Globalization in Action: Industry 4.0 Development Model for Turkey

Throughout history, we have witnessed how human life has been affected socially and economically by the inventions brought by the first three industrial revolutions. After 200 years of the first industrial revolution, we are currently on the verge of a fourth revolution, which is called Industry 4.0. This fourth revolution will have profound effects on both our business and daily lives as it happened in previous industrial revolutions. Despite the burgeoning literature on Industry 4.0, it is difficult to forecast the way it will progress and the potential impacts bringing along to our lives and the business world. Within this perspective, this research was conducted with the purpose of analyzing Industry 4.0’s impacts on business models and labor and developing an Industry 4.0 process model for Turkey. By using the qualitative content analysis approach, six face-to-face interviews explicitly conducted for current research, thirteen video recordings of interviews available in the online media and eight online magazine articles were analyzed. Consequently, the findings shed light on suggesting an Industry 4.0 Developmental Process Model. Also, four research topics for future investigation emerged, which are ethical issues and emotional bonds with robots, employees’ and unions’ perceptions about robotics, and a more detailed study on the employment of women and disabled employees during Industry 4.0 processes.