The impacts of Industry 4.0 technologies on business functions: A qualitative research on various business sectors

The aim of this study is to determine through case studies the revolutionary impacts of main components of Industry 4.0 and its related technologies, which are currently observed in distinct business sectors and examine their impacts which, are expected to be a part of our lives in the near future. When the literature is examined, it is seen that there are associated technologies as well as the main components of industry 4.0. However, studies, which are in the literature, show that the main dynamics of Industry 4.0 and associated technologies have not been examined as a whole. At this point, our study fills the gap existing in the literature. In addition, lack of sufficient study on the impacts of the industry 4.0 technologies on business functions, distinguishes our study from others and reveals its importance. Throughout the research, Industry 4.0 has been examined together with contained main components and associated technologies. In the section that forms the practical part of the research, the cases which were collected in accordance with the qualitative research pattern were analyzed by using content analysis and case study methods. The findings have been interpreted by incomplete induction (scientific induction) method, based on the propositions logic and logical reasoning (inference). Key Words: Industry 4.0, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Internet of Things, Smart Manufacturing Systems, Artificial Intelligence