Since the advent of blockchain technology (BT), extensive research has explored using this technology in non-financial cases. The healthcare industry is one of the non-financial sectors that BT has significantly impacted. In this paper, for the first time, barriers to implement BT-based platforms from a balanced scorecard perspective in the healthcare sector are introduced, and these barriers are prioritized using a structural approach based on the weighted influence non-linear gauge system. Unlike other structural models such as decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), in this approach, both strength and influence intensity of components are considered in the ranking process. The proposed approach is applied in networks that have a hierarchical structure and intertwined components. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated using the ranking of BT-based platform adoption barriers in the healthcare industry in Iran. The results show that financial issues, security issues, lack of expertise and knowledge, and uncertain government policies are the most important barriers to BT adoption in the healthcare industry.
Bahadur Ali Soomro, Naimatullah Shah, Nadia A. Abdelmegeed Abdelwahed
Purpose At present, the adoption of cryptocurrency investment has brought consideration to the globe. The present paper attempts to investigate the intention to adopt cryptocurrency (IACR) among the potential investors of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is applied to underpin the conceptual framework. The study uses a quantitative approach. The study collects cross-sectional data through an online survey questionnaire. In the last, the authors utilized 334 samples for outcomes. Findings Findings of the SEM reveal a significant positive effect of attitude, subjective norms (SNs), perceived behavioral control (PBC) and trust on IACR. Practical implications The outcomes of an investigation would develop further intention and trust towards cryptocurrency adoption. The results would support developing favorable policies regarding the reduction of the ban on cryptocurrency in Pakistan to make easier transactions of the investors further. Possibly, it brings several opportunities in all segments of society in making the digital transaction modes through cryptocurrency. Finally, the findings would further validate the TPB in the context of cryptocurrency. Originality/value The study provides a better understanding of cryptocurrency and investors IACR. The empirical evidence further develops the other individuals' intentions towards cryptocurrency usage.
Blockchain technology is considered one of the most revolutionary innovations that has much to offer the tourism industry, having a positive impact among consumers with the help of interactive applications but also easy to use. Tourist services must constantly evolve in a society where the consumer has everything a click away and his requirements are demanding when it comes to quality leisure. Blockchain technology has the power to change the course of the travel experience, offering the customer more autonomy, but the applications developed by the providers can offer transparency and trust to the customers from the moment T0, when the desire to go on a trip is born, until the end at which it should provide feedback. So far, digital and tourism specialists have not agreed on the development of blockchain-based applications, although the benefits are great for both consumers and tourism service providers, as in this publication we can see a series of advantages that blockchain technology can offer the tourism field. This paper also investigates the satisfaction that the Romanian consumer has after purchasing tourist services through e-commerce applications, a satisfaction that can be an additional motivation for specialists to implement blockchain technology. Following the research in this paper, it can be seen how important it is to develop a series of easy-to-use applications, because if the consumer does not manage to use the applications, this affects the degree of satisfaction and the intention to continue using the online applications for the purchase of tourism services.
Blockchain has evolved as one of the disruptive technologies in the landscape of business. The study aims to investigate drivers of consumer adoption of blockchain for product origin and track to trace history before making a purchase. An extended technology adoption model (TAM) has been proposed to examine the consumer perspective for blockchain adoption in the food supply chain. Based on the survey of 208 retail consumers the proposed model was validated using variance-based structure equation modeling. Findings of the study emphasize the significant role of perceived security and privacy in developing trust, ease of use, and usefulness of blockchain-enabled systems. The relationship between perceived ease of use and attitude is mediated through perceived usefulness. The strong influence of attitude on adoption intention represents the consumer interest for blockchain to understand the product provenance. Study provides vital insights for successful blockchain implementation to enhance supply chain effectiveness.
Jonathan Koroma, Zhou Rongting, Sayibu Muhideen, Tosin Yinka Akintunde · 7 authors
Digital transformation and technologies have drastically channeled innovative global market trends from conventional commerce to digital currency. Therefore, this study examined the influence of trust on citizens' behavior (CB) in decision-making towards blockchain cryptocurrency. The study employed a quantitative method to collect data from Africans in the diaspora of the Mano River Union sub-region. We combined SPSS and Smart PLS for data analysis. The proportion of males in the population was 52%, females were 48%. The analysis outcome found that citizen's behavior R2 = 43% and trust in cryptocurrency R2 = 45% variance were explained by the study model. Results also show a positive relationship between technology attachment and citizen's behavior (r2 = 25%), blockchain transparency (BT) on trust crypto (r2 = 68%), BT on CB (r2 = 38%) as well as trust in Crypto on CB (r2 = 25%). Meanwhile, the moderation effects of ethical issues negate the relationship between trust and consumer's behaviors, while the mediation of trust supports the association between cryptocurrency and citizen's behavior (68%). The development of BT should entail an inclusive approach; as such, the Mano River Union must not be left behind. “The internet is central to data transfer, but the blockchain is central to value transfer,” hence the ethical issues and trust in crypto-enabler will ensure easy adaptability across the globe and Africa in particular.
Cryptocurrencies have transgressed ever-changing economic trends in the global economy, owing to their conveyance, security, trust, and the ability to make transactions without the aid of formal institutions and governing bodies. However, the adoption of cryptocurrency remains low among stakeholders, including e-retailers. Thus, the current work explores the intentions of e-retailers in the Asia and Pacific region to adopt cryptocurrencies. This study considers the TAM-based SOR, with a combination of non-cognitive attributes (compatibility and convenience) proposed as stimuli for e-retailers to adopt the examined cryptocurrencies. The findings indicate that the proposed non-cognitive attributes are critical in determining e-retailers’ technostress (emotional state). Moreover, it was found that technostress among e-retailers profoundly impacts their intentions to adopt cryptocurrency in business settings. Meanwhile, regulatory support communication can be used to help regulatory bodies and governing institutions control the future economy worldwide. The proposed study offers significant theoretical and practical contributions through its investigation of e-retailers’ intentions to adopt cryptocurrency for the first time in the particular context of technostress and regulatory support.
The growing popularity of blockchain applications in various sectors has widely been renowned as a pioneering technological innovation that can speed up many bursts of creativity and bring out an exceptional level of digital innovation. The adoption of IT, automation, and technological advancement has shown lethargy in the implementation of new technologies in developing economies. The objective is to examine users' behavioural intention to use blockchain technology for enlightening digital banking services. A conceptual framework for blockchain adoption is developed with the technology acceptance models of a UTAUT by incorporating financial literacy and perceived risk factors. PLS-SEM using SmartPLS 3.0 results show that social influence, financial literacy, and perceived risk have significantly influenced the behavioural intention to use blockchain technology in digital banking services. The social significance of this study recommends that financial institutions and decision-makers must design a blockchain application that facilitates users to accept in the banking sector.
The ever-increasing acceptance of cryptocurrencies has fueled applications beyond investment purposes. Crypto-payment is one such application that can bring radical changes to financial transactions in many industries, particularly e-commerce and online retail. However, characteristics of the technology such as transaction disintermediation, lack of central authority, and lack of adequate regulations may introduce new privacy and security concerns among the users. This coincides with another trend of rising individuals’ concerns pertaining to information privacy and security issues in online transactions. The current paper investigates how consumer trust in crypto-payment, a key determinant of consumer intentions and relational exchanges over the long-term, is formed based on their perceptions towards privacy and security aspects of the technology. Using data from 327 survey participants, the study found that perceived information privacy risk, perceived anonymity, and perceived traceability of transactions are significant determinants of consumer trust in crypto-payment; but their perceptions of information security fraud risk have no significant effect. It also provided support for the hypothesis that perceived trust contributes to consumers’ intention to adopt crypto-payment. The findings highlight the need to enhance consumer understanding and awareness of information privacy and potential security issues in crypto-payment as well as what needs to be done to address consumer concerns in this regard. The paper creates novel insights into the requirements of trust in crypto-payment services and the consequences of consumers’ perceptions of privacy and security in this domain.
Blockchain has become an epidemic and significant decision that organizations may make in the next few years, enabling institutions to integrate business functions, operations, and processes in a decen- tralized distributed ledger technology. This technology will transform the business world and economy in solving the limitations created by centralization and system inefficiency. Accordingly, with the high demand and complexity of growing economies such as the HHH University countries, the need for a typical solution technology is a game changer. This will lead GCC to a solid economic base. Blockchain technology can be applicable in many different fields such as Banking, education, Health, finance, government and trade. This article will address the literature review and methodology of Blockchain technology and innovation at the GCC, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Also, more research can be conducted in the future as the system may be integrated in these countries.
I examine the style and skill of small, medium, and large Bitcoin traders using order book data from the largest U.S.-based exchange, Coinbase. I find that all but the smallest traders are contrarian---they buy when prices have fallen and vice versa---and the larger the traders, the more contrarian they are. Additionally, large Bitcoin traders anchor to the 30-, 90-, and 120-day highs. On the other hand, smaller investors mainly trade based on investor sentiment and attention. Decomposing the order flows, I find that contrarian trades positively predict Bitcoin returns, and consistently, larger traders who are contrarian on average show evidence of market timing skills. On the other hand, sentiment- and attention-induced trading, which are mainly implemented by smaller traders, have no predictive power for returns. Overall, the results are consistent with larger traders being compensated for providing liquidity to smaller investors’ sentiment and attention-driven trades.
Ahmad Mousa Altamimi, Mahmood Ghaleb Al-Bashayreh, Mohammad Aloudat, Dmaithan Almajali
Sustainable Learning and Education (SLE) is a recent emerging philosophy founded on sustainability principles and in response to the UN announced Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, technologies should be implemented to empower educational institutions to achieve SLE. This study aims to investigate the factors impacting the intentions of using blockchain technology for SLE in Jordanian universities. Accordingly, an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is proposed where five more factors are integrated. To this end, an extended model was proposed and validated using structural equation modeling based on 407 responses collected using an online survey. The results showed that adopted factors significantly impact blockchain use in SLE. We believe that the study finding would assist decision-makers in building systems for sustainable learning and education for the Jordanian higher educational institutes.
Bokolo Anthony, Sobah Abbas Petersen, Markus Helfert
Abstract Cities are actively deploying modern digital technologies to foster digitalization due to the emergence of data-driven innovations. Through modern digital technologies, municipalities aim to enhance services performance. Despite prior studies that focused on digital transformation in smart cities, there have been few studies aimed at managing service transformation and complexities needed to support cities in getting smarter. Also, as the deployment of information technology (IT) continues to grow within urban environment, there has been little research conducted that develops data-driven approach for digital services within urban environment. Additionally, cities are exploring methods of providing seamless mobility services based on collaboration among several enterprises and stakeholders in urban environment while achieving seamless data-driven services. Therefore, this study explores the adoption of Enterprise Architecture (EA) for digital transformations to achieve seamless urban mobility services. Qualitative data was collected using case study by interview from an organization that employs distributed ledger technology (DLT) to deploy digital services in smart cities. Findings from the interview sessions were modelled in ArchiMate language to illustrate the application of digital payment solution via DLT toward digitization of urban mobility services. The findings reveal that EA supports digital transformation of cities and manages data integration and alignment. Besides, findings from this study propose an EA approach to support urban planners and developers in understanding the actions required to implement digital transformation of their city services in becoming smarter.
The rapid growth of competitive gaming, driven by eSports and online multiplayer platforms, has created a demand for innovative solutions that enhance user engagement and experience. This paper proposes a Digital Innovation Model designed to improve competitive gaming through the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), blockchain, and cloud computing. The model emphasizes key areas, including AI-driven game personalization, intelligent matchmaking, immersive gameplay experiences, real-time analytics, and decentralized reward systems. A core aspect of the model is AI-powered engagement optimization, which enhances user retention by adapting game mechanics to individual player preferences. Additionally, smart matchmaking algorithms ensure fair and competitive gameplay by leveraging machine learning to balance skill levels. VR and augmented reality (AR) technologies further contribute to immersion, transforming competitive gaming into an interactive and deeply engaging experience. The integration of blockchain-based security solutions ensures transparency in competitive rankings, anti-cheat mechanisms, and in-game economies through NFT-based assets and decentralized finance (DeFi) models. Moreover, cloud gaming advancements enhance accessibility by reducing hardware dependency, enabling seamless cross-platform gaming experiences. The proposed model also explores social engagement innovations, such as enhanced voice and text chat features, virtual lobbies, and community-driven content creation. Case studies from leading gaming companies highlight the effectiveness of these technologies in fostering player engagement and long-term retention. However, ethical considerations, regulatory frameworks, and data privacy concerns must be addressed to ensure responsible gaming practices. By integrating these cutting-edge digital innovations, the proposed model aims to redefine competitive gaming, offering a more immersive, fair, and rewarding experience for players worldwide. Future research should focus on refining these technologies, addressing potential risks, and ensuring their sustainable implementation in the gaming industry.
Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the factors driving individuals’ behavioral intention to use cryptocurrency in Saudi Arabia using the extended TRA model. Background: Despite the great potential of cryptocurrencies and the exponential growth of cryptocurrency use throughout the world, scholarly research on this topic remained scarce. Whereas prior studies are mostly done in developed countries or specific cultural contexts, limiting the generalizability of their results, they mainly used technology adoption models that cannot fully explain the acceptance of new technology involved with financial transactions such as cryptocurrency and provided contradictory evidence. Entire regions have been excluded from the research on this topic, including Saudi Arabia which has a high potential to increase the volume of cryptocurrency use. Methodology: This study extends the theory of reasoned action (TRA) with the factors from technology adoption models that proved relevant for this topic, namely perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, perceived innovativeness, and perceived risk with three sub-factors: security, financial, and privacy risk. Data are collected using a quantitative research methodology from 181 respondents residing in Saudi Arabia and then analyzed by several methods, including exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). Contribution: This study contributes to the scientific knowledge by extending the TRA model with a range of factors from the technology adoption field, thus enabling the analysis of this topic from human, financial, and technology perspectives and providing additional empirical evidence on the factors that previously either provided contradictory evidence or were not explored in this field. This research also provides the first empirical data on this topic in Saudi Arabia and enables further research on the topic and a comparison of the results. The study also contributes to practice by enhancing the actual understanding of the phenomena and providing valuable information and recommendations for governments, investors, merchants, developers, and the general population. Findings: The study found attitude, subjective norm, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, personal innovativeness, privacy risk, and financial risk as significant predictors of the intention to use cryptocurrencies, whereas the influence of security risk was not found to be significant in Saudi Arabia. Recommendations for Practitioners: Using this study’s results, governments can create appropriate legal frameworks, developers can design fewer complex platforms, and merchants may create appropriate campaigns that emphasize the benefits of cryptocurrency use and transpire trust in cryptocurrency transactions by enhancing the factors with a positive impact, such as usefulness, enjoyment, and personal innovativeness while reducing concerns of potential users regarding the risky factors. By promoting a positive user experience, they can also improve attitudes and social norms towards cryptocurrencies, thus further stimulating the interest in their use. Recommendation for Researchers: As this study validated the influence of factors from technology, financial, and human-related fields, researchers may follow this approach to ensure a comprehensive analysis of this complex topic, especially as privacy risk was never examined in this context, while personal innovativeness, perceived enjoyment, financial, and security risk were explored in just a few studies. It is also recommended that researchers explore the impact of each part of subjective norms: social media, friends, and family, as well as how information on the benefits of cryptocurrencies affects the perception of the factors included. Impact on Society: Understanding the factors affecting cryptocurrency use can help utilize the full potential of cryptocurrencies, especially their benefits for developing countries reflected in safe, speedy, and low-cost financial transactions with no need for an intermediary. The research model of this study could also be used to investigate this topic in other contexts to discover similarities and differences, as well as to investigate other information systems. Future Research: Future studies should test this research model in similar and different contexts to determine whether its validity and study results depend on cultural and contextual factors. They can also include different or additional variables, or use mixed methods, as interviews would augment the comprehension of this topic. Future studies may also explore whether the impact of variables would remain the same if circumstances changed or use cases expanded, and how the preferences of the target population would change within a longitudinal time frame.