International Journal of Technology Management & Sustainable Development - Volume 21, Issue 1, 2022

This article aims to understand the relationship between the sources of innovation and types of innovation in industry. The study was carried out in a multinational car components company and explores the effects of internal and external sources of innovation on the generation of product/process and radical/incremental innovations. Data were obtained via a questionnaire and processed by qualitative and quantitative methods. The characterization of the company and its research and development (R&D) projects disclosed the importance of continuous improvement, where the involvement of senior management, the high percentage of R&D and the number of innovation projects are indicators of a company with a strong innovative culture. The results showed that higher education was the most significant source of innovation in projects where only process innovation was a factor. Furthermore, knowledge generated by collaboration with affiliated companies was associated with the introduction of product-only innovations. As for the degree of novelty, the results indicate that the introduction of radical innovations is not determined at the external level by customers.

Smart cities evolved to include citizens as co-creators, while Industry 4.0 envisioned personalized supply chain models arranged according to consumers’ wishes. Both concepts strove to focus on citizens, impacting transport and manufacturing processes, enhancing social development and promoting sustainability. However, it lacks a clear understanding of their influence on each other and related connection points in the literature. This article conducts a rigorous systematic literature review to make an in-depth analysis of the relationship between smart cities and Industry 4.0. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are performed. The connection points found are technology, process, people and planning. Their relationship is almost unanimous. Smart cities are influenced by Industry 4.0. The evidence of smart city influence on Industry 4.0 does not exist separately from that of Industry 4.0 on smart cities. Although several authors smoothly refer to the influence that smart cities may have in the Industry, it lacks a greater understanding. Furthermore, this study develops two lines of discussion based on the findings and advocates the future need to reflect on how the evolution of smart city concept will impact the development of the industry.

Globally, information and communication systems (ICS) are presently impacting every aspect of human activities, given its silent roles in business, learning, entertainment, construction, etc. The technologies have been widely accepted by housing construction industry stakeholders as an impetus for the delivery of adequate housing both in rural and urban neighbourhoods. Though there abound shreds of evidence that ICS play significant roles in the development of all sectors, it remains unidentified how the housing sector in Nigeria is exploiting ICS in its housing delivery processes. This study investigates the roles ICS play in the delivery of adequate housing. It also examines the influence of ICS on adequate housing delivery. The study employs a quantitative research approach using Delphi and survey questionnaire approaches to address the research objectives. A Delphi study was used to determine the influence of the identified elements on the overall adequacy of housing delivery, and the retrieved data were analysed using frequency tables and weighted mean scores. The study reveals that housing construction workers (HCWs) in the study area lack adequate knowledge of the systems; hence, the study recommends that adequate training on ICS usage should be given to HCWs for greater efficiency.

In India, like other developing countries, rural women make generous contributions to the nation’s economy by earning directly or saving money indirectly. This study aims to explore rural women’s economic freedom and socio-economic well-being through various indicators like financial liberty, mobility freedom, family affairs, self-esteem and ownership-related factors. An investigation, in both a qualitative and a quantitative manner, was undertaken. For this purpose, the identification of women from four rural areas of Dehradun district – Mazri Grant, Dhakrani, Chharba and Misraspatti – for data collection and survey was done. A total of 848 women responded to the survey conducted using a combination of random and purposive sampling techniques by being in touch with the pradhan of a particular village. Forty-one per cent of respondents belong to the 18–24 age group category. About 55.2 per cent of respondents were involved in economic activities like farming, stitching, weaving, handicraft, service and nursing and caring. Of that 55.2 per cent, 84.9 per cent women are agreeing to have financial liberty at home. This investigative study reveals a positive relationship between financial liberties and working women, as well as a positive correlation (0.151) between rural women’s interest in art-craft work and mobility freedom. Women inclining towards art-craft have a high self-esteem, which promotes sustainability in their lives through art-craft workmanship. The study’s goals are to identify the rural women’s economic status through identified indicators and to offer recommendation keeping in purview the women’s demography, educational qualifications and available government schemes.