Smart Contracts and Internet of Things: A Qualitative Content Analysis using the Technology-Organization-Environment Framework to Identify Key-Determinants

Abstract

The spread and success of Internet of Things (IoT) is based on the rapidly growing number of applications, and smart contracts may play a pivotal role in IoT. In this paper, we (i) identify the key-determinants of smart contracts in IoT, and (ii) analyze the opportunities and challenges from a management viewpoint. We performed a qualitative content analysis, and used the structure of the Technology-Organization-Environment framework as categorization scheme. Out of four expert-interviews we were able to extract 84 statements, which provided the basis for the identification of 13 key-determinants for the integration of smart contracts and IoT. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the combination of the two technological concepts promises significant opportunities, however, some technical and environmental challenges need to be overcome.