Despite the proliferation of innovative technologies during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), there is a severe lack of quantitative and empirical studies that deal with the effectiveness of recently emerging technologies. This study examines the impact of employing core technologies of the 4IR on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). We used the firm-level cross-sectional data on Korean manufacturing SMEs, including the information on technology utilization. The stochastic production frontier estimation with selectivity correction is employed, besides matching technique to obtain unbiased estimates on technology efficiency. The empirical analysis finds that adopting emerging technologies enhances the productivity of SMEs. After observed and unobserved factors are controlled, the technical efficiency of adopters is higher by more than 26% on average, compared to non-adopters. Moreover, if the gap among production frontiers is considered, the difference in productivity would rise further. Additionally, a strategic alliance is a crucial route for SMEs to accept new technologies.

尽管第四次工业革命（4IR）期间创新技术激增，但仍严重缺乏针对新兴技术有效性的定量和实证研究。本研究探讨了采用 4IR 核心技术对中小企业 (SME) 的影响。我们使用了韩国制造业中小企业的企业层面横截面数据，包括技术利用信息。除了匹配技术之外，还采用具有选择性校正的随机生产前沿估计来获得对技术效率的无偏估计。实证分析发现，采用新兴技术可以提高中小企业的生产力。在控制了可观察和不可观察因素后，采用者的技术效率比未采用者平均高出26%以上。而且，如果考虑到生产前沿之间的差距，生产率的差异还会进一步扩大。此外，战略联盟也是中小企业接受新技术的重要途径。