Ronny Hauf, Robert Miehe, Oliver Schöllhammer, Thomas Bauernhansl
Biological transformation represents one of the most promising optimization strategies for a sustainable economy. The rapid convergence of biotechnology, information technology and production technology provides a vast area of innovation. From an economic and innovation policy perspective, cooperation structures and value creation systems will change significantly in a biointelligent transformation process. In the future, many industries will produce personalized products in a much more decentralized manner based on locally provided, renewable resources using autonomous non-expert systems. Such a profound change affects not only products and processes but also the organization of companies and how innovations are evaluated and implemented. In this paper, we thus discuss the need for a reorientation of innovation management in companies in the context of biological transformation. This article focused the central question of how the innovation management can change in the context of biointelligence so that companies can be helped to invest strategically in biointelligent innovations. We then outline the basic elements of a framework and discuss key challenges for future research and development. In this paper, we present initial thoughts on a framework for the management of biointelligent innovation that aims to solve the complex requirements of BioIntelligence. Our approach is based on a holistic view of different methods and techniques to provide a comprehensive solution to the challenges. We discuss the basic concepts and goals of this framework as well as potential application areas and challenges. Furthermore, we present first approaches for implementation and evaluation.
Enis Karaarslan, Arzu Özkan, Cemal Dak, Umutcan Korkmaz
The necessity for an efficient resource management system during and postdisaster is underscored by the prevalent coordination and resource management challenges faced by various organizations, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government units. To address these problems, our system proposal introduces NGO-RMSD, a blockchain-based decentralized system designed to enhance collaborative efforts during and after disasters. Utilizing the Quorum framework for its energy efficiency, NGO-RMSD enables seamless transactions and updates across parties, eliminating intermediaries and fostering a trusted environment for resource management. This paper details the development of this decentralized system, incorporating smart contracts for autonomous operation. Decentralized systems provide superior security, transparency, and immutability, making them fundamentally more robust and efficient than centralized systems for managing complex, multi-stakeholder scenarios like dis-aster response. This decentralized model ensures transparency, eliminates intermediaries, and enables all parties to conduct transactions and updates reliably. These contracts effectively assess and prioritize the needs of affected individuals, ensuring timely and accurate resource allocation. A proof of concept has been implemented, demonstrating the practicality and potential impact of NGO-RMSD. Designed in alignment with NGO's field requirements and distributed under a free software license, this system promises to significantly improve coordination for disaster resource management. Possible improvements and future work for a more sustainable system is discussed. Looking forward, we aim to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of disaster relief efforts by providing assistance to a larger number of affected individuals in a more organized and expeditious manner.
Open access
Supply Chain Resilience and Risk Management
Facility Location and Emergency Management
Infrastructure Resilience and Vulnerability Analysis
The research proposes a new method for Viable Supply Chain Network Design (VSCND) that incorporates Open Innovation (OI) and Blockchain Technology (BCT). A robust stochastic optimization and Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) in the cost function is utilized to develop the model. This model's objective function incorporates the expected value, maximum cost, and CVaR cost. The OI and BCT platforms are suggested for an antifragile policy against disruption. In addition, CO 2 emissions and energy consumption are proposed as sustainability requirements. Eventually, minimum demand satisfaction and resilience facilities by incorporating capacity based on specific scenarios are added to the model for an agile strategy. This research entails several parties, including vendors supplying the primary components and manufacturers creating products based on customer preferences. OI and BCT platforms aim to receive demand based on customer specifications and facilitate rapid transactions between components. Risk-averse decision-makers utilize a polyhedral Data-Driven Robust Optimization (DDRO) approach to manage uncertainty and flexible sets. Incorporating OI and BCT as antifragility instruments resulted in a 0.2% cost reduction for VSCNDOIBCT compared to when OI and BCT were not considered. This research suggests that integrating OI and BCT positively affects SC performance overall. The decreasing rate, DDRO coefficient, agility rate, demand variation, and problem size were subjected to a sensitivity analysis.
Blockchain technology enables supply chains to share and distribute data in secured and decentralised environments through validators who trust and validate transactions.The use of blockchain was crucial in the context of the healthcare supply chain (HCSC) during COVID-19, where transactions were secure, and links throughout the supply chain were physically disrupted.Current research has focused on the blockchain application in industry, reviewing its architecture and the mechanisms involved.However, limited empirical studies consider HCSCs and the associated implementation challenges.In this sense, our case study of Indian hospitals has engaged with various stakeholders of the HCSC including clinicians, nurses, doctors, hospital managers, and digital healthcare equipment companies to explore the context to answer the following research questions: (i) What is the impact of the blockchain technology in the HCSC context? and (ii) What are the challenges faced in utilising blockchain technologies in the HCSC?Our findings indicate that the challenges blockchain implementation faced were based on variations in patients' treatment needs, data storage and privacy, interoperability, digital transformation, technology resistance, training and skills development, resource restraints and capabilities, and supply chain-wide collaboration.The study emphasises challenges for Blockchain in HCSC setting that both practitioners and academics need to be cognisant of.
Ranran Dang, Hui Li, Ao Yang, Zhao-Chen Ma · 6 authors
High-value commodities, such as luxury goods, artworks, and jewelry, face unique challenges in terms of traceability, transparency, and authenticity due to their distinctiveness and high value. This study aims to propose an innovative solution for the high-value commodity supply chain by integrating elements of consortium blockchain technology, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and decentralized identities (DIDs). We utilize consortium blockchain technology to build a supply chain management system with digital twinning features, where each user possesses an immutable DID. The system leverages NFTs as digital twins for commodities, utilizing smart contracts to record production and logistics information, ensuring transaction transparency and credibility. Simultaneously, the introduction of DID) enhances the security of user identity information on the supply chain. This comprehensive solution integrates consortium blockchain, NFTs, and decentralized identities, providing a higher level of security, traceability, and user control for the high-value commodity supply chain.
Mohammad Basheer, Faris Elghaish, Tara Brooks, Farzad Pour Rahimian · 5 authors
The prevailing practices in construction supply chain management are characterised by significant challenges, including fragmentation, a lack of trust among stakeholders, and restricted information sharing. This research introduces a blockchain-based integrated system for managing construction materials and inventory to enhance the traceability and transparency of shared supply chain material information. This initiative will foster a collaborative and open supply chain environment among stakeholders and effectively address material delays, resulting in smoother project operations and minimized disruptions, thus promoting operational efficiency. Furthermore, the system's potential to substantially reduce the incidence of legal disputes is underpinned by the secure and tamper-proof storage of information within shared ledgers, fostering a high level of accountability and trustworthiness. The integration of the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) approach within blockchain smart contracts streamlines procurement processes, leading to a noteworthy reduction in purchase orders and associated overhead costs. The study employs a Design Science Research (DSR) approach to create a decentralised construction supply chain system, monitoring changes in material information during the supply process and addressing uncertainties associated with managing construction material inventory. The proposed system empowers project stakeholders by providing real-time material information access, resulting in improved decision-making and a reduction in material delays. Additionally, the construction material management-based blockchain and smart system enables project parties to efficiently handle inventory for complex projects, interconnecting all supply chain tasks within an integrated smart contract. The usability of the proposed solution was assessed using a usability test technique, with participants confirming its applicability in construction environments. They highlighted key benefits, including reduced material purchasing costs, decreased legal disputes among project stakeholders, and improved decision-making.
Purpose This study aims to investigate the contribution of blockchain technology to supply chain risk management and its impact on performance among Indian manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a resource-based view, dynamic capability and system of systems theory, this study examines the direct relationships between blockchain, supply chain risk management and supply chain performance. The authors validate the mediating effects of three supply chain risk management components, namely supply risk management, demand risk management and cyber security management, on financial transaction reliability and information reliability. Data were collected from 204 Indian manufacturing companies that have adopted blockchain technology. Findings The results demonstrate that companies adopting blockchain technology have experienced positive outcomes in managing supply chain-related risks, financial transaction reliability and information reliability. These findings provide valuable guidance to managers, highlighting blockchain as a competitive advantage for supply chain management. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous research on blockchain-based risk management capabilities has been conducted.
Global trade is plagued by slow and inefficient manual processes associated with physical documents. Firms are constantly looking for new ways to improve transparency and increase the resilience of their supply chains. This can be solved by the digitalisation of supply chains and the automation of document- and information-sharing processes. Blockchain is touted as a solution to these issues due to its unique combination of features, such as immutability, decentralisation and transparency. A lack of business cases that quantify the costs and benefits causes uncertainty regarding the truth of these claims. This paper explores how the costs and benefits of a blockchain-based solution for digitalising and automating documentation flows in cross-border supply chains compare to a conventional centralised relational database solution. The research described in this paper uses primary data collected through semi-structured interviews with industry experts, as well as secondary data from literature. Two models based on existing services were developed and the costs and benefits compared and then analysed using the Architecture Trade-off Analysis Method (ATAM) and the Analytic Network Process (ANP). Findings from the analysis show that a consortium blockchain solution like TradeLens is the favourable solution for digitalising and automating information flows in cross-border supply chains.
Chiranjibi Shah, Niamat Ullah Ibne Hossain, Md Muzahid Khan, Shahriar Tanvir Alam
Blockchain technology and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) have garnered increased attention recently due to their growing application in effectively managing data security, storage, and transmission concerns within healthcare organizations. However, integrating various advancements, such as coordination, adaptivity, and automated responses, within the framework of blockchain-based IoMT has amplified its susceptibility to a range of attacks and vulnerabilities. Assessing and enhancing the resilience of blockchain-based IoMT is of utmost importance, particularly in anticipation of potential disruptions, to ensure its continuous and sustainable functionality. The stochastic nature of risks adds complexity to evaluating the resilience of blockchain-based IoMT, given that resilience in this domain may fluctuate over time. This study employs a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) method to address the evolving characteristics of pertinent variables, capturing their temporal dependencies and demonstrating how the resilience capabilities of blockchain-based IoMT may evolve across different time intervals. Additionally, an information theory approach is adopted to mitigate uncertainty regarding the resilience performance of blockchain-based IoMT and its crucial subcomponents. This research showcases the effectiveness and adaptability of the DBN methodology in healthcare systems, offering insights for shaping appropriate and essential strategies for decision-makers to establish a highly resilient framework for blockchain-based IoMT.
The main aim of this study was to investigate the impact of blockchain technology, business ethics, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) on social sustainability. Additionally, this study sought to explore how CSR and business ethics serve as mediators in shaping these impacts. This study collected data from employees in the banking sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), using a purposive sampling technique. A cross-sectional research design was employed, and a questionnaire was developed to gather responses from 416 participants. The usable response rate was 62.67%. This study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS as a tool to analyze the data. The results of this study indicate that blockchain technology has a positive influence on CSR, business ethics, and social sustainability. Additionally, CSR and business ethics have a positive effect on social sustainability. This study confirms the mediating role of business ethics and CSR. These findings can be useful for bank officials and academic decisionmakers in developing strategies.
This article explores the concept of human–autonomous organizations (HAOs) based on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and operations as well as human, artificial, natural, and organizational intelligence and their roles in shaping smart societies in the context of Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0. It discusses the potential of AI-generated content and prompt engineering in specific goal-guided manufacture and governance. Additionally, the article introduces the concept of the HAO as a framework for integrating human intelligence to achieve fair, transparent, and accountable decision making within DAOs. The proposed HAO reduces the risk of instability and unreliability in “human-in-the-loop” copilot systems and human–machine hybrid systems, leading to more reliable, secure, and flexible systems. It provides insights into the future management of smart societies and the symbiotic relationship between human ingenuity and the suite of emerging new AI technologies.
Maritime transportation plays a critical role for many Arab countries and their food security and has evolved into a complex system that involves a plethora of supply chain stakeholders spread around the globe. This inherent complexity brings huge security challenges, including cargo loss and high burdens in cargo document inspection. The emerging blockchain technology provides a promising tool to build a unified maritime cargo tracking system critical for cargo security. This is because blockchains are a tamper-proof distributed ledger technology that can store and track data in a secure and transparent manner. Using the State of Qatar as a case study, this research introduces the Global Maritime Ledger (GM-Ledger), which will aid authorities in verifying, signing and transacting food certificates in an efficient manner. The methodology of this research includes reviewing past publications, identifying the requirements of various players in the Qatari food import-export industry and then creating a smart contract framework that will efficiently manage the work with necessary human intervention as and when required. The result of this work is the formation of a solid framework that can be employed in future works. This work realized that employing web3 solutions for the food import sector is highly viable and that with the right social, economic and policy reforms, it is possible to transform the entire food system to bear healthy transparency and power balance in global supply chains. In conclusion, this study argues that BCT has the ability to assist the government and other players to minimize fraud and maximize food supply chain stakeholder participation.
Prasanna Kumar, G. Bharati Mohan, Akilesh Rao S, Y Jaikanth · 8 authors
This paper presents a pioneering blockchain-based framework for enhancing traceability and transparency within the global agrifood supply chain. By seamlessly integrating blockchain technology and the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), the framework offers a robust solution to the industry's challenges. It weaves a narrative where each product's journey is securely documented in an unalterable digital ledger, accessible to all stakeholders. Real-time Internet of Things (IoT) sensors stand sentinel, monitoring variables crucial to product quality. With millions afflicted by foodborne diseases, substantial food wastage, and a strong consumer desire for transparency, this framework responds to a clarion call for change. Moreover, the framework's data-driven approach not only rejuvenates consumer confidence and product authenticity but also lays the groundwork for robust sustainability and toxicity assessments. In this narrative of technological innovation, the paper embarks on an architectural odyssey, intertwining the threads of blockchain and EVM to reimagine a sustainable, transparent, and trustworthy agrifood landscape.
With the expansion of the scale of construction projects, the safety situation of construction projects has become more and more severe, and strengthening near-miss event management can effectively improve the safety management level of building construction sites and prevent safety accidents from occurring. However, the traditional monitoring and early warning systems rely on manual supervision, which is heavy and inefficient and cannot detect near-miss events in time. In the context of big data, blockchain technology, which is widely used, has the characteristics of decentralization, distrust, openness, nontamperability, and traceability, which can improve the safety of building construction sites to a certain extent. The primary objective of this study is to automatically monitor and early warn of near-miss events at building construction sites through the use of blockchain technology to effectively avoid the occurrence of building construction site safety accidents and reduce the incidence of safety accidents. To achieve this objective, we first constructed a knowledge base of near-miss events at building construction sites. Then, the near-miss event monitoring and early warning system for building construction sites based on blockchain technology was established. Finally, the near-miss incidents of not wearing safety belts working at height, which exists on the construction site, were used as an example to verify the feasibility and reliability of the monitoring and early warning system. The results show that the monitoring and early warning system has strong feasibility and practicability, and has certain research value. As the primary contribution, this paper developed a method of using blockchain technology for near-miss event monitoring and early warnings at building construction sites, which can realize real-time monitoring and automatic early warning, detect near-miss events in time, help trace the responsibility of events at a later stage, and improve the safety management level of building construction sites.
Atul Kumar Singh, V. R. Prasath Kumar, Gholamreza Dehdasht, Saeed Reza Mohandes · 6 authors
This study aims to investigate the barriers to the adoption of Blockchain Technology (BT) within the field of Construction Supply Chain Management (CSCM) by unravelling their interrelationships. In doing so, a Pythagorean fuzzy-set-based DEMATEL method to assess these barriers in a complex environment is proposed. The results of the study suggest that “market-based risks”, “high costs for maintaining sustainability”, and “usage in the underground economy” are the most influential barriers to the adoption of BT in CSCM. Furthermore, the study identifies that “inadequate knowledge/employee training”, “contractual risk”, and “scalability issues” play a pivotal role within the CSCM system. The reliability and validation of the obtained results were also shown using sensitivity analysis and the focus-group-discussion approach. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for stakeholders in the construction industry to design and implement effective measures to overcome the identified barriers to the adoption of BT in CSCM. By addressing these barriers, stakeholders can facilitate the adoption of BT, leading to more efficient and effective construction supply chain management practices.