In the context of accelerating economic transformation and upgrading, and comprehensively promoting the construction of digital China and ecological civilization in China, this paper uses text mining and OLS to quantitatively study the relationship between fiscal decentralization, enterprise digital transformation and green innovation in 31 provinces from 2011 to 2021. This study finds that fiscal decentralization will promote enterprise green innovation and digital transformation, and that digital transformation has a partial mediating effect between fiscal decentralization and enterprise green innovation. Furthermore, this expansive study finds that fiscal decentralization has a positive role in promoting the green innovation of heterogeneous enterprises and enterprises in different regions, among which its promotion effect on state-owned enterprises is higher than that of private enterprises, and its promotion effect on enterprises in the central and western regions is higher than that of enterprises in the eastern region. Moreover, an inverted U-shaped relationship exists between fiscal decentralization and the green innovation of enterprise. In addition, financing constraints have a masking effect between fiscal decentralization and green innovation in enterprise and green innovation significantly promotes enterprise environmental, social and governance (ESG) development.
Chuangneng Cai, Xiancheng Hao, Kui Wang, Xuebing Dong
Globalization has prompted enterprises worldwide to increasingly seek the optimal supply chain configuration. However, outsourcing, shortened product life cycles, and a reduced supply base severely weaken supply chain risk tolerance. With the emergence of blockchain, enterprises see an opportunity to mitigate supply chain risks. The purpose of our research is to explore supply chain managersâ intention to adopt blockchain technology from the perspective of supply chain risk management. Using a survey sample of 203 managers in China and the USA, we explored the impact of four perceived benefits of blockchain technology on supply chain risk resistance by extending the technology acceptance model. The results show that the traceability, transparency, information sharing, and decentralization of blockchain can enhance the perceived usefulness of blockchain in supply chain resilience and responsiveness, and the ability to withstand disruption risks and supply and demand coordination risks encountered in the supply chain, thus promoting the adoption of the technology. In addition, the relationships between supply chain resilience and blockchain technology adoption and between supply chain responsiveness and blockchain technology adoption are more salient for managers with high levels of uncertainty avoidance.
Abstract In a modern supply chain, the quality of the final product is not determined by a single firm but depends on the joint efforts of multiple firms. When a quality defect happens, it is usually costâinefficient to trace the source of quality problems and all firms in the supply chain might incur a loss. New technologies such as blockchain can enable supply chain traceability at an affordable cost. In this paper, we develop a twoâechelon supply chain model including one supplier and one buyer in a competitive market. The quality of the final product depends on the two firmsâ quality efforts. The buyer as a leader can set a wholesale price to stimulate the supplier's effort. In the absence (presence) of traceability, the payment of wholesale price is based on the realization of the final product's quality (the supplier's individual quality). Interestingly, we find that supply chain traceability may cause a decrease of the supplier's quality effort, thereby reducing the quality of the final product when market competition is sufficiently intensive. Furthermore, traceability weakly increases the supplier's profit but weakly decreases the buyer's profit. However, the total profit of the supply chain can be increased in the presence of traceability.
Global drug handling and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic add to the current complexity in healthcare operation, potentially hindering the visibility and integrity of supply chain information. Blockchainâs potential to enhance information veracity has increasingly captured the attention of practitioners and academics. This research aims to understand how blockchain helps the healthcare supply chain maintain trustworthiness of cross-enterprise information amid uncertainty conditions. A systematic literature review was performed on eight prominent databases with blockchain and healthcare supply chain served as central topics. Following the quality assessment, open, axial, and selective coding were conducted to identify blockchain potentials. Next, blockchain capabilities were then mapped to the characteristics efficient supply chain. A total of 43 articles were extracted and identified. Findings indicate 10 characteristics of an efficient supply chain, such as flexibility in managing supply chain, minimum error, and transparency. The coding process also unfolds 14 applicable properties of blockchain in the healthcare supply chain, such as data availability, decentralisation, and data sharing.
Consumersâ perception of product value when purchasing is a critical issue relative to online platform commerce. This is especially true when the brand manufacturer authorises only a third-party reseller to sell through the platform, a practice that may provide opportunities to counterfeiters. To address this issue, we establish a theoretical model in which one brand manufacturer wholesales its products to a third-party reseller who then sells through an online platform. The platform acts as a marketplace, while multiple counterfeiters also exist on the platform, which may deceive consumers. In particular, we consider that the manufacturer can encroach with a direct channel and that the platform can adopt blockchain technology to help consumers identify authenticity. The results show that the platform could induce the brand manufacturer to encroach by deploying blockchain technology. Furthermore, an interesting result indicates that although either manufacturer encroachment or blockchain technology used alone can effectively boycott counterfeits, the coexistence of two strategies can raise the demand for counterfeit products. Finally, we find that when the brand manufacturer encroaches on the platform and the platform adopts blockchain technology, the brand manufacturer, platform, reseller and social welfare can achieve Pareto improvement, while the consumer surplus may be worse off.
Purpose Blockchain technology is one of the candidate technologies for resolving supply chain issues that may occur as a result of the complex and continuously changing market structures of the present day. In addressing the problems encountered in such a system, blockchain technology has emerged as a target technology due to its notable advantages, such as smart contracts and product traceability. Since a supply chain consists of suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, and industrial customers, blockchain technology can be considered inter-firm technology. However, the literature mainly focuses on technical, individual, and environmental aspects of technology acceptance depending on technology acceptance theories. Therefore, more information is needed about how inter-firm relations and their aspects affect organizational blockchain technology acceptance. Consequently, this study aims to identify the inter-firm characteristics and their influence on the acceptance of blockchain technologies in supply chains using network theory.Methodology The research methodology design consists of two elements. First, based on the expert judgments, the relationships between the indicated parameters regarding blockchain acceptance intention are analyzed using the DEMATEL technique, based on expert opinion. In the second part, with the data obtained from 361 supply chain managers, the validity of the linked assumptions in the proposed model is confirmed by applying PLS-SEM.Findings The present study enhances our knowledge of inter-firm technology acceptance behavior by incorporating trading partner trust, initial firm power, the dependency between partners, knowledge sharing, and cooperation. According to the findings of DEMATEL, there is a strong association between inter-firm technology acceptance characteristics in explaining behavioral intention. Whereas other variables mainly influence dependency, trust has the most significant impact on those variables with cooperation. On the other hand, PLS-SEM analysis delivers remarkable results that describe the complicated structure of blockchain acceptance from an inter-firm perspective. Cooperation is the most influential variable affecting behavioral intention (0.614), followed by dependency (0.156) and knowledge sharing (0.153). Even though the direct effects of inter-firm trust and the initial firmâs power on behavioral intention were found insignificant, dependency fully mediates the effects of these variables on behavioral intention. Similarly, the relationship between trading partner trust and behavioral intention is fully mediated by knowledge sharing, while it also partially mediates the influence of cooperation. Examining the direct impacts reveals that cooperation is the most influential variable on behavioral intention, which is consistent with the DEMATEL conclusion.Research Implications The current study demonstrates that the network theory is appropriate for explaining the acceptance of blockchain technology from an inter-firm perspective within the context of supply chain interactions. Since the theory can delve into the underlying characteristics of these relationships, it helps justify the target behavior. On the other hand, the DEMATEL approach validates the relationships between variables in the theoretical model. Then these associations are verified using PLS-SEM considering the primary data obtained from supply chain managers. The primary purpose of the DEMATEL method was to elucidate the relationships between variables and provide empirical support for the structure of the theoretical model. The networks of linkages that developed from the DEMATEL approach based on expert opinions corroborate the relationships in the theoretical model based on the literature, suggesting a significant connection between the two methodologies. Such methodological designs are essential for boosting the resultsâ trustworthiness and applicability.Practical Implications Cooperation is the most significant explanatory variable regarding blockchain technology acceptance. Following the nature of the supply chain, this conclusion highlights the significance of relationships between partners in chain. In their projects for blockchain technology, managers should examine the benefits of these technologies for themselves and other stakeholders in the chain. This study demonstrates issues with the inter-firm acceptance of blockchain technologies regarding the influence of trust and power on the final acceptance behavior. Nevertheless, the growth in inter-firm dependence enhances the efficiency of these effects. Therefore, managers must understand how to utilize their resources for chain gain. While this makes it easier for them to preserve their authority and influence the conduct of their partners over the long run, the appropriate allocation of resources across dependent stakeholders will ultimately strengthen the perception of trust. Our results also prove that knowledge sharing increases the effects of cooperation and inter-firm trust on behavioral intention. This indicates that managers should convince the other partners about the benefits of target technology by sharing key and timely information.Originality This study makes numerous original contributions and provides new insights. This study contributes to general knowledge of the acceptance of blockchain technologies in the supply chain by focusing on the inter-firm technology perspective. In this vein, the results produced through the investigation of mediation relations are novel and presented to the literature. On the other hand, DEMATEL and PLS-SEM are integrated for the first time considering blockchain acceptance in supply chain studies, to our knowledge. Furthermore, this is the first study to combine network theory and inter-firm perspective to explain the acceptance of blockchain technology in supply chains.
This study examines the present scholarly research on blockchain technology in supply chain management. The primary purpose of this working paper is to visualize and perform a scientometric review of 468 publications and research published between 2007 and 2021 from the Web of Science database. Co-author analysis, co-word analysis, and co-citation analysis highlight main concepts and research hotspots and provide light on important specializations and developing trends. This study primarily uses Citespace5.8. R1 to conduct a systematic analysis of author collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence networks, keyword clustering, keyword burstiness, and literature co-citation graph spectrum networks in the domain of blockchain in supply chain management to identify the research state, development trend, hotspots, and frontiers. Research shows that :(1) since 2017, the literature on the application of blockchain in supply chain management has expanded rapidly. China and the United States are particularly advanced in this area compared to other nations. (2) The "blockchain in supply chain management" research mainly focuses on technical framework theory, which uses distributed ledger technology and smart contracts to control supply chain operations. Simultaneously, technical innovation should be combined with artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and other technologies to enhance the trust, transparency, traceability, performance index, and security of the supply chain. (3) The horizon of study in this area is the integration of RFID and blockchain technology for technical innovation in Industry 4.0, intending to improve and optimize each supply chain node.
Blockchain technology is being looked at to solve numerous real-world problems that demand transparency by meeting sustainable goals. Do we ponder whether this technology is a boon or a bane for the environment? This paper analyses blockchainâs dominant consensus method, Proof-of-Work (PoW), which consumes more energy than Malaysia and Sweden and further deteriorates the environment through carbon emissions. This study is the first systematic evaluation of PoW consensus-based blockchain applicationsâ environmental consequences. We found 11 significant Theories, 6 Contexts, and 26 Methodologies (TCM) in 60 reviewed articles. We propose an Antecedents, Drivers, and Outcomes (ADO) model, which depicts that marginal profits drive high energy consumption and carbon emissions, with non-renewable energy proportionally responsible for carbon emissions. The article distinctively uses an integrated TCM-ADO framework for literature synthesis and the PESTLE framework for reporting future research areas. This is the first study to use the following four frameworks: PRISMA; TCM; ADO; and PESTLE for systematic literature review. Profit is identified as one of the most significant drivers of energy consumption and further carbon emissions. The article proposes 65 future research areas and makes theoretical contributions to the literature that may interest academicians, practitioners, and social stakeholders.
Industrial Symbiosis (IS) involves a network of organizations that exchange energy, materials, and by-products to lower production costs, reduce environmental impact, and conserve natural resources. Despite over two decades of extensive research into IS, its benefits are well known, but implementation remains challenging. This paper proposes utilizing blockchain technology (BCT) to digitize IS, making it more secure and transparent. First, drivers and barriers of BCT implementation in IS are identified. A smart contract architecture framework using Hyperledger Fabric is then proposed using the constructed theoretical background and abductive method. Finally, the paper discusses how this framework supports the implementation of BCT in IS by addressing its drivers and attempting to overcome its barriers. It is a resource for those seeking a comprehensive grasp of the foundational elements necessary for constructing a successful IS blockchain design, which is adaptable to all types of IS network configurations.
The emergence of blockchain creates a new possibility to solve the fraudulent problem of financial supply chain. We construct a game model to verify the strategic choice of the financial supply chain in an uncertain environment. We derive the equilibrium results and investigate the strategic choice of blockchain service for the financial supply chain. We also study the product price, product quantity, financing interest rate, and supply chain risk transmission, respectively. Specifically, when the blockchain is not considered, the financial model of supply chain led by core enterprises depends on firmsâ reputation. The retail and wholesale prices increase when fraud occurs or consideration payment increases. Besides, the market stability reduces price performance. In the blockchain environment, the strategic choices are divided into two cases: when choosing the core enterprise model and the third-party service model, the third-party service model is the equilibrium strategy; when choosing the third-party service model and the platform model, the platform model is the equilibrium strategy.
Hang Thanh Bui, Omar Khadeer Hussain, Daniel D. Prior, Farookh Hussain · 5 authors
Blockchain technology has the potential to be applied widely in supply chain operations. One such area is proactive supply chain risk management (SCRM). In this area, existing researchers have highlighted the fraudulent behaviour of supply chain partners who do not disclose information on the risks that impact their operations. Blockchain can address this problem by encoding each partnerâs commitment to SCRM and achieve consensus. However, before this can be achieved, a key challenge to address is the inability of existing consensus mechanisms such as Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Authority (PoA) and Proof of Stake (PoS) to deal with information that does not have a digital footprint. In this paper, we address this gap by proposing the Proof by Earnestness (PoE) consensus mechanism which accounts for the authenticity, legitimacy and trustworthiness of information that does not have a digital footprint. We also propose the Subjective Information Authenticity Earnestness Framework (SIAEF) as the overarching framework that assists PoE in achieving its aim. We test the applicability of SIAEF and PoE in a real-world blockchain environment by deploying it as a decentralized application (Dapp) and applying it in BscScan Testnet which is an official test blockchain network.
Sinan Ăıkmak, BarÄ±Ć KantoÄlu, Gökhan Kırbaç
This research aims to investigate and identify the effects of blockchain technology (BT) characteristics on SCOR supply chain (SC) performance measurement attributes. To achieve this, initially, the importance weights of blockchain characteristics (BC) in the context of the SC are determined by using the Interval Type-2 Fuzzy AHP. Furthermore, in order to rank Supply Chain Operation Reference (SCOR) model SC performance measurement attributes, the Interval Type-2 Fuzzy TOPSIS method is used. As for the conclusion, this research signifies that decentralised, security, and immutability are among the top three in terms of importance weights for SC while the consensus is ranked last and as for BC, SCOR model SC performance measurement attributes are ranked as reliability, asset management efficiency, responsiveness, cost, and agility. This study and its outcomes may serve organisations that are striving to boost their SC performance by applying BT.
With the development of ecological economics, energy-saving green energy chain management has been a wide concern of academia and industries. However, the relatively high cost of green investment makes manufacturers face the problem of financial constraints. On this basis, because the green level information of products is proprietary to manufacturers, manufacturers will lie about the green level of products in order to improve their profits out of the principle of profit maximization. As a result, banks cannot obtain the true green level of products, reducing the benefits of the green energy-efficient supply chain system and making the market of green products volatile. In view of this, blockchain technology is introduced in this paper to improve customerâs product green level sensitivity and obtain lower green credit interest rates from banks. In this paper, a green supply chain financing model based on blockchain technology was constructed under the condition of green information misreporting, and it is compared with the benchmark without blockchain technology. Research shows that the adoption of blockchain can achieve Pareto improvement of green supply chain members. In addition, manufacturers have an incentive to adopt blockchain if the cost of blockchain investment falls below a certain threshold, and consumer green sensitivity increases below that threshold. We compared the profits of green manufacturers with those of retailers and the total emissions of manufacturers. The results show that: (1) When the financing intensity exceeds a certain value, there is an optimal coverage of green financing to ensure that the profit target of manufacturers, the profit target of retailers and the emission reduction target are achieved simultaneously. (2) The adoption of blockchain can achieve Pareto improvement of green energy supply chain members. The actual data of green transformation of Jinyuan New Technology Company were cited. Through calculation, it was found that green transformation can reduce the emissions of enterprises. When the financing intensity is in a certain range, the profits of manufacturers and retailers can be maximized, and the emission reduction degree is the highest. Thus, the practicability and reliability of this model were proved. (3) Manufacturers have an incentive to adopt blockchain if the cost of blockchain investment falls below a certain threshold, and consumer green sensitivity increases below that threshold. The research results of this paper provide solutions for enterprises with limited funds for green transformation and provide a theoretical basis for the government to formulate emission reduction incentive mechanism.
Elias Ribeiro da Silva, Jacob Lohmer, Michelle Rohla, Jannis Angelis
Electric vehicles are perceived as a key technology to make mobility more sustainable, leading to a sharp rise in electric battery production and use. However, electric vehicle batteries are only a sustainable solution if they support decreasing the total impact of the supply chain, which makes circularity initiatives a key element in this transition. Currently, this is limited by the data sharing among actors in the supply chain on critical information needed to support a circular economy approach. In this study we explore how data sharing and information technology support the development of circularity in electric vehicle supply chains and examine the role of blockchain technology to address the circularity needs of battery tracking and capability sharing. To allow a comprehensive analysis, we conduct a case study in the electric vehicle battery supply chain, including companies from multiple tiers to capture all relevant perspectives. The results show that data sharing supports extended value chain activities, evolving from a linear to a circular supply chain perspective. It also indicates that blockchain technology supports removing existing barriers for a circular economy by facilitating transparency and traceability, especially for second-life applications beyond the dominant players in this industry.
Atul Kumar Singh, V. R. Prasath Kumar, Gholamreza Dehdasht, Saeed Reza Mohandes · 6 authors
Blockchain technology (BT) can execute transactions verifiable and permanently, which can help foster the idea of embracing sustainability pillars within industries. Therefore, BT holds considerable promise for the industrial and service sectors; however, its implementation during the procurement stage in a sustainable construction project (SCP) is a bottleneck because of inherent and unknown barriers. Though some attempts on the identification of these barriers have been carried out, the literature lacks a thorough investigation into the relationships and inner dependencies among the related barriers within the realm of SCP. Thus, a novel combination of fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (fuzzy DEMATEL) and social network analysis (FDSNA) is proposed in this paper to fill this gap; FDSNA uncovers causal relationships among leading barriers that impede the adoption of BT within an SCP, and it determines the most critical barriers by modeling their complex interrelationships in related intricate environments. The obtained results suggest âinadequacies in implementing block chain-based policiesâ and âunawareness and resistance to BT among customersâ as the most significant barriers, and âtechnology immaturity,â âmarket uncertainty and competition,â and âtechnology accessibilityâ are identified as the most critical. These results present managers and governmental bodies with an inclusive picture regarding the major obstructions to the successful implementation of BT, and it is expected to open avenues to accrue benefits from such leading-edge technologies at a greater pace.