The Internet of Things as a method of digitizing the consumer–manufacturer relationship

Summary

Abstract

The aim of the research is to identify the research gap in the field of Internet of Things research in the management sciences and empirically test consumer awareness of IoT. The author has carried out a general literature analysis and pointed to a research gap in the exploration of issues related to the Internet of Things in science management. The main area under consideration is focused on empirical operations, in which 525 people were examined using the CAWI method. The results and the conclusions drawn by the author are intended to indicate any potential paths that could be used by manufacturers of intelligent items to improve the consumer-manufacturer relationship. Progressive and all-encompassing digitization is, on the one hand, a great opportunity to accelerate communication processes, on the other hand it is a massive threat that is frightening to many customers. The author hopes that the presented results will be the nucleus of further considerations and will enable seeking a more complete picture in the future.

Keywords: IoT, consumer-manufacturer relationship, consumer feedback, data security

Introduction

J. McCarthy is considered the father of artificial intelligence. In the mid-1950s, McCarthy defined artificial intelligence as the science and engineering of intelligent machines, in particular smart computer programs that enabled the use of computers to understand human intelligence (Malucha, 2018, p. 53). The concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) evolved from the activities initiated in the 1950s and aimed at creating artificial intelligence in the late 1990s. It was first used in 1999 by K. Asthon during the presentation of Procter & Gamble. As the creator of the discussed issue notes (Asthon, 2010, p. 7), the combination of RFID (radio-frequency identification), which was modern at that time, and the possibilities offered by using the Internet, was much more than just an attempt to raise the interest of the management board. At present, the idea has found a permanent place in business in functional and political terminology (e.g., the Digital Single Market Strategy proposed by the European Commission). In its nature, the Internet of Things is explored with particular intensity in areas related to computer science and the application of tools used in communication, however, more and more often it is taken up by scientists dealing with other disciplines, including economics and management.