Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Digitalization of EU Businesses in the Pandemic Context: Implications of the Manufacturing Sector

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
The 17th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering (Inter-ENG 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 928))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 67 Accesses

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the extent to which the enterprises in EU countries have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis through digital transformation as well as to explore the digital transformation of manufacturing businesses and its impact on socioeconomic development. The results of the paired samples t-test show statistically significant differences in behaviors of businesses between pre-pandemic and pandemic period in the case of eight out of ten variables analyzed related to e-business (customer relationship management, cloud computing services, 3D printing, robots), e-commerce, mobile internet connectivity, and digital skills. Also, the results of the correlation and regression analysis show a positive effect of the digitalization of businesses in the manufacturing sector on labour productivity and economic development in the EU countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Bai, C., Quayson, M., Sarkis, J.: COVID-19 pandemic digitization lessons for sustainable development of micro-and small-enterprises. Sustain. Prod. Consump. 27, 1989–2001 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Eurofound. Living, Working and COVID-19, COVID-19 series. Publications Office of the European Union (2020). https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_publication/field_ef_document/ef20059en.pdf. Accessed 10 July 2023

  3. Park, S.Y., Newton, C., Lee, R.: How to alleviate feelings of crowding in a working from home environment: lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 20(2), 1025 (2023)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. European Union (EU). Employment and social developments in Europe 2021. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Kraus, S., Clauss, T., Breier, M., Gast, J., Zardini, A., Tiberius, V.: The economics of COVID-19: initial empirical evidence on how family firms in five European countries cope with the corona crisis. Int. J. Entrep. Behav. Res. 26(5), 1067–1092 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Klein, V.B., Todesco, J.L.: COVID-19 crisis and SMEs responses: the role of digital transformation. Knowl. Process. Manag. 28(2), 117–133 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Jones, M.D., Hutcheson, S., Camba, J.D.: Past, present, and future barriers to digital transformation in manufacturing: a review. J. Manuf. Syst. 60, 936–948 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Katz, R., Jung, J., Callorda, F.: Can digitization mitigate the economic damage of a pandemic? Evidence from SARS. Telecommun. Policy 44(10), 102044 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Papagiannidis, S., Harris, J., Morton, D.: Who led the digital transformation of your company? A reflection of IT related challenges during the pandemic. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 55, 102166 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ionescu, A.M., Clipa, A.M., Turnea, E.S., Clipa, C.I., Bedrule-Grigorută, M.V., Roth, S.: The impact of innovation framework conditions on corporate digital technology integration: Institutions as facilitators for sustainable digital transformation. J. Bus. Econ. Manag. 23(5), 1037–1059 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Bikse, V., Lusena-Ezera, I., Rivza, P., Rivza, B.: The development of digital transformation and relevant competencies for employees in the context of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia. Sustainability 13(16), 9233 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Scutariu, A.L., Șuşu, Ș, Huidumac-Petrescu, C.E., Gogonea, R.M.: A cluster analysis concerning the behavior of enterprises with e-commerce activity in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 17(1), 47–68 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. International Labour Organization (ILO). Changing demand for skills in digital economies and societies: literature review and case studies from low-and middle-income countries (2021). https://www.ilo.org/skills/areas/skills-training-for-poverty-reduction/WCMS_831372/lang--en/index.htm. Accessed 10 July 2023

  14. Jafari-Sadeghi, V., Garcia-Perez, A., Candelo, E., Couturier, J.: Exploring the impact of digital transformation on technology entrepreneurship and technological market expansion: the role of technology readiness, exploration and exploitation. J. Bus. Res. 124, 100–111 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Hess, T., Matt, C., Benlian, A., Wiesböck, F.: Options for formulating a digital transformation strategy. MIS Q. Exec. 15(2), 103–119 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  16. The World Bank: World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends. World Bank Publications, Washington (2016)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  17. OECD. Going Digital: Making the Transformation Work for Growth and Well-Being. OECD Publishing, Paris (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Grigorescu, A., Pelinescu, E., Ion, A.E., Dutcas, M.F.: Human capital in digital economy: an empirical analysis of Central and Eastern European Countries from the European Union. Sustainability 13(4), 1–21 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. International Federation of Robots. Executive Summary World Robotics 2021-Service Robots. https://ifr.org/img/worldrobotics/Executive_Summary_WR_Service_Robots_2021.pdf. Accessed 10 July 2023

  20. Schreckling, E., Steiger, C.: Digitalize or drown. In: Oswald, G., Kleinemeier, M. (eds.) Shaping the Digital Enterprise: Trends and Use Cases in Digital Innovation and Transformation, pp. 3–27. Springer, Cham (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40967-2_1

  21. Schwab, K.: The Fourth Industrial Revolution. World Economic Forum, Geneva (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  22. European Union (EU). Digital Transformation Scoreboard 2018: EU Businesses Go Digital: Opportunities, Outcomes and Uptake; Publications Office of the European Union. Luxembourg (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Biagi, F., Falk, M.: The impact of ICT and e-commerce on employment in Europe. J. Policy Model. 39, 1–18 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Ivanović, T., Marić, M.: Application of modern Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in the era of digital transformation. Strateg. Manag. 26(4), 28–36 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Rejman Petrovic, D., Krstic, A., Nedeljković, I., Mimovic, P.: Efficiency of digital business transformation in the Republic of Serbia. VINE J. Inf. Knowl. Manag. Syst. (2022). https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-12-2021-0292,lastaccessed2023/07/10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Gruntkowski, L.M., Martinez, L.F.: Online grocery shopping in Germany: assessing the impact of COVID-19. J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 17(3), 984–1002 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. COVID-19 and E-commerce impact on businesses and policy responses (2020). https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/dtlstictinf2020d2_en.pdf. Accessed 10 July 2023

  28. Shen, Y., et al.: Robots under COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive survey. IEEE Access 9, 1590–1615 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Brodny, J., Tutak, M.: Analyzing the level of digitalization among the enterprises of the European Union member states and their impact on economic growth. J. Open Innov.: Technol. Market Complex. 8(2), 70 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Matarazzo, M., Penco, L., Profumo, G., Quaglia, R.: Digital transformation and customer value creation in Made in Italy SMEs: a dynamic capabilities perspective. J. Bus. Res. 123, 642–656 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Rothberg, H.N., Erickson, G.S.: Big data systems: knowledge transfer or intelligence insights? J. Knowl. Manag. 21(1), 92–112 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Stoica, I., et al.: A better integration of industrial robots in Romanian enterprises and the labour market. Appl. Sci. 12(12), 6014 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Herman, E.: The interplay between digital entrepreneurship and sustainable development in the context of the EU digital economy: a multivariate analysis. Mathematics 10, 1682 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Garrote Sanchez, D., Gomez Parra, N., Ozden, C., Rijkers, B., Viollaz, M., Winkler, H.: Who on earth can work from home? World Bank Res. Observ. 36(1), 67–100 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. ILO. Teleworking During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: A Practical Guide. International Labour Office, Geneva (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Opazo-Basáez, M., Vendrell-Herrero, F., Bustinza, O.F., Vaillant, Y., Marić, J.: Is digital transformation equally attractive to all manufacturers? Contextualizing the operational and customer benefits of smart manufacturing. Int. J. Phys. Distrib. Logist. Manag. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-12-2021-0538. Accessed 10 July 2023

  37. Martín-Peña, M.L., Sánchez-López, J.M., Díaz-Garrido, E.: Servitization and digitalization in manufacturing: the influence on firm performance. J. Bus. Indust. Market. 35(3), 564–574 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. European Commission. European competitiveness report 2013.Towards knowledge-driven reindustrialization. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/98e62e79-c64c-4044-ae65-b349758c5418/language-en. Accessed 10 July 2023

  39. Herman, E.: The importance of the manufacturing sector in the Romanian economy. Procedia Technol. 22, 976–983 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Herman, E.: The influence of ICT sector on the Romanian labour market in the European context. Procedia Manuf. 46, 344–351 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Industrial Forum Task Force 5 Report on Advanced Manufacturing at the heart of a resilient, sustainable and competitive Europe. https://orgalim.eu/news/eu-industrial-forum-report-blueprint-accelerating-advanced-manufacturing-europe. Accessed 10 July 2023

  42. European Commission (EC) Europe’s Digital Decade: Commission sets the course towards a digitally empowered Europe by 2030 (2021). https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_21_983. Accessed 10 July 2023

  43. European Commission, Digital Intensity Index v4 (2022). https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/89577311-0f9b-4fc0-b8c2-2aaa7d3ccb91/library/30b83b9c-3d0c-4086-bf52-77905e19b4eb/details. Accessed 10 July 2023

  44. Eurostat Database. 2023. Digital Economy and Society. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database. Accessed 15 July 2023

  45. Aly, H.: Digital transformation, development and productivity in developing countries: is artificial intelligence a curse or a blessing? Rev. Econ. Polit. Sci. 7(4), 238–256 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Herman, E.: Innovation and entrepreneurship for competitiveness in the EU: an empirical analysis. Proc. Int. Conf. Bus. Excellence 12(1), 425–435 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu-Mures, 540139, Targu Mures, Romania

    Emilia Herman

Authors
  1. Emilia Herman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emilia Herman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, Târgu Mureș, Romania

    Liviu Moldovan

  2. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, Târgu Mureș, Romania

    Adrian Gligor

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Herman, E. (2024). The Digitalization of EU Businesses in the Pandemic Context: Implications of the Manufacturing Sector. In: Moldovan, L., Gligor, A. (eds) The 17th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering. Inter-ENG 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 928. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54671-6_26

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54671-6_26

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-54670-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-54671-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation