Purpose This study aims to proposed that blockchain helps the organization improve supply chain (SC) performance by improving integration, agility and security through real-time information sharing, end-to-end visibility, transparency, data management, immutability, irrevocable information and cyber-security platforms. Design/methodology/approach This study has made an initial effort toward proposing a framework that shows the problems and challenges for the O&G SC under its segments (upstream, midstream and downstream) and provides the interlink among blockchain properties for SCM problems. SC managers were selected for survey questionnaires from the Pakistan O&G industries. Findings This study analyzes the impact of blockchain-enabled SC on firm performance with an understanding of the SC robustness capabilities as a mediator. The result revealed that the SC manager believes that the blockchain-enabled SC has a positive and significant on firm performance and robustness capabilities. Research limitations/implications Blockchain technology is reflected as high-tech to support the firm process, responses and methods. The technology helps eliminate bottlenecks, avoid uncertainties and improve decision-making, leading to improved SC functions. This study guides managers about the potential problems of existing SC and how blockchain solves SC problems more effectively. Originality/value The oil and gas (O&G) sectors are neglected by researchers, and there are limited studies on O&G supply chain management (SCM). Additionally, no empirical evidence suggests implementing blockchain for O&G as a solution for potential problems. Furthermore, present the roadmap to other industries those having complex SC networks for the implication of blockchain to improve the SC performance.
Abstract The transition to a circular supply chain (CSC) is a prerequisite to establish sustainability in the supply chain. Blockchainâbased CSC enables stakeholders to effectively manage their decisionâmaking processes, increase revenue, reduce time and costs and ensure information synchronisation. Blockchain startâups play an essential role in facilitating the transition from a linear to a circular economy while supporting the development of CSCs. This research aims to explore the role of blockchain entrepreneurship in the transition to CSC by evaluating circular blockchain startâups. This research contributes to the literature by providing verified roles of blockchain entrepreneurship in the transition to CSC by evaluating the literature and blockchain startâups. Another contribution is that the causal relationships between these roles are analysed. In this study, an integrated threeâstep methodology including Systematic Literature Review (SLR), Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), and Fuzzy DecisionâMaking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (FuzzyâDEMATEL) methods on the base of the theory of change is proposed. An SLR is performed to determine the roles of blockchain entrepreneurship. Then, a QCA is conducted after identifying the roles for verification by evaluations of use cases of blockchain startâups. Finally, the causal relationships between these roles are interpreted by using FuzzyâDEMATEL. Findings indicate that blockchain entrepreneurship has 12 fundamental roles in facilitating the transition from a linear to a circular economy while supporting the development of CSCs.
Decentralized, transparent, immutability, irreversible, autonomy, open source, anonymity, ownership and uniqueness, source, contract automation are at the forefront of the features that allow blockchain technology to be accepted within the sectors. Thanks to these features, it has an important potential in terms of applicability, as well as in supply chain management, as in many other fields. In this study, the compatibility and impact level of the features of blockchain technology with the sustainability of supply chain management are investigated. Within the scope of supply chain management, effective information sharing, integration between processes, trustworthy, systematic data management, auditability, transparency, strong relationship between stakeholders, high efficiency, quick answer, ability to increase sustainability, transition to digitization, uncertain legal status, new technology, integration compatibility with other technologies, optimizing time parameters are evaluated. In the results obtained with the Grey Relational Analysis-based DEMATEL method, effective information sharing, integration between processes, systematic data management, quick answer, uncertain legal status, new technology, and integration compatibility with other technologies are included in the group affecting other criteria. Within the scope of the study, the characteristic features of blockchain technology for supply chain management are interpreted with relationship map and graph diagram. The study provides both theoretical and practical contributions by drawing attention to the compatibility of the blockchain in supply chains, and guides the employees in the supply chain line on how they can best guide their companies and on which parameters they can gain by enabling them to adopt blockchain technology. With blockchain technology, it offers the opportunity to achieve higher efficiency with less time, less cost and faster response, which can realize its sustainability mission, which includes each of the economic, social and environmental dimensions.
This study aims to estimate the costs of integrating RFID and IoT with blockchain for supply chain management. The study is based on the comparison of two simulation scenarios in a cheese supply chain, the as-is case vs. the integration of the following technologies: blockchain, smart contracts, RFID and IoT. Using the Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing method, costs are allocated for six actors: dairy farm, 3PL, wholesaler and three retailers. In addition, the costs of each player are allocated for each supply chain area: logistics, warehouse and order management. The study shows in which areas and for which actors implementing and integrating different technologies is economically suitable. Different procurement policies are modelled for evaluating the cost impacts for each retailer: Economic Order Quantity, Period Order Quantity and Lot for Lot. Moreover, the costs of non-compliant products are assessed in both scenarios. The results show that specific areas such as warehouse management and logistics in the to-be scenario are not economically optimized, however the entire supply chain cost is optimized. The area with positive economic feasibility for all the participants in the supply chain is order management. The combined use of technologies is economically beneficial when the Economic Order Quantity procurement policy is adopted. Finally, in the to-be scenario the non-compliant products management is economically optimized with economic benefits ranging from 8% to 63%.
Pierluigi Gallo, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino, Giuseppe SciumĂš, Gaetano Zizzo
This paper outlines the European perspective on circularity in the energy sector and details how blockchain could support it. Moreover, while the need for raw materials and e-fuels is increasing (due to the economic, industrial, and societal ecological transformation to slow down the pace of climate change), their supply becomes more and more risky. Therefore, technologies to support tracing and certification are in the spotlight. To achieve resilience to new threats, Europe is focusing on circularity in all fields. Circularity requires the tracing of substances and devices, food, and products, to retrieve and recycle as much as possible. Besides the need to limit the exploitation of the planetâs resources and thus stay within the planetary boundaries, circularity is tightly connected to strategic dependencies on highly unstable or politically distant countries. This issue is further aggravated by the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Digital technologies, like Distributed Ledger Technologies, can well support the implementation of circularity in many fields. The paper identifies challenges and proposes potential solutions related to the implementation of circularity. It also explores the application of circularity principles in the energy sector, with a focus on energy communities. Energy communities involve local stakeholders coming together to generate, consume, and manage renewable energy collectively. Overall, the paper provides insights into the European perspective on ecological transition, highlighting the importance of systemic transformation, resilience, and circularity in addressing climate change and achieving sustainability goals. It explores the role of digital technologies, such as Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs), in supporting circular practices and discusses specific applications in the energy sector.
Abstract Blockchain can help reduce fraud and improve visibility and traceability in supply chains. It has attracted significant investments in commercial practices, especially in the luxury industry. With the recent upgradation of consumption worldwide, consumers care more about the source of information and the value of products. Will tracing products using blockchain technology help competing luxury brands gain consumer trust and cultivate new competitive advantages? This paper proposes a supply chain model comprising two competing manufacturers selling online through retail or direct channels. It also explores whether and how manufacturers implement traceability strategies, including building traceability systems or joining thirdâparty blockchain platforms, considering blockchain's traceability. The results show that, when only one party adopts the traceability strategy, being the first mover to join a thirdâparty blockchain platform with high traceability is always beneficial for improving the profits of all parties. In this scenario, the blockchain platform should adopt as high traceability as possible. When both parties choose to trace the product source, a winâwin strategy for them is to join thirdâparty blockchain platforms with low traceability. In this scenario, the untraced party is motivated to implement a traceability strategy. Furthermore, if consumer perceptions of traceability are high, an untraced manufacturer can obtain higher profits using the traceability strategy. Otherwise, low consumer perception of traceability leads to lowâprice competition, which is harmful to luxury brands.
Blockchain technology, as a revolutionary technology that has emerged in recent years, holds significant potential for application in supply chain operations. This paper provides a systematic review of blockchain-based supply chain case studies. The existing literature primarily focuses on the food, agriculture, and pharmaceutical sectors, highlighting the advantages of blockchain technology in terms of traceability and transparency. However, there is a limited number of studies addressing the improvement of collaboration efficiency in supply chains, particularly within the realm of information technology enterprises. By conducting semi-structured interviews, we present a case study of Lenovo, a leading enterprise utilizing blockchain technology, to elucidate the advantages of using blockchain technology. Subsequently, it proposes a conceptual model for a blockchain-based information collaboration system and discusses the potential applications of blockchain technology in supply chain collaboration. Our study contributes to the existing work on blockchain applications to enhance supply chain collaboration.
Abstract Capital constraints are one of the major challenges for the supplier to invest in activities to enhance environmental and social responsibility (ESR) in production. Responsible buyer direct financing has emerged as an important solution to motivate supplier ESR by pegging the interest rate to the supplier's ESR level. Motivated by real practices, we develop gameâtheoretical models to explore the value of conducting blockchainâassisted due diligence to inspect the borrowing supplier's ESR qualification in a twoâtier supply chain structure where the downstream buyer directly finances the capitalâconstrained supplier. Conventional wisdom tells us that driving greater supplier transparency (e.g., conducting blockchainâassisted due diligence) will motivate the supplier to strengthen environmental and social compliance. However, we identify the necessary and sufficient âbackfiring conditionâ under which the blockchainâassisted due diligence may âbackfireâ by reducing the supplier's ESR efforts. The supplier devotes more ESR efforts if and only if the due diligence cost is sufficiently high. Our result implies that the heavy cost of adopting blockchain technology is not necessarily bad from the responsibility perspective as long as the backfiring condition does not hold. Moreover, we identify the Pareto zone in which conducting blockchainâassisted due diligence could benefit both supply chain members. We extend our model by examining the impact of a shift from profit orientation to social welfare orientation. Our findings provide managerial insights into the implementation of blockchainâassisted due diligence to enhance supplier ESR and improve supply chain membersâ profits.
Blockchain technology, as a well-known technology in financial spaces, has many advantages in non-financial industries and supply chains. Two of the main benefits of blockchain technology are smart contracts and distributed decision-making processes. These features can be especially useful in implementing Industry 4.0. Moreover, this technology can increase productivity in supply chains by enhancing transparency, reducing operational costs, and improving monitoring and supervision throughout the lifecycle of products. In this paper, we introduce a blockchain-based architecture for a supply chain in cloud architecture. This approach leads to the more efficient implementation of Industry 4.0 and increases sustainability in the supply chain. In this study, we aim to investigate whether the proposed blockchain-based platform affects sustainability in the supply chain. From a sustainability perspective, we solve the large-scale problem of a cloud-based productionâdistribution system in centralized and distributed states. The results of the solution indicate a significant improvement in the decentralized state compared to the centralized state and this improvement enhances sustainability in the supply chain. We verify the proposed model by considering an axiomatic design algorithm. In the distributed model, the system cost is reduced by up to 45%, and the solving time is decreased by approximately 51% in pessimistic conditions and by about 87% in optimistic conditions. These improvements directly enhance economic and environmental sustainability, resulting in reduced energy consumption.
Taofeek Tunde Okanlawon, Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Richard Ajayi Jimoh
Purpose Blockchain technology (BT) is a relatively new technological innovation in all industries, including the construction industry, that is used to improve supply chain management. Therefore, this study assesses the drivers for the implementation of BT in the construction supply chain management in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative research approach, with a questionnaire survey administered to professionals in the Nigerian construction industry using the snowball sampling method, yielding 155 respondents. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) while Cronbachâs alpha was used to evaluate the reliability. Findings The analysis revealed that all the identified drivers ranked higher than the average mean item score, with level of awareness of the new technology and data management ranking topmost. The identified drivers were clustered into five categories using EFA: technological driver, social-economic driver, management driver, transparency and security driver and information driver. Research limitations/implications This research was carried out in the Southwestern region which is one of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria using a cross-sectional survey method. Practical implications The findings will be extremely useful to both professionals and practitioners in the Nigerian construction industry in gaining knowledge about the potential drivers to the implementation of BT in construction supply chain management. Originality/value The research categorized the drivers into technological, social-economic, management, transparency and security and information driver. It also identified that level of awareness of BT as the major driver in the implementation of BT in construction supply chain management.
Maria Elena Bruni, Vittorio Capocasale, Marco Fabio Costantino, Stefano Musso · 5 authors
Distributed ledger technologies are transforming existing business models and business relationships. In particular, blockchain allows non-trusting parties to manage a shared database in a decentralized way and improve the transparency, authenticity, and reliability of the exchanged data. Nonetheless, decentralized paradigms are not yet well established, resulting in only a fraction of blockchain-based applications being successful in the long term.In this paper, we present a blockchain-based solution for the electric vehicle supply chain that we designed in the context of the CONCORDIA project of the European Cybersecurity Competence Network. We describe the goals, the value proposition, the main design choices, and the architecture of our system. Moreover, we discuss the electric vehicle supply chain, analyzing the improvements and limitations introduced by our blockchain-based solution. We analyze our solution from the managerial and technical points of view through a lean business methodology for blockchain solutions. In particular, we developed an economic impact assessment to evaluate the potential costs and revenues of the application of blockchain technology in a supply chain context. Although the blockchain system is inspired by the supply chain of a multinational automotive company, it can be applied to any other multi-actor supply chain.
Blockchain and other Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) are often considered major improvements in the capability of certain areas in sustainability accounting research. As such, it is argued that blockchains could be used for validation, data management, transactions settlements and objective measurement for corporate sustainability indicators, such as Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions during production processes. Following a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology in data collection and database formation, the current work provides an analysis of the existing literature consisting of 59 contributions on blockchain applications in sustainability accounting. Several analysis steps containing bibliometric analyses were performed and presented, including novel coding of methodologies and industrial applications. Additionally, text mining analysis of the meta-data of contributions was conducted for the purpose of topic generation and retrieval of comparative insights. Results provide insights into the mapping of baseline technologies, regulatory environment, and practical factors outlined by previous contributions that influence the applications of blockchains for this cause. Future research areas include blockchains paired with other future-proof technologies, such as digital accounting tools (e.g. XBRL) or hardware IoT technologies in smart factories, to aid in the development of new pipelines of measurable and traceable sustainability information.
The textile and fashion industry is on the brink of a major disruption, and blockchain technology (BT) presents a promising solution that could transform the industry by facilitating supply chain transparency, traceability, and sustainability. This article explores the potential of BT in the textile and fashion industry, with a focus on its current applications and potential impact. Using case studies and analyzing all announced blockchain projects from January 2017 to January 2023, we examine the diversity of blockchain applications across different aspects of the textile and fashion industry, including smart contracts and payment processing, supply chain tracking, sustainability applications, and customer engagement. The findings suggest an increasing number of companies are adopting BT, and that BT has the potential to revolutionize the T and F industry by creating a more transparent and efficient supply chain, reducing fraud and counterfeiting, and increasing customer confidence in products. We also identified the challenges and difficulties that may arise during the implementation of BT. This article contributes to the literature on BT in the textile and fashion industry, providing critical insights into its potential impact.