstandard devices that were unmaintained, outdated with no active support, not configured according to industry best practices and had no redundancy. Furthermore, it suffered bottlenecks, single points of failure and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, with costly management implications.

Addressing the network shortcomings required significant planning and activity, given that the network would need to be modernized while the Agency was still performing its mandate. It involved an initial network discovery process that, for example, identified Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, the devices linked to the IP addresses, the functions and roles of various servers, the portfolio of critical applications, and network-based processes that needed to be mapped out and well understood. Backout plans and vendor escalation processes were created. Replacing more than 50 switches and several firewalls within a 36-hour window was challenging, especially for a new network topology in an overall process that took up to a year when including the planning and vendor identification/selection processes.

Network remediation addressed technical cybersecurity vulnerabilities, fault tolerance and failover readiness with redundancy. It also provided greater bandwidth, scalability and manageability, with Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) technology proving to be more secure and providing higher performance compared to the Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology it replaced. While bandwidth demand tripled during the pandemic, it was all reliably and seamlessly accommodated within the new network architecture.

Strategically, the organization seeks to share its IT environment with smaller social services agencies that might be insufficiently funded to develop appropriately functional IT platforms. The Platform as a Service (PaaS) aspiration required a network architecture designed to handle traffic at scale and the recognition that an additional network engineer would be needed to bring this aspiration to life.

Human Productivity Tools The annual operating cost of the Agency’s new human productivity tools (HPTs) is 39 percent of the cost of the old HPTs.

The old portfolio of HPTs was a disparate set of vendor solutions that were difficult to support, offered relatively little functionality, challenged the implementation of integrated security, and were costly to manage.

A key consideration was to ensure that all data stayed within Canada. A hybrid approach was followed leveraging Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) with Azure that allowed for failover from on-premises to the cloud, while moving all users’ mailboxes and enabling the additional functionality into production. This parallel process took six months from planning and vendor identification to deployment.

The Agency’s new Software as a Service (SaaS) HPT offered vast improvements in functionality across multiple end-user devices, such as facilitating engagement and teamwork; application interoperability; and facilitating a single approach to cybersecurity by means of integrated identity and access management. This deployment is a critical lever for successful digital transformation given benefits such as performance, scalability, security, and reliable and integrated support from the vendor. 16

Case Management A single case management system to integrate the agency’s two case management systems was identified ( figure 5 ). Two systems were deployed as a means to address the data collection shortcomings in each. To address this, a thorough business requirements document (BRD) will be created to facilitate a request for proposal (RFP) process to identify whether an integrated case management tool is available. (This will not be discussed further as it is a separate, significantly larger project that has only recently been instantiated.)

Document Management A document and content management system— coupled with appropriate workflows and governance—was needed to manage the intranet; perform as a repository for digitized, historical paper-based case files; perform document management; and provide a basis for operational metadata management and the organization’s data dictionary. A feasible tool and functionality was included in the software package provided for the HPT stream, coming in as a cost saving relative to the next best alternative. A decision was taken to use this tool given this cost benefit. A configuration and deployment plan was not yet in place at the time of writing.

Incident Management An incident management tool had been deployed at the Agency but without supporting processes or governance. There was no ticket escalation process, no ticket auto-allocation process and no feedback loop to the requester that a ticket had been received. The following were established as part of the Agency’s IT department’s emerging ITIL- alignment aspirations to improve incident management performance:

• Defined incident management processes
• Defined incident management responsibilities
• Feedback loops with workflows
• Service-level agreement (SLA)-driven ticket auto-escalation

The operational impact of these changes is evident in figure 6 . Within seven months after implementation and as the subject of continuous improvement during that time and beyond, the average ticket closing time had decreased from 34 days to three days according to the system logs, and the average ticket assignment time had decreased from 140 minutes to nine minutes according to the same logs. There are further initiatives to use more of the functionality of the selected tool in the future.

Additional service desk functionality deployed at the Agency includes IT asset management and a configuration management database.

THE ANNUAL OPERATING COST OF THE AGENCY’S NEW MONITORING AND PATCHING SYSTEM IS 30 PERCENT OF THE COST OF THE OLD VENDOR SOLUTION.

Monitoring and Patching System The annual operating cost of the Agency’s new monitoring and patching system is 30 percent of the cost of the old vendor solution.

Driven by continuity risk factors such as poor outage monitoring and alerting, poor device monitoring, and poor vendor responsiveness, as well as cybersecurity risk factors such as poor patching, the Agency sought and deployed a tool to fulfill these requirements with remote management capability.

The technology was selected based on a review of this specific technology landscape according to various IT research organizations. Then, deploying the monitoring tool required making changes to the firewall to allow agents to communicate. Furthermore, a cache server was set up to reduce the bandwidth implications of all the computers in the Agency requiring similar updates, thereby reducing the possibility of network congestion. Planning, vendor identification and deployment took less than three months.

Cloud The annual operating cost of the Agency’s new cloud data center is 45 percent of the cost of the on-premises data center, driven by the higher support and equipment costs of maintaining an on-premises environment.

THE ANNUAL OPERATING COST OF THE AGENCY’S NEW CLOUD DATA CENTER IS 45 PERCENT OF THE COST OF THE ON-PREMISES DATA CENTER.

The Agency had historically entered into a five-year contract for its data center, with further expenditure required for power to eight servers, hosting facilities and equipment, an uninterruptible power supply, and management time for maintenance and management. The risk of the data center being an operational bottleneck was considerable. The real push for a work-in-progress cloud migration was driven by the pandemic.

The selection of the cloud vendor was based on a review of the findings by various IT research organizations and the need to ensure interoperability between the various tools that were about to be deployed in the cloud. For the software tools, a primary driver was the effectiveness of the solution to serve well in a Software as a Service (SaaS) paradigm, which will be the foundation for the type of incremental transformational functionality envisaged as a strategic driver of future IT at the Agency.

Configuring a cloud infrastructure requires configuration activities such as subscribing to the services, creating virtual machine(s), the virtual private network (VPN) and the VPN gateway. Additional services that were migrated to the cloud or deployed to the cloud include the HPTs, the monitoring and patching services, and the mail system. The planning, vendor identification and deployment was performed within four months.

The operational, scale and cost advantages of the cloud at a stated availability of 99.999 percent were implemented as a desirable alternative to on-premises services, given that the modern CIO’s role is to create an environment that facilitates on-demand technology and related services. 17 The potential of this migration for future Platform as a Service (PaaS) services, virtual computing, storage and on-demand functionality positions the organization well for an enhanced digital future.

Telephony Telephony depends on a stable network, and the organization is now ready to address its telephony shortcomings. An architecture and plan to migrate between the current state and the proposed state for telephony is being developed, with the major goals being scalability as part of the PaaS vision for the organization and redundancy, given, the always- on requirement of child welfare services.

Financial Summary IT underinvestment introduces significant risk and inefficiencies into an organization. The technology modernization stream not only addressed technology risk at the Agency, it also eliminated architectural inefficiencies and high-cost structures, as demonstrated by the annual cost savings achieved ( figure 7 ).

While cost savings of up to 13 percent are expected in technology modernization, 18 savings of 18 percent were realized.

IT Governance Stream

IT governance ensures that IT produces the value expected of it. While IT governance was introduced as a mechanism for CIO oversight of the technology deployments, less tangible activities were also established by means of the IT governance stream to help establish a vision for IT, to reduce IT risk and to extend the people capabilities of the IT department.

The following sections detail the measures taken to help ensure reduced-risk value delivery from IT.

Policies and Processes Procedural and cybersecurity-related updates were made to the Agency’s IT policy. Processes were also co-created with human resources (HR) (e.g., onboarding, offboarding) and with operations (e.g., IT-facilitated process design for the handling of all possibilities of incoming telephone calls) to ensure that handovers to IT and back to HR and operations were clear, and that people had been identified in the process to accept handovers.

If an operational process needs engagement with IT, operations must co-design the process with IT to manage expectations and to reduce operational risk. Failing to do this will result in failed processes, given no awareness or clarity of IT’s role in the process.

AS A RISK CONTROL, A PASSWORD VAULT WAS CREATED FOR ALL APPLICATION AND SYSTEM PASSWORDS, SUPPORTED BY A PROCESS THAT COULD BE ACCESSED BY THE EXECUTIVE TEAM IN AN EMERGENCY.

Risk Management Risk management is a key pillar of effective IT governance. Together with policies and procedures as a critical part of effective risk management, 19 IT implemented a risk management process—Identify, Assess, Respond, Control, Monitor—with a living risk register as a monitoring and communication tool as a means to help minimize potentially negative differences between expected IT outcomes and the actual IT outcomes. The process emphasized assigning responsibility for a risk control at the point where risk is realized. Periodic IT governance meetings were established as a means to monitor changes in IT environment risk and to monitor the effectiveness of the risk controls.

Key administrator passwords held in people’s heads was a major operational and sustainability risk. As a risk control, a password vault was created for all application and system passwords, supported by a process that could be accessed by the executive team in an emergency.

Structure and People People are the most critical part of IT because they determine whether something is done well. To effect and to sustain digital transformation, IT staff must have digital mindsets; 20 be inclined to testing and learning, innovation, and agility; 21 have diverse technology knowledge, deep data skills, rich process skills, and end-to-end mindsets that includes teamwork, courage, and change management. 22

Sustainable digital transformation, thus, requires “t- shaped” people—staff with deep knowledge of their areas of expertise and broad knowledge that they can apply to solve the types of new problems that emerge under transformation. 23 T-shaped people are especially important in small IT teams, where broad knowledge overlap mitigates the continuity risk of a small staff complement.

Digital transformation demands agility—people fluidly structuring around problems or challenges in cross-functional teams 24, 25 rather than constrained within traditional organizational structures. Compromising on IT competence has been described as a subtle and even a dangerous issue in digital transformation. 26

“Build the organization,” “run the organization” and “transform the organization” 27 was adopted as the IT structure paradigm. Bespoke definitions for “run the organization” and “build the organization” were developed to define their purpose and scope for the organization ( figure 8 ).

While the Agency’s IT organization managed day-to-day operations (run) and performed technology modernization projects (build) like those in figure 8 , it had unsustainable transformation. Given the organization’s growth and expansion aspirations, “transform the organization” was established as a full-time role, and an experienced leader was recruited to focus on strategy and architecture to help define the organization’s broader digital capabilities.

Strategy and Architecture The current state of the Agency was such that it had no clear IT strategy and no clear IT architecture. Many different applications had been acquired from a wide variety of vendors over time to serve specific point purposes but with no consideration for aspects such as architectural fit, integrated cybersecurity management and interoperability. The historical approach to IT tended to be tactical, with no consideration of how the tactical deployments would impact the Agency’s overall IT risk profile.

While this worked reasonably well in a low-stress IT environment, the diverse flaws in the approach quickly became apparent at the start of the pandemic—especially to end users who suffered service interruptions—when network volumes escalated significantly under work-from-home orders.

All interventions documented in the Technology Stream section were part of a significantly more architected approach—specifically around cybersecurity and interoperability—that included business cases as part of the supporting documentation and a comparison with next-best technology alternatives.

THE HISTORICAL APPROACH TO IT TENDED TO BE TACTICAL, WITH NO CONSIDERATION OF HOW THE TACTICAL DEPLOYMENTS WOULD IMPACT THE AGENCY’S OVERALL IT RISK PROFILE.

It is useful to note that unarchitected IT is a primary driver of technology debt; 28 an unwelcome gift to current IT management from former IT management as experienced in the Agency’s current IT state. While appropriate IT vendor diversity should be supported in the interest of good IT risk management, this should occur within a strategically architected framework. IT strategy and IT architecture can sustainably reduce IT risk and improve business continuity.

Data Governance Stream Digital transformation consumes data and produces more data that not only serves general reporting and decision-making, but also potentially serves government policy direction. While data were not initially identified as a problem at the Agency, a data strategy has been developed in response to some data issues identified ( figure 9 ), and in line with a vision for data for the organization. (The data strategy will not be covered further in this case study beyond the limited discussion that follows.)

CIOs strive for data consistency, data availability, information resource control and information flow visibility. 29 Not addressing data challenges results in delayed and/or incorrect data-driven decision- making and productivity compromises, and incurs unnecessary IT effort to resolve issues arising from bad data.

As a first step toward addressing data challenges, the Agency articulated its unique perspective of the drivers of a data culture as an output of a facilitated workshop series. Some of the behavioral considerations include:

• Mistrust about what data could communicate; could they show performance levels that are lower than perceived?
• That data have not been seen as something that can add value
• That data are removed from the people whose lives they represent
• That data capture is only seen as a necessary part of getting the job done, rather than as a vital part of the data value chain
• That data are not seen as distinct from IT, with operational and strategic best practices distinct from those applicable to data

It is important that ways to address these behavioral considerations are included in the organization’s data strategy. The implementation of the cultural aspect is an overarching workstream for the data work that needs to be performed over the upcoming years to create an environment rich in fit- for-purpose data. Overall, IT culture is the single greatest risk—and, therefore, critical success factor (CSF)—not only for IT governance, 30 but possibly for data governance, too.

Key Results and Benefits

As outlined, successful digital transformation requires the barriers to an effective digital strategy—processes, technology, people and governance, in that order 31 —to be addressed. Without a sound IT operating model foundation, digital transformation will exacerbate IT operating model shortcomings with predictable consequences. Figure 10 summarizes the major IT outcomes achieved. Note that the column “Technology and/or Governance Intervention” in the figure refers to the relevant item in the Technology Stream section or the Governance Stream section.

Figure 10 item 10 refers to technical cybersecurity vulnerabilities. However, the Desjardins breach in Canada 32, 33 is a shocking reminder of the scale of breach possible in the presence of even the best technological responses. People vulnerabilities are, thus, addressed through the newly established SOC at the Agency, mandated to address people matters such as cybersecurity training and to perform vendor due diligence. This closes the loop on the cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified as part of the network remediation workstream.

Other noteworthy outcomes include digital forms with workflows for efficient forms processing compared to paper forms, and improved secure video conferencing.

What Is Next?

With many of the primary activities in figure 10 having been achieved in six months across nearly 20 regional sites, there is still more work to do, with some of the major considerations being:

• Telephony, as discussed
• Case management, as discussed
• Laptop standardization, all staff
• Addressing stable and reliable power
• Modernizing the data infrastructure as the foundation required for the implementation of an organizationwide data strategy

DIGITAL DISTINCTION’ AND COST SAVINGS WERE ACHIEVED WITH LIMITED RESOURCES IN A LIMITED TIMEFRAME, AN UNUSUAL ACHIEVEMENT IRRESPECTIVE OF ORGANIZATION SIZE OR RESOURCES.

Of these, the data infrastructure will likely be the highest cost future intervention. This will require not only technology, but a full data operating model to support the growing day-to-day requirements for data and reporting in the organization. From a CIO perspective, formally aligned organizational strategy and IT strategy interventions ultimately help minimize digital strategy execution gaps, 34 the difference between what an organization aspires to achieve strategically, and what it actually achieves.

Organizations trust the CIO to ensure that the technology ecosystem is a functional and reliable enabler of the organization’s operations. 35 This means that the role has significant fiduciary responsibilities requiring high performing, t-shaped people. Digital transformation needs executive support and visibility, and credit is due to the head of the organization, the head of finance and administration, and the head of human resources (HR) for their encouragement during some of the darkest hours of this process. Thanks are due also to the extraordinary performance of a small, but mighty and highly motivated IT team willing to go so significantly beyond the extra mile for months on end.

This case study details the types of CIO leadership needed for digital transformation readiness and technology modernization, aligned with an approach published in ISACA ® Journal . 36 “Digital distinction” and cost savings were achieved with limited resources in a limited timeframe, an unusual achievement irrespective of organization size or resources. The organization is now positioned to increasingly redirect IT spend from operations to digital innovation 37 as reward for its courageous efforts.

1 El Tarabishy, A.; “The Top 10 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Trends for 2021,” International Council for Small Business, 6 July 2020, https://icsb.org/toptrends2021 2 Avanade, “IT Modernization: Critical to Digital Transformation,” March 2017, https://www.avanade.com/-/media/asset/white-paper/avanade-it-modernization-whitepaper.pdf 3 Pearce, G.; “Digital Transformation Governance: What Boards Must Know,” Governance Institute of Australia, vol. 72, no. 5, 2020, https://www.governanceinstitute.com.au/resources/governance-directions/volume-72-number-5/digital-transformation-governance-what-boards-must-know/ 4 Bendor-Samuel, P.; “Four Guidelines for Success in Innovation in Digital Transformation,” Forbes , 23 July 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterbendorsamuel/2019/07/23/four-guidelines-for-success-in-innovation-in-digital-transformation/#61401a511aa9 5 Pearce, G.; “Attaining Digital Transformation Readiness,” ISACA ® Journal , vol. 1, 2020, https://www.isaca.org/archives 6 Rivier University Nashua, New Hampshire, USA, “The Growing Importance of a CIO in Today’s Evolving Business World,” Boston Business Journal , 16 March 2020, https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2020/03/16/the-growing-importance-of-a-cio-in-today-s.html 7 Op cit McLaughlin 8 Op cit Rivier University 9 Ibid. 10 Morley, L.; “How Much Should a Company Spend on IT?,” Techvera, https://blog.techvera.com/company-it-spend 11 Avasant Research; “IT Spending as a Percentage of Revenue by Industry, Company Size, and Region,” Computer Economics , https://www.computereconomics.com/article.cfm?id=2626 12 CIO Journal , “The Role of Senior Leaders in IT Governance,” The Wall Street Journal , 22 June 2015, https://deloitte.wsj.com/articles/the-role-of-senior-leaders-in-it-governance-1434945783?tesla=y 13 IT Governance Network; “The CIO and IT Governance,” https://www.itgovernance.co.za/3/index.php/general-articles/176-the-cio-and-it-governance 14 De Haes, S.; A. Joshi; T. Huygh; S. Jansen; Board Level IT Governance Research Project , Antwerp Management School, Belgium, September 2016, https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/be/pdf/2018/05/Corporate_Governance_Codes_and_Digital_leadership.pdf 15 Op cit Pearce, “Attaining Digital Transformation Readiness” 16 Sharma, A.; “Application Modernization: One of the Critical Levers of Digital Transformation,” CIO , 30 July 2020, https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/strategy-and-management/application-modernization-one-of-the-critical-levers-of-digital-transformation/77253867 17 Dogan, C.; From the Basement to the Cloud: The Role of the CIO Over Four Decades , Deloitte Consulting, USA, 2018, https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ar/Documents/technology/THE-ROLE-OF-THE-CIO-OVERF-OUR-DECADES.pdf 18 Op cit Avanade 19 Amadei, L.; “Why Policies and Procedures Matter,” Risk Management , 1 November 2016, http://www.rmmagazine.com/2016/11/01/why-policies-and-procedures-matter/ 20 Op cit Dogan 21 Annacone, A.; “The Four Types of Digital Transformation,” TechNexus on Linkedin, 19 June 2019, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/4-types-digital-transformation-andrew-annacone/ 22 Davenport, T. H.; T. C. Redman; “Digital Transformation Comes Down to Talent in Four Key Areas,” Harvard Business Review , 21 May 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/05/digital-transformation-comes-down-to-talent-in-4-key-areas 23 Rowles, D.; T. Brown; Building Digital Culture , Kogan Page, United Kingdom, 2017 24 Ghosh, A.; “Digital Transformation of the Workplace,” India Inc., 19 November 2020, https://indiaincgroup.com/digital-transformation-of-the-workplace/ 25 Penfold, P.; “HR Strategies That Help Digital Transformation Succeed,” People Matters, 22 November 2019, https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/hr-technology/hr-strategies-that-help-digital-transformation-succeed-23829 26 Op cit Rowles and Brown 27 Apptio, IT Financial Metrics Primer , USA, https://dsimg.ubm-us.net/envelope/151893/296392/1390318118_WP_-_Apptio_IT_Financial_Metrics_Primer.pdf 28 Dalal, V.; R. Patenge; K. Krishnakanthan; “Tech Debt: Reclaiming Tech Equity,” McKinsey Digital, 6 October 2020, https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/tech-debt-reclaiming-tech-equity# 29 Op cit Dogan 30 Pearce, G.; “The Sheer Gravity of Underestimating Culture as an IT Governance Risk,” ISACA Journal , vol. 3, 2019, https://www.isaca.org/archives 31 Op cit Pearce, “Attaining Digital Transformation Readiness” 32 The Canadian Press, “Desjardins Says Employee Who Stole Personal Data Also Accessed Credit Card Info,” BNN Bloomberg, 10 December 2019, https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/desjardins-says-employee-who-stole-personal-data-also-accessed-credit-card-info-1.1360652 33 The Canadian Press, “Series of Gaps Allowed Massive Desjardins Data Breach, Privacy Watchdog Says,” CTV News, 14 December 2020, https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/series-of-gaps-allowed-massive-desjardins-data-breach-privacy-watchdog-says-1.5230179 34 Pearce, G.; “Digital Governance: Closing the Digital Strategy Execution Gap,” ISACA Journal , vol. 2, 2020, https://www.isaca.org/archives 35 Edelman, D. J.; “CIO in Focus: A Global Study,” USA, 2020, https://www.edelman.com/expertise/technology/cio-in-focus 36 Op cit Pearce, “Attaining Digital Transformation Readiness” 37 Halfteck, D.; “Six Steps to Ensure IT Readiness to Drive Digital Transformation,” Access IT Automation, 16 May 2019

Guy Pearce, CGEIT, CDPSE

Has served on governance boards in banking, financial services and a not-for-profit, and as chief executive officer (CEO) of a financial services organization. He has taken an active role in digital transformation since 1999, experiences that led him to create a digital transformation course for the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (Ontario, Canada) in 2019. Consulting in digital transformation and governance, Pearce shares more than a decade of experience in data governance and IT governance as an author and as a speaker. He was awarded the ISACA® 2019 Michael Cangemi Best Author award for contributions to IT governance, and he is chief digital officer and chief data officer at Convergence.Tech.

Richard Fullerton, AWS CSA, ITIL, MCAAA, VCP-DCV

Is the IT manager at Native Child and Family Services of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is a solutions-oriented IT professional with more than 20 years of experience in the organization and delivery of end-to-end IT projects involving data migrations, server upgrades and configurations, and enterprise-scale software and hardware installations. His areas of expertise include cloud (AWS, Azure, Office 365), virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V, Citrix), and identity and access management. Fullerton is an experienced technical team leader in matrix organizations. He is the recipient of multiple Distinguished Service and Project Leadership awards, and the recipient of a Service Excellence award.

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How to Avoid the Ethical Nightmares of Emerging Technology

• Reid Blackman

Next-generation technologies are poised to cause society-shaking shifts at unprecedented speed and scale. Generative AI, quantum computing, blockchain, and other technologies present novel ethical problems that “business as usual” just can’t handle. To meet these challenges, leaders need to do something different: They must talk about ethics in direct, clear terms, and they must not only define their ethical nightmares but also explain how they’re going to prevent them. To prepare for the ethical challenges ahead, companies need to ensure their senior leaders understand these technologies and are aligned on the ethical risks, perform a gap and feasibility analysis, build a strategy, and implement it. All of this requires an important shift from thinking of our digital ethical nightmares as a technology problem to a leadership problem.

A framework for navigating the worst of what AI, quantum computing, and other new technologies could create.

Facebook, which was created in 2004, amassed 100 million users in just four and a half years. The speed and scale of its growth was unprecedented. Before anyone had a chance to understand the problems the social media network could cause, it had grown into an entrenched behemoth.

In 2015, the platform’s role in violating citizens’ privacy and its potential for political manipulation was exposed by the Cambridge Analytica scandal . Around the same time, in Myanmar, the social network amplified disinformation and calls for violence against the Rohingya, an ethnic minority in the country, which culminated in a genocide that began in 2016. In 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that Instagram, which had been acquired by Facebook in 2012, had conducted research showing that the app was toxic to the mental health of teenage girls.

• Reid Blackman , PhD is the author of Ethical Machines (Harvard Business Review Press, 2022). As the founder and CEO of Virtue, an AI ethical risk consultancy, he and his team work with companies to design, implement, scale, and maintain AI ethical and regulatory risk programs. His work has been profiled by The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, CNN, Fox News, and Forbes. Reid also advises the government of Canada on their federal AI regulations, has been an external senior adviser to the Deloitte AI Institute, and served on Ernst & Young’s external AI Advisory Board.

Defenders of Facebook say that these impacts were unintended and unforeseeable. Critics claim that, instead of moving fast and breaking things, social media companies should have proactively avoided ethical catastrophe. But both sides agree that new technologies can give rise to ethical nightmares, and that should make business leaders — and society — very, very nervous.

We are at the beginning of another technological revolution, this time with generative AI — models that can produce text, images, and more. It took just two months for OpenAI’s ChatGPT to pass 100 million users. Within six months of its launch, Microsoft released ChatGPT-powered Bing; Google demoed its latest large language model (LLM), Bard; and Meta released LLaMA. ChatGPT-5 will likely be here before we know it. And unlike social media, which remains largely centralized, this technology is already in the hands of thousands of people. Researchers at Stanford recreated ChatGPT for about $600 and made their model, called Alpaca, open-source. By early April, more than 2,400 people had made their own versions of it.

While generative AI has our attention right now, other technologies coming down the pike promise to be just as disruptive. Quantum computing will make today’s data crunching look like kindergarteners counting on their fingers. Blockchain technologies are being developed well beyond the narrow application of cryptocurrency. Augmented and virtual reality, robotics, gene editing, and too many others to discuss in detail also have the potential to reshape the world for good or ill.

Ethics in the Age of AI: Series reprint

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If precedent serves, the companies ushering these technologies into the world will take a “let’s just see how this goes” approach. History also suggests this will be bad for the unsuspecting test subjects: the general public. It’s hard not to worry that, alongside the benefits they’ll offer, the leaps in technology will come with a raft of societal-level harm that we’ll spend the next 20-plus years trying to undo.

It’s time for a new approach. Companies that develop these technologies need to ask: “How do we develop, apply, and monitor them in ways that avoid worst-case scenarios?” And companies that procure these technologies and, in some cases, customize them (as businesses are doing now with ChatGPT) face an equally daunting challenge: “How do we design and deploy them in a way that keeps people (and our brand) safe?”

In this article, I will try to convince you of three things: First, that businesses need to explicitly identify the risks posed by these new technologies as ethical risks or, better still, as potential ethical nightmares . Ethical nightmares aren’t subjective. Systemic violations of privacy, the spread of democracy-undermining misinformation, and serving inappropriate content to children are on everyone’s “that’s terrible” list. I don’t care which end of the political spectrum your company falls on — if you’re Patagonia or Hobby Lobby — these are our ethical nightmares.

Second, that by virtue of how these technologies work — what makes them tick — the likelihood of realizing ethical and reputational risks has massively increased.

Third, that business leaders are ultimately responsible for this work, not technologists, data scientists, engineers, coders, or mathematicians. Senior executives are the ones who determine what gets created, how it gets created, and how carefully or recklessly it is deployed and monitored.

These technologies introduce daunting possibilities, but the challenge of facing them isn’t that complicated: Leaders need to articulate their worst-case scenarios — their ethical nightmares — and explain how they will prevent them. The first step is to get comfortable talking about ethics.

Business Leaders Can’t Be Afraid to Say “Ethics”

After 20 years in academia, 10 of them spent researching, teaching, and publishing on ethics, I attended my first nonacademic conference in 2018. It was sponsored by a Fortune 50 financial services company, and the theme was “sustainability.” Having taught courses on environmental ethics, I thought it would be interesting to see how corporations think about their responsibilities vis-à-vis their environmental impacts. When I got there, I found presentations on educating women around the globe, lifting people out of poverty, and contributing to the mental and physical health of all. Few were talking about the environment.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that in the corporate and nonprofit worlds, “sustainability” doesn’t mean “practices that don’t destroy the environment for future generations.” Instead it means “practices in pursuit of ethical goals” and an assertion that those practices promote the bottom line. As for why businesses didn’t simply say “ethics,” I couldn’t understand.

This behavior — of replacing the word “ethics” with some other, less precise term — is widespread. There’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, which boils down to investing in companies that avoid ethical risks (emissions, diversity, political actions, and the like) on the theory that those practices protect profits. Some companies claim to be “values driven,” “mission driven,” or “purpose driven,” but these monikers rarely have anything to do with ethics. “Customer obsessed” and “innovation” aren’t ethical values; a purpose or mission can be completely amoral (putting immoral to the side). So-called “stakeholder capitalism” is capitalism tempered by a vague commitment to the welfare of unidentified stakeholders (as though stakeholder interests do not conflict). Finally, the world of AI ethics has grown tremendously over the last five years or so. Corporations heard the call, “We want AI ethics!” Their distorted response is, “Yes, we, too, are for responsible AI!”

Ethical challenges don’t disappear via semantic legerdemain. We need to name our problems accurately if we are to address them effectively. Does sustainability advise against using personal data for the purposes of targeted marketing? When does using a black box model violate ESG criteria? What happens if your mission of connecting people also happens to connect white nationalists?

Betul C. Czerkawski 1 *

CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp. 309-321

https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6110

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Emerging technologies do not necessarily facilitate or advance learning processes; teaching strategies that are used in the learning process, integration and incorporation methods do. In online instruction, research shows that “effective distance education depends on the provision of pedagogical excellence” (Bernard et al., 2004, p.413). From this perspective, a case study was conducted as a means of preliminary evaluation in a graduate program so that the effectiveness of emerging technologies and their impact on student learning could be understood. The article starts with a description of a case where emerging technologies are integrated throughout the curriculum of an online educational technology master’s program. It then discusses concerns related to the integration practices and whether these practices are in line with the foundational pillars of educational technology as described by Spector (2012). Finally, a set of suggestions are proposed for those graduate programs incorporating emerging technologies in online learning on a regular basis. The analysis of this case study would benefit others in two major ways. First, faculty members can conceptualize emerging technology integration using a recent framework. Second, such a conceptualization would set the stage for deeper analysis of learning effectiveness and program evaluation.

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Focus on emerging economies 

The content is rich in diverse perspectives, so far, we have published cases from 76 different countries 

Engage students with real-world examples 

• We publish cases from small-to-medium enterprises through to large multinationals to more accurately reflect the working environment a student is likely to face
• Regular virtual issues to highlight cases in hot topics and emerging trends.    

Subject coverage

Providing a window into the business and management landscape of emerging economies, you will find coverage on the following subjects: 

• Accounting and finance
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• Human resources
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• Public sector management
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• Managing in a crisis: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis

Peer-review

• All cases within EMCS go through a double-blind peer-review process
• EMCS content is indexed in Scopus 

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1 access models.

Subscribe:  A 2021 subscription to EMCS includes perpetual access to content published during your subscription period, plus complimentary access to content back to 2011.

Purchase:  Individual yearly volumes from 2011-2020.

2 Classroom use

Unlimited classroom use throughout your institution. Each Emerald-owned case study has been tested in the classroom before its publication allowing authors to revise elements based on classroom discussions and outputs.

3 Teaching notes

Each case is accompanied by a teaching note or Instructor’s manual. This is made available only to faculty members. It outlines the key learning objectives and target audience. This helps teachers plan how to best use the case which in turn facilitates a dynamic discussion and help students develop analytical and critical thinking skills.  

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• Dr Michael Goldman Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco & Adjunct Faculty at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria [email protected]

Associate Editor

• Dr Virginia Bodolica The Said. T. Khoury Chair of Leadership Studies, American University of Sharjah, UAE  -  United Arab Emirates
• Kerryn Krige Chief Technical Advisor at International Labour Organisation, South Africa
• Professor Andrée Lopez-Fernandez Panamerican University, Mexico
• Dr Farzana Quoquab Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
• Professor Vasant Sivaraman S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, India
• Professor Martin Spraggon Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, UAE
• Professor William x. Wei MacEwan University, Canada
• Gabi Rundle Emerald Group Publishing Ltd [email protected]

Journal Editorial Office (For queries related to pre-acceptance)

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Editorial Advisory Board

• Isaac Abereijo Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
• Ramana Acharyulu Indus Business Academy, India
• Maria Ballesteros-Sola California State University Channel Islands, USA
• Rebecca Beeman Geffner Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange, Morocco
• Claire Beswick University of the Witwatersrand Business School, South Africa
• Sanjay Choudhari IIM Indore, India
• A. K. Dey Birla Institute of Management Technology, India
• Beatrice Dimba Strathmore University, Kenya
• Abiodun Elijah Obayelu Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria
• Mansour Esmaeil Zaei Technology Transfer Centre of the University of Warsaw, Poland
• Surajit Ghosh Dastidar IMT Hyderabad, India
• Gurram Gopal Illinois Institute of Technology, USA
• Amber Gul Rashid IBA, Pakistan
• Bruce Hanson Concordia University, USA
• Nancy Huyen Nguyen Independent Scholar, Thailand
• Amarpreet K Singh Ghura Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, India
• Ram Kakani XLRI - Xavier School of Management, India
• Renuka Kamath S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, India
• Dimitri Kapelianis University of New Mexico  -  USA
• Stephen Ko The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
• Amitabh Kodwani Indian Institute of Management Indore, India
• Saroj Koul Jindal Global Business School, India
• Eric Lau City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• Lung-Tan Lu Fo Guang University, Taiwan
• Ainulashikin Marzuki Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Malaysia
• Mahmoud Moussa RMIT University College of Business, Australia
• Jadranka Mrsik UACS Institute for Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development, Macedonia
• Meenakshi Nagarajan NIILM CMS, India
• Louis Nzegwu University of Wisconsin Platteville, USA
• Rudra P. Pradhan Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India
• V Padhmanabhan Goa Institute of Management, India
• Jacob Park Green Mountain College, USA
• Rafael Perez-Uribe Universidad EAN, Colombia
• Anandan Pillai Associate Director, Performics.Resultrix, India
• Sanjeev Prashar Indian Institute of Management Raipur, India
• Olimpia Racela Mahidol University, Thailand
• Srividya Raghavan Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Hyderabad, India
• Shalini Rahul Tiwari Institute of Management Technology, India
• Lukman Raimi American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria
• Prashant Raman FMS – WISDOM, India
• Veena Rao Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India
• Parag Rastogi Management Development Institute, India
• Pável Reyes-Mercado Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte, Mexico
• Raghunath Rudran T A Pai Management Institute, India
• Stuti Saxena Central University of Haryana School of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, India
• Davinder Singh BML Munjal University, India
• Surabhi Singh IMS Ghaziabad, India
• Lavanchawee Sujarittanonta Silpakorn University International College, Thailand
• Anna Svirina Kazan National Research Technical University, Russian Federation
• Thavorn Thitthongkam The Catholic University of New Spain, Florida, USA
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• Tatjana Vasiljeva RISEBA University. Latvia
• Apoorva Vikrant Kulkarni Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India
• Rodrigo Villalobos Araya Universidad Tecnológica de Chile INACAP, Chile

Submission to the collection must include a Teaching Case Study and associated teaching note. Please ensure that you have met the following quality criteria before submission.

These guidelines are also available to  download in Spanish

Your Teaching Case Study should:

• Describe the actions of a well-developed central protagonist character that is facing a management decision.
• Present a complex and compelling management decision-making dilemma for students to analyse.
• Be logically structured, with sufficient discussion of important business contexts and issues.
• Be written in the past tense, use an engaging case narrative style, and does not contain any language errors.

See our  case study writing guide  for further information.  

Your teaching note should:

• Include an appropriate synopsis describing the context of the case, the dilemma being faced, and the discipline the case is relevant for.
• Detail a set of teaching objectives appropriate for the stated target audience.
• Provide a research methods section that details the types of data used to develop the case.
• Include a 90-minute multi-media teaching plan, including suggested classroom facilitation questions and activities.
• Include a set of assignment questions that align with the teaching objectives, and relate to the dilemma being faced in the case.
• Use recent literature, theory, or research findings to analyse the case study and provide model answers to the assignment questions.

See our  teaching note writing guide  and  EMCS teaching note template  

Review process

Each teaching case has to pass an initial screening and, if judged suitable for publication in the collection, is sent to an appropriate editorial board member for review.

Teaching cases submitted for publication should not have been published before in their current or substantially similar form, or be under consideration for publication with any ISSN/ ISBN registered publication. Please see Emerald’s originality guidelines for details. Authors submitting teaching cases for publication warrant that the work is not an infringement of any existing copyright and will indemnify the publisher against any breach of such warranty. For ease of dissemination and to ensure proper policing of use, papers and contributions become the legal copyright of the publisher unless otherwise agreed. The editor may make use of iThenticate software for checking the originality of submissions received.

Permissions

Prior to teaching case submission, authors must clear permission to use any content that has not been created by them. Failure to do so may lead to lengthy delays in publication. Emerald is unable to publish any content which has permissions outstanding. The rights that Emerald require evidence of clearance for, are:

• Non-exclusive rights to reproduce the material.
• Print and electronic rights.
• Worldwide English language rights.
• To use the material for the life of the work (i.e., there should be no time restrictions on the re-use of material, e.g., a one-year licence).

When reproducing tables, figures, or excerpts from another source, it is expected that:

• Authors obtain the necessary written permission in advance from any third party owners of copyright for the use in print and electronic formats of any of their text, illustrations, graphics, or other material, in their manuscript. Permission must also be cleared for any minor adaptations of any work not created by them.
• If an author significantly adapts any material, the author must inform the copyright holder of the original work.
• Authors obtain any proof of consent statements.
• Authors must always acknowledge the source in figure captions and refer to the source in the reference list.
• Authors should not assume that any content which is freely available on the web is free to use. Authors should check the website for details of the copyright holder to seek permission for re-use.

Emerald is a member of the STM Association and participates in the reciprocal free exchange of material with other STM members. This may mean that in some cases, authors do not need to clear permission for re-use of content. If so, please highlight this upon submission. For more information and additional help, please follow the Permissions for your Manuscript guide.

Consent to publish – release form

All teaching cases submitted for review must include appropriate signed permissions from case Protagonists, e.g., CEO; company directors or any employee given authority by the organization; or the person or persons under review, granting full permission to publish the case. Written permission must also be obtained if you include any material for which someone other than yourself or the case subject/protagonist, owns the copyright. Please see Permissions section above for more detail. Please refer to Emerald’s  Consent to publish – Release Form  as an example of the required release form.

Defamation / Libel

If inaccurate, unsubstantiated, or emotive statements are made about organizations or people in a submitted case, Emerald reserves the right to request changes to the text from the author or to reject the case prior to publication.

Critiques and reviews of organizations, products, and services are acceptable but comments must be constructive and must not:

• Expose groups or individuals to hatred, ridicule or contempt;
• Cause them to be shunned or avoided;
• Lower them in the estimation of right-thinking members of society generally;
• Disparage them in their business, trade, office, or profession.

Emerald Literati Network Editing Service

The Emerald Literati Network can recommend, via our Editing Service, a number of freelance copy editors, all themselves experienced authors, to contributors who wish to improve the standard of English in their paper before submission. This is particularly useful for those whose first language is not English.

Final Submission

Authors should note that proofs are not supplied prior to publication. The manuscript will be considered to be the definitive version of the teaching case. Therefore, any requests for changes after the final submission will not be granted. The author must ensure that the final submission is complete, grammatically correct and without spelling or typographical errors.

Manuscript Requirements

Please format your teaching case before submission, using the following guidelines:

Format : All files should be submitted as Word documents.

Case Study Length : Case studies should be between 5,000 and 7,000 words in length, excluding exhibits, endnote references, and supplementary materials.

Case Study Title : A title of not more than eight words should be provided, which typically includes the name of the case organization.

Teaching Notes:  All case studies must include teaching notes including sufficient discussion and assignment questions. For more guidance, please see How to Write a Teaching Note.

Case Study Title Page :  A Case Study Title Page  should be submitted alongside each individual submission. This should include: Case Study Title; Author Details (see below); Acknowledgements; Author Biographies; Structured Abstract (see below); and Keywords (see below).

Author Details : Details should be supplied on the Case Study Title Page including:

• Full names of each author.
• Affiliations of each author, including job title(s).
• Where more than one author has contributed to the teaching case, details of who should be contacted for correspondence.
• E-mail address of the corresponding author.
• Brief professional biography of each author (optional, no longer than 60 words).
• Subject Code (choose one from a list of twelve).

Structured Abstract : Authors must write a structured abstract on the Case Study Title Page, structured under the sub-headings below (see our How to... write an abstract guide for practical help and guidance):

• Subject area of the teaching case.
• Student level (e.g., BA level) and proposed courses the teaching case can be used on.
• Brief overview of the teaching case.
• Expected learning outcomes.
• List of supplementary materials (must include teaching notes)

Structured abstracts must not exceed 250 words in length (including keywords).

Keywords : Please provide between two and twelve keywords on the Case Study Title Page. These should encapsulate the principal topics of the paper.

Whilst we will endeavour to use submitted keywords in the published version, all keywords are subject to approval by Emerald’s in house editorial team and may be replaced by a corresponding term to ensure consistency.

Headings:  Headings must be concise, with a clear indication of the distinction between the hierarchy of headings.

The preferred format is for first level headings to be presented in bold format and subsequent sub-headings to be presented in medium italics.

Endnotes : Endnotes should be used to reference secondary sources in the case and must be identified in the text by consecutive numbers, and be listed at the end of the case document.

Footnotes : Footnotes should be used only if absolutely necessary and must be identified in the text by consecutive numbers, and be listed at the bottom of the relevant page.

Figures : All Figures (charts, diagrams, line drawings, web pages/screenshots, and photographic images) should be submitted in an electronic format.

All Figures should be of high quality, legible and numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals (1,2,3, etc.). Graphics may be supplied in colour to facilitate their appearance on the online database.

•  Figures created in MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel and Illustrator should be supplied in their native formats. Figures created in other applications should be copied from the Version: 0.3 Revised: 15 December 2011 Issued by: Sarah Kennedy origination software and pasted into a blank MS Word document or saved and imported into an MS Word document. Alternatively, create a PDF file from the origination software.
• Figures which cannot be supplied as above are acceptable in the following standard image formats: .pdf, .ai, and .eps. If you are unable to supply graphics in these formats then please ensure they are .tif, .jpeg, or .bmp at a resolution of at least 300dpi and at least 10cm wide.
• To prepare web pages/screenshots simultaneously press the ‘Alt’ and ‘Print screen‘ keys on the keyboard, open a blank Microsoft Word document and simultaneously press ‘Ctrl’ and ‘V’ to paste the image. (Capture all the contents/ windows on the computer screen to paste into MS Word, by simultaneously pressing ‘Ctrl’ and ‘Print screen’.)
• Photographic images should be submitted electronically and be of high quality. They should be saved as .tif or .jpeg files at a resolution of at least 300dpi and at least 10cm wide. Digital camera settings should be set at the highest resolution/quality possible.
• Figures and tables should be introduced within the body of the text with appropriate callouts, e.g.:

"The results of the data analysis show that the UK has experienced a continual, albeit not continuous, population increase from 1901-2001(see Table I).

Following on from these data…”

“The results of the data analysis, detailed in Table I, show that the UK has experienced a continual, albeit not continuous, population increase from 1901-2001. Following on from these data…”

• Sources for tables and figures must be appropriately referenced in the References section.

Tables : Tables should be typed and included in a separate file to the main teaching case. The position of each table (as for figures above) should be clearly labelled in the body text of the teaching case, with corresponding labels being clearly shown in the separate file. Ensure that any superscripts or asterisks are shown next to the relevant items and have corresponding explanations displayed as footnotes to the table, figure, or plate.

References : References to other publications must be in APA 6th Edition reference style and carefully checked for completeness, accuracy, and consistency. References to secondary sources in the case and literature in the teaching note should be indicated with endnotes, with the sources referenced in APA as endnotes at the end of the relevant document.

The Submission process

Submit to Emerging Markets Case Studies

Submissions to Emerging Markets Case Studies are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts, the online submission and peer review system. Registration and access is available at  http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/eemcs   Full information and guidance on using ScholarOne Manuscripts is available at the Emerald ScholarOne Manuscripts Support Centre:  http://msc.emeraldinsight.com

Registering on ScholarOne Manuscripts

Firstly, you must create an account on the manuscript submission site:

• Go to  http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/eemcs
• Click on ‘Register here’.
• Follow the on-screen instructions, filling in the requested details before proceeding.
• Your username will be your email address; your password must be at least 8 characters in length, two or more of which must be numbers.
• Click ‘Finish’ to create your account. You can now login to the manuscript submission site (see below).

Note : You will need to create an author account to submit your teaching case, even if you already have an account with another journal on ScholarOne Manuscripts. You can however use the same username and password.

Submitting a Teaching Case on ScholarOne Manuscripts

• Login to the manuscript submission site at  http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/eemcs  with your username and password (see above). This will take you to the Welcome page. (To consult the Author Guidelines, click on ‘Home Page’ in the ‘Resources’ column.)
• Click on the ‘Author Centre’ button. Click on ‘Submit a manuscript’, which will take you to the Manuscript Submission page.
• Enter all the information required and click ‘Browse’ to locate your file and select it for upload. Repeat this step for all files in your submission (e.g., figures, teaching notes).
• Review the files uploaded and click ‘Save and continue’.
• When all required sections are completed, preview your PDF proof
• Click ‘Submit’ and then ‘OK’ to submit your files.

On acceptance of your teaching case, you will be directed to complete a copyright assignment form. Please ensure that this is completed in full for each contributing author, including full name, email address and full, international postal address

Emerald are pleased to pay authors £100 (GBP), or the equivalent currency, upon publication of their case study in EMCS. We believe this is an important step in recognising the contributions our authors make and hope this will continue to improve the quality and quantity of EMCS cases.

On publication of a case, authors will be sent an invoice to complete and return and the payment will be made once the EMCS publisher has received this. The £100 payment can be split between authors as required. 

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Analyzing the Industry 5. Adoption Barriers in the Pharmaceutical Sector Using an Integrated Fuzzy MCDM Methodology: A Case Study Application for Turkey

• Conference paper
• First Online: 30 August 2024
• Cite this conference paper

• Ayça Maden 15  

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 1089))

Included in the following conference series:

• International Conference on Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems

Industry 5.0, emerging as a response to the mechanistic approach of Industry 4.0, seeks to integrate human-centric perspectives with advanced technologies to address global challenges. This transformative concept is reshaping sectors like pharmaceuticals, introducing novel manufacturing paradigms to meet evolving consumer demands. However, the pharmaceutical industry faces adoption barriers hindering its transition to Industry 5.0. This study analyses these barriers within the Turkish pharmaceutical sector using an integrated MCDM methodology. As a result of evaluations obtained from decision-makers, the use of fuzzy numbers was deemed necessary in this study. A key focus of this study involves applying the Fuzzy DEMATEL method to ascertain the significance of critical Industry 5.0 barriers. Additionally, the research expands its analysis by employing the EDAS method to prioritize the functions within a specific company. The EDAS method yielded the following ranking for the functions of the company: manufacturing, regulatory affairs, research and development, quality control and assurance, and sales and marketing. This research contributes to advancing Industry 5.0 implementation strategies, fostering innovation, and enhancing competitiveness within the pharmaceutical sector.

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Dwivedi, A., Agrawal, D., Jha, A., Mathiyazhagan, K.: Studying the interactions among industry 5.0 and circular supply chain: towards attaining sustainable development. Comput. Ind. Eng. 176 , 108927 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2022.108927

Sharma, M., Sehrawat, R., Luthra, S., Daim, T., Bakry, D.: Moving towards industry 5.0 in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector: challenges and solutions for Germany. In: IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, pp. 1–18 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2022.3143466

Abdel-Basset, M., Mohamed, R., Chang, V.: A multi-criteria decision-making framework to evaluate the impact of industry 5.0 technologies: case study, lessons learned, challenges and future directions. Inf. Syst. Front. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-024-10472-3

Wu, W.W., Lee, Y.T.: Developing global managers’ competencies using the fuzzy DEMATEL method. Expert Syst. Appl. 32 (2), 499–507 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2005.12.005

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Ghorabaee, M.K., Zavadskas, E.K., Olfat, L., Turskis, Z.: Multi-criteria inventory classification using a new method of evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS). Informatica 26 (3), 435–451 (2015). https://doi.org/10.15388/Informatica.2015.57

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Beykent University, Istanbul, Turkey

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Correspondence to Ayça Maden .

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Department of Industrial Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Türkiye

Cengiz Kahraman

Sezi Cevik Onar

Department of Industrial Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Besiktas, Istanbul, Türkiye

Selcuk Cebi

Department of Industrial Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Besiktas, Istanbul, Türkiye

Basar Oztaysi

Department of Industrial Engineering, Galatasaray University, Istanbul, Türkiye

A. Cagrı Tolga

Irem Ucal Sari

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Maden, A. (2024). Analyzing the Industry 5. Adoption Barriers in the Pharmaceutical Sector Using an Integrated Fuzzy MCDM Methodology: A Case Study Application for Turkey. In: Kahraman, C., Cevik Onar, S., Cebi, S., Oztaysi, B., Tolga, A.C., Ucal Sari, I. (eds) Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems. INFUS 2024. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 1089. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67195-1_2

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Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

At michigan state university, user community focuses on the future of the field and fostering a diverse and equitable workforce.

The 2024 Low Energy Community Meeting (LECM) took place 7-9 August on the campus of the University of Tennessee Knoxville. LECM brings together members of the worldwide low-energy nuclear physics community to interact and discuss future plans, initiatives, and instruments. Over the course of the three days, 250 participants attended the meeting from 65 institutions and eight countries.

The LECM organizing committee includes representatives from FRIB, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), the Association for Research at University Nuclear Accelerators (ARUNA), the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS), the Center for Nuclear Astrophysics across Messengers (CeNAM), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the FRIB Theory Alliance (FRIB-TA), and the FRIB Users Organization Executive Committee. FRIB hosted the meeting last year, and ORNL hosted this year. Texas A&M University will host next year.

LECM included plenary sessions, four working group sessions, and four workshops: Modular Neutron Array (MoNA) collaboration, Fission studies with rare isotope beams, early careers, and public engagement. 

The LECM plenary sessions featured presentations from the FRIB Achievement Awards for Early Career Researchers; a presentation on diversity and inclusion; Kairos Power’s Hermes demonstration reactor; and comments from representatives from the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. The meeting highlighted the status at major user facilities—FRIB, ATLAS, and ARUNA.

The 2024 LECM affirmation and resolutions stated:

Affirmation: Our community affirms in the strongest possible terms its commitment to foster a diverse and equitable workforce and to support and respect diversity in all its forms. Individually and collectively we commit to ensuring an inclusive and accessible environment for all and taking action if these values are not being upheld.

Resolution 1: The highest priority for low-energy nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics research is to maintain U.S. world leadership in nuclear science by capitalizing on recent investments. To this end, we strongly support: 

• Robust theoretical and experimental research programs and the development and retention of a diverse and equitable workforce; 
• The optimal operation of the FRIB and ATLAS national user facilities;
• Investments in the ARUNA facilities, and key national laboratory facilities; 
• The FRIB Theory Alliance and all its initiatives.

All are critical to fully realize the scientific potential of the field and foster future breakthroughs.

Resolution 2: The science case for an energy upgrade of FRIB to 400 MeV/u is compelling. FRIB400 greatly expands the opportunities in the field. We strongly endorse starting the upgrade during the upcoming Long Range Plan period to harness its significant discovery potential. We support instrument developments, including the FDS and ISLA, now that GRETA and HRS are underway. These community devices are important to realize the full scope of scientific opportunities

Resolution 3: Computing is essential to advance all fields of nuclear science. We strongly support enhancing opportunities in computational nuclear science to accelerate discoveries and maintain U.S. leadership by: 

• Strengthening programs and partnerships to ensure the efficient utilization of new high-performance computing (HPC) hardware and new capabilities and approaches offered by artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and quantum computing (QC); 
• Establishing programs that support the education, training of, and professional pathways for a diverse and multidisciplinary workforce with cross-disciplinary collaborations in HPC, AI/ML, and QC; 
• Expanding access to dedicated hardware and resources for HPC and new emerging computational technologies, as well as capacity computing essential for many research efforts.

Resolution 4: Research centers are important for low-energy nuclear science. They facilitate strong national and international communications and collaborations across disciplines and across theory and experiment. Interdisciplinary centers are particularly essential for nuclear astrophysics to seize new scientific opportunities in this area. We strongly endorse a nuclear astrophysics center that builds on the success of JINA, fulfills this vital role, and propels innovation in the multi-messenger era.

Resolution 5: Nuclear data play an essential role in all facets of nuclear science. Access to reliable, complete and up-to-date nuclear structure and reaction data is crucial for the fundamental nuclear physics research enterprise, as well as for the successes of applied missions in the areas of defense and security, nuclear energy, space exploration, isotope production, and medical applications. It is thus imperative to maintain an effective US role in the stewardship of nuclear data. 

• We endorse support for the compilation, evaluation, dissemination and preservation of nuclear data and efforts to build a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce that maintains reliable and up-to-date nuclear databases through national and international partnerships. 
• We recommend prioritizing opportunities that enhance the prompt availability and quality of nuclear data and its utility for propelling scientific progress in nuclear structure, reactions and astrophysics and other fundamental physics research programs.
• We endorse identifying interagency-supported crosscutting opportunities for nuclear data with other programs, that enrich the utility of nuclear data in both science and society.

The community also presented a statement on isotopes and applications:

Applied Nuclear Science offers many tangible benefits to the United States and to the world. The Low Energy Nuclear Physics Community recognizes the societal importance of applied research, and strongly encourages support for this exciting and growing field with funding and beam time allocations that enable critical discovery science that will improve our lives and make us all safer.

Rare isotopes are necessary for research and innovation and must be available.