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Scholars have been conducting serious research mainstream on the human, organizational and cultural aspects of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for more than three decades. The current globalization is faced by the challenge to meet the continuously growing worldwide demand for capital and consumer goods by simultaneously ensuring a sustainable evolvement of human existence in its social, environmental and economic dimensions. Currently, a new era of M&A is emerging through a wave of strategic investment decision-making toward Industry 4.0 (I4.0) strategy. The new waves of M&A can be viewed as comprehensive integration of manufacturing systems, production processes, digital communications technologies and automated machines. I4.0 strategy will make supply chains and production processes more interconnected, efficient and flexible, allowing mass-customization and virtual production. This chapter offers state of the art review of I4.0 based on recent developments in research and practice. This chapter offers an overview of opportunities and challenges associated with M&A activities toward I4.0, and suggestions for future research.

The impact of rapidly developing technologies on digitalization of production and planning has affected all sectors in a short period. This impact has led to both positive and negative outcomes. While it is helping the decision-makers to make better and more productive choices, it also can create a cluster of information and data that can put an undue burden on processes. Today, we call this Industry 4.0, which is defined as the use of digital technologies, based on data processing, the end-to-end connection of value chains, and ensuring data fluidity. Industry 4.0 consists of technologies such as cyber-physical systems, internet of things, cloud computing, big data and analysis, autonomous vehicles, and augmented reality. With the digitalization of the entire production and planning processes, data-based applications are made; thus it is important to protect data in this context, pointing to the critical importance of cybersecurity. Companies are constantly working on taking the necessary cybersecurity measures to prevent exposure to any cyberattacks. One of the biggest steps toward the development of production and planning is undoubtedly the integration and adaptation of blockchain technology. The use of blockchain technologies has been a major breakthrough for the sector in order to effectively meet customer needs, ensure information security, reduce costs, and achieve rapid growth. With digital transformation, production and planning must comply with the principle of transparency. In this context, integrating blockchain technologies into the production and planning ecology for data security will provide companies with a serious competitive advantage.

This study aims to evaluate the potential of using the components of the quadruple helix and quintuple helix models, which are extensions of the triple helix university-private sector-public sector cooperation model. Thus, the triple helix model shaped by university-private-public sector cooperation has transformed into a quadruple helix innovation model with the inclusion of the media and culture-oriented public helix. In this context, while the triple helix emphasizes tripartite networks and hybrid organizations, the quadruple helix system focuses on intertwined collaborations, coevolution, and specialization within the framework of firms, institutions, and stakeholders. In the quadruple helix innovation system, the coevolution of art and innovation has assumed a central role in knowledge generation and innovation. In the quintuple helix innovation model, the natural environment of society is added to the quadruple helix. This study consists of three parts. In the first part, the literature on triple helix, quadruple helix, and quintuple helix models is reviewed. In the second part, digital transformation and technological innovations from Industrial Revolution 1.0 to Industry 5.0 are analyzed. In the third section, the contribution of the quintuple helix model to Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0 is explained.

In many security domains, the ‘human in the system’ is often a critical line of defence in identifying, preventing and responding to any threats (Saikayasit, Stedmon, & Lawson, 2015). Traditionally, such security domains are often focussed on mainstream public safety within crowded spaces and border controls, through to identifying suspicious behaviours, hostile reconnaissance and implementing counter-terrorism initiatives. More recently, with growing insecurity around the world, organisations have looked to improve their security risk management frameworks, developing concepts which originated in the health and safety field to deal with more pressing risks such as terrorist acts, abduction and piracy (Paul, 2018). In these instances, security is usually the specific responsibility of frontline personnel with defined roles and responsibilities operating in accordance with organisational protocols (Saikayasit, Stedmon, Lawson, & Fussey, 2012; Stedmon, Saikayasit, Lawson, & Fussey, 2013). However, understanding the knowledge that frontline security workers might possess and use requires sensitive investigation in equally sensitive security domains.

This chapter considers how to investigate knowledge elicitation in these sensitive security domains and underlying ethics in research design that supports and protects the nature of investigation and end-users alike. This chapter also discusses the criteria used for ensuring trustworthiness as well as assessing the relative merits of the range of methods adopted.

The chapter discusses two aspects of the theory of the firm. One is the question of what is a regenerative firm, and how the traditional view of the firm changed when one adopts an integral transdisciplinary worldview. The second is what are the consequences when we leave the assumption of the extrinsic value of the nature.

The central question is: How can firms transform themselves from a mainly extrinsic to a more intrinsic value orientation to nature? She is defending the necessity to transform anthropocentric business models into more ecocentric ones. Shifts to business models in which nature has an intrinsic value have fundamental consequences for the theory of the firm.

The chapter compares ‘creative destruction’ in which the value creation follows out of destruction of other values with the ‘law of seed’ where the natural cycles of continuous creation and regeneration carry out life. The latter can contribute creating value-based spiritual economic structures which bring together the rich diversity of man and nature. The regenerative firm can be an important driver for building an integral transdisciplinary world.

One of the most hyped concepts in the manufacturing industry is ‘Industry 4.0’. The ‘Industry 4.0’ concept is grabbing the attention of every manufacturing industry across the globe because of its immense applications. This phenomenon is an advanced version of Industry 3.0, combining manufacturing processes and the latest Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. The main advantage of this paradigm shift is efficiency and efficacy in the manufacturing process with the help of advanced automated technologies. The concept of ‘Industry 4.0’ is contemporary, so it falls under exploratory study. Therefore, the research methodology is thematic narration grounded on secondary data (online) analysis. In this light, this chapter aims to explain ‘Industry 4.0’ in terms of concepts, theories and models based on the Web of Science (WoS) database. The data include research manuscripts, book chapters, blogs, white papers, news items and proceedings. The study details the latest technologies behind the ‘Industry 4.0’ phenomenon, different business intelligence technologies and their practical implications in some manufacturing industries. This chapter mainly elaborates on Industry 4.0 frameworks designed by (1) PwC (2) IBM (3) Frost & Sullivan.

The emerging industrial revolution referred to as Industry 5.0 is focusing on leveraging human creativity with intelligent and autonomous systems to derive user-friendly work environment for the businesses. Industry 5.0 stresses on people centric work ecosystem, zero accident policy and the well-being of labour within the production processes. This approach of Industry 5.0 to obtain human-centric safety solutions through the deployment of digital technologies deduces workplace accidents and costs leading to the development of Safety 4.0. This chapter aims to investigate the opportunities and challenges of Safety 4.0 and its enabling technologies aspiring towards the greater impact on safety management. Further, we have proposed a framework for the role of human centric digital transformations concerning safety in the manufacturing industry propelling Safety 4.0. Concluding, we discuss the implications for managers and practitioners. We found that Safety 4.0 will strengthen industrial safety, and instead of reacting to accidents, the concept evolved towards a preventive and proactive approach for a healthy industrial ecosystem.