Research background: Each industrial revolution has demanded that people develop specific
skills and competencies to stay relevant in the workplace. The first revolution introduced
mechanisation, the second emphasised cognitive skills, and Industry 4.0 focuses on
digital skills. Over the centuries, the required skills have transitioned from physical
to digital. With the growing reliance on information, digital skills have become an
essential resource in today's society. Purpose of the article: The study aims to illustrate
the relationship between knowledge management and emerging technologies. It seeks
to determine how this relationship varies based on company ownership. Methods: The
main data for the survey was collected through an online questionnaire administered
in 2022 using the Lime Survey platform. The survey targeted managers from companies
operating in Hungary and received 5,207 valid responses. To test the hypotheses, both
univariate and multivariate statistical methods were employed. Descriptive statistics
provided an initial overview of the sample, while a multivariate regression model
was utilised to address the research question. Findings & Value added: The results
demonstrate that knowledge management projects, alongside technology intensity, significantly
influence the adoption of emerging technologies, with a notable impact on financial
performance. In terms of technology use and human factors, several efficiency barriers
exist, the primary one being the workforce's lack of digital competencies. Foreign
ownership positively affects all these aspects. Future research directions include
conducting a qualitative survey through semi-structured interviews to validate the
large quantitative dataset. Additionally, examining spatial differences, national
cultures, and cultural clusters is important, as the results indicate that a company's
operational processes, which influence the use of emerging technology in the international
arena, are often shaped by the national culture of the parent company.
