Hanaa Fatoum, Sam Hanna, John Halamka, Douglas Sicker · 6 authors
BACKGROUND: In the era of big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), digital data have become essential for our everyday functioning and in health care services. The sensitive nature of health care data presents several crucial issues such as privacy, security, interoperability, and reliability that must be addressed in any health care data management system. However, most of the current health care systems are still facing major obstacles and are lacking in some of these areas. This is where decentralized, secure, and scalable databases, most notably blockchains, play critical roles in addressing these requirements without compromising security, thereby attracting considerable interest within the health care community. A blockchain can be maintained and widely distributed using a large network of nodes, mostly computers, each of which stores a full replica of the data. A blockchain protocol is a set of predefined rules or procedures that govern how the nodes interact with the network, view, verify, and add data to the ledger. OBJECTIVE: In this article, we aim to explore blockchain technology, its framework, current applications, and integration with other innovations, as well as opportunities in diverse areas of health care and clinical research, in addition to clarifying its future impact on the health care ecosystem. We also elucidate 2 case studies to instantiate the potential role of blockchains in health care. METHODS: To identify related existing work, terms based on Medical Subject Headings were used. We included studies focusing mainly on health care and clinical research and developed a functional framework for implementation and testing with data. The literature sources for this systematic review were PubMed, Medline, and the Cochrane library, in addition to a preliminary search of IEEE Xplore. RESULTS: The included studies demonstrated multiple framework designs and various implementations in health care including chronic disease diagnosis, management, monitoring, and evaluation. We found that blockchains exhibit many promising applications in clinical trial management such as smart-contract application, participant-controlled data access, trustless protocols, and data validity. Electronic health records (EHRs), patient-centered interoperability, remote patient monitoring, and clinical trial data management were found to be major areas for blockchain usage, which can become a key catalyst for health care innovations. CONCLUSIONS: The potential benefits of blockchains are limitless; however, concrete data on long-term clinical outcomes based on blockchains powered and supplemented by AI and IoT are yet to be obtained. Nonetheless, implementing blockchains as a novel way to integrate EHRs nationwide and manage common clinical problems in an algorithmic fashion has the potential for improving patient outcomes, health care experiences, as well as the overall health and well-being of individuals.
Purpose This study aims to broaden the understanding of the blockchain for human resource (HR) managers through use cases. The study presents a plausible solution for HR professionals to effectively manage some of the core processes to focus on more strategic work and be a true HR business partner for the organization. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a case research strategy. The case research strategy is well-suited to capture the practitioner’s knowledge, mainly when focusing on contemporary events (such as COVID-19). Data collected from 12 tech organizations through telephonic conversations and the interviews were recorded and transcribed using NoNotes call recording. Findings This study identifies five use cases to streamline the critical processes, helping HR professionals such as certificates verification, skill mapping, payroll processing, data protection and performance management. These early use cases offer a plausibly superior alternative in managing critical HR functions and associated business processes with blockchain technology. Research limitations/implications Despite the growing number of blockchain applications, its usage in HR activities is limited. By extensive qualitative case study and data triangulation, the study integrates a resource-based view and unified theory of acceptance by explaining how blockchain adoption helps organizations use their internal resources and capabilities to gain a competitive advantage. The study presents five use cases and propositions that can act as building blocks for the HR department in adopting blockchain applications. Lack of empirical validation (quantitative rigor) of the propositions is the limitation and can be a future research scope. Practical implications Adopting new technologies is not new for HR managers. However, most of the technologies are disjointed applications, and therefore, the need for an all-pervasive solution assumes significance. Several of the blockchain concepts are still in the nascent stage. Thus, the study highlights the need for HR leaders to work alongside technical architects to create blockchain applications. Unlike other HR applications, blockchain can integrate all the employees, clients, vendors and businesses seamlessly. This study proposes research propositions that provide research directions for future research. Originality/value Academic literature on connecting blockchain technology with HR functions and applications is notably absent. This research can be considered one of the first academic articles connecting blockchain and HR processes.
Leena Wanganoo, Biranchi Prasad Panda, Rajesh Tripathi, Vinod Kumar Shukla
B2C cross-border e-commerce witnessed an exponential growth across the MENA (Middle East & North Africa) region especially during the pandemic time. Though, cross-border e-commerce is high in this region, the customer hesitates to fill a cart from overseas company due to the fear of counterfeit/ fake products as well as hassle of returning the product. To the retailer the challenges is multiplied manifold. The trickiest barrier is complying with customs documentation for reversal, and collaboration with the intermediaries for reclamation. The return of goods faces challenges due to lack of collaborative and integrated technology linkage between the multiple partners participating in the operation. Additionally, the customer does not have a visibility and verification of the source from where the product is received. Blockchain technology is a game-changing technology to solve product traceability, identify fraudulent transactions, and provide digitized transaction details to improve customer experience. The paper aims to analyze the challenges in operational processing the return of goods for the B2C e-commerce transaction. Based on the literature review, pain points in cross-border e-returns were identified. To explore the operational bottlenecks, conducted focus group interview with a small cohort of 45 logistics managers from companies in UAE. A conceptual framework is proposed based on Blockchain technology that would enhance interoperability and digital document transactions, enabling product traceability and transparency. This research contributes to the theoretical and practical literature on cross-border e-commerce, reverse supply chain management, document reversal, re-export issues, and how Blockchain technology's deployment will help the companies overcome the challenges and sustain in a fiercely competitive environment. The survey was conducted with a small sample size, future research can be conducted with a larger sample size and other countries to widen the knowledge of cross-border issues. The conceptual model needs further industrial validation from the practitioners before using it at a large scale to facilitate information collaboration and integration between the key entities in the B2C cross-border reverse supply chain operation.
Blockchain Technology has disrupted our social, business, and technical domains and will continue to do so in the next coming years. As technology is still in its early stages, with several countries investigating ways of utilizing it and incorporating their systems and frameworks' capabilities. The Blockchain community is now recognizing some significant limitations, such as the absence of regulatory frameworks, collaborative leadership, a relatively small number of use cases, the challenge of cross country collaboration, and the limited availability of a skilled, educated workforce. The need for awareness and increased adoption in both developed and developing countries is of paramount importance, and this paper aims to contribute to this area. The paper seeks to shade light regarding the use of blockchain technology in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Anushree Tandon, Puneet Kaur, Matti Mäntymäki, Amandeep Dhir
Blockchain has gained substantial recognition for its ability to induce transformation and innovation in existing business models and frameworks. Consequently, the application of this technology to the management domain and its processes has attracted increasing interest from academia and industry. Although research addressing the use of blockchain in management has gained momentum, this field presents a discontinuous overview of the current scope and boundary of the knowledge thereon. This study addresses this lacuna using bibliometric analyses to synthesize the prior literature. Data from Scopus 586 articles, entailing contributions from 72 countries, 273 journals, 1016 organizations, and 1284 authors, were analyzed. The findings indicate a maturing research focus on blockchain applications in specific managerial sectors, such as finance and supply chain management. However, this field's conceptual evolution is posited to be in its infancy in other sectors, such as for managing luxury goods and counterfeit products. Further, the thematic classification of the extant literature led to the identification of the following four major themes of research: strategy and regulation, enablement and implication, multi-domain deployment, and the inefficiencies of bitcoin. These findings are used to propose directions for further research in this field, such as the need for methodological advancement and theoretical grounding.
Nripendra P. Rana, Yogesh K. Dwivedi, David L. Hughes
Purpose Blockchain is one of the most significant emerging technologies that is set to transform many aspects of industry and society. However, it has several major technical, social, legal, environmental and ethical complexities that offer significant challenges for mainstream use within the public sector. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has compelled many public sector employees to work remotely, highlighting a number of challenges to blockchain adoption within the Indian context signifying the pertinence of this research topic in the post-pandemic era. This study offers insight to researchers and policymakers alike on how such challenges are interdependent within this important subject. Design/methodology/approach We explored 16 unique sets of challenges selected from the literature and gathered data from nine experts from government settings, healthcare and education sectors and academia who have significant knowledge and experience of blockchain implementation and use in their respective organisations. The implementation of Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and Matriced' Impacts Croise's Multiplication Appliquée a UN Classement (MICMAC) provided a precise set of driving, linkage and dependent challenges that were used to formulate the framework. Findings The developed ISM framework is split into six different levels. The results suggest that the bottom level consists of challenges such as “Lack of standards (C9)” and “Lack of validation (C10)” form the foundation of the hierarchical structure of blockchain adoption. However, the topmost level consists of a highly dependent challenge termed “adoption of blockchain in the public sector (C16)”. The research filters the selected set of five challenges to develop a parsimonious model and formulated six propositions to examine the impact of “lack of standard (C9)”, “lack of validation (C10)” on “security issues (C3)” and “privacy concerns (C2)”, which eventually determine individuals' “reluctance to use blockchain technology (C12)”. Originality/value This research fills a key gap in exiting research by exploring the key challenges in blockchain adoption within the public sector by developing a valuable framework to model this important topic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to address these challenges and develop a parsimonious model for challenges of blockchain adoption in the public sector settings.
Javed Aslam, Aqeela Saleem, Nokhaiz Tariq Khan, Yun Bae Kim
Planning to adopt the Blockchain is very active in many industries, especially in supply chains. Researchers believe that the Radio-frequency identification (RFIDs), yesterday’s Blockchain, is now obsolete. The strongest reason that the Blockchain is the tool of this era is its unique features; real-time information sharing, cyber-security, transparency, reliability, traceability, and visibility, all of which boost the supply-chain performance. Despite the extensive literature on Blockchain, in recent years, no clear framework has defined whether a supply chain should implement Blockchain or not. This study attempts to fill this gap by proposing a framework for complex supply chain networks. In doing so, first, we identified the supply-chain practices of the oil industry in Pakistan, then we empirically analyzed the impact of these practices on operational performance. The results show that the supply chain management (SCM) practices positively impact operational performance. On the other hand, with the help of literature, we identified different Blockchain features and their influence on different supply chain practices. This study guides managers and decision-makers to evaluate their current supply-chain practices and understand the relationship between supply-chain practices and Blockchain features, and how different Blockchain features can help improving supply-chain practices and ultimately improving operational performance.
Nazir Ullah, Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi, Ahmed Ibrahim Alzahrani, Osama Alfarraj · 5 authors
The conventional education system in developing countries has been enhanced recently by implementing the latest technology of distributed ledger. Disruptive technology is a fundamental requirement for greater accountability and visibility. We explored the key factors affecting the intentions of educational institutions to use blockchain technology for e-learning. This study proposed an expanded model of Technology Acceptance Model by integrating the diffusion of innovation theory. Based on an online survey, the conceptual model was tested and validated using structural equation modeling. The results showed that compatibility had a significant impact on blockchain use in smart learning environments. Other significant effects were also found on adoption of blockchain technology. This study offers an expanded Technology Acceptance Model for implementing blockchain that could assist decision makers in building a smart learning environment for the educational institutes for the emerging economies.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to facilitate blockchain innovation immersion in accountancy organizations by providing tools that allow organizations to manage the change. The paper approaches blockchain technology (BT) through the lens of organizational change management, with a specific focus at the organization level. Design/methodology/approach A hybrid systematic literature review of relevant literature is presented based on recent research papers published in highly ranked scientific journals that capture how accounting organizations might manage the changes induced by BT. Findings The findings of the review indicate that implementing BT requires some new modus operandi. From individual behavior to organizational structure, the advantages of blockchain must be emphasized in all accounting and auditing organizations. Managers should forge a plan that takes advantage of employees' skills, competencies and talent, implementing forward-looking company procedures and actively deciding how to navigate workplace dynamics, personalities and responsibilities. Research limitations/implications The main limitations of the study refer to the infancy of the BT and require the development of knowledge through future studies to allow a more accurate outline of the overall picture and a detailed one of the BT phenomena with applicability to accounting and auditing. At this stage, it is not yet possible to fully envision the implications of BT on professional accounting and auditing organizations. However, there will be clients who adopt BTs, so firms should work with them to understand BT-based accounting and auditing applications. That is, accounting and auditing organizations should expand their skills and knowledge to anticipate and meet clients' needs. Practical implications In a constantly digitalizing world, the traditional accounting and educational environment is changing but not quickly enough to meet the requirements of a blockchain accounting system yet. For this reason, practical implications on the daily activities of the organizations and the restructuration of their internal architecture have been revealed in this paper. Originality/value The paper approaches blockchain using the lens of organizational change management with a specific focus on the accounting and audit organizations, and it proposes solutions to cope with the arising technological challenges. A challenge itself is the implementation of blockchain, especially when an entity is not ready for the process. Therefore, the SWOT analysis elaborated in this paper and focused on the accounting and auditing firms is an element of novelty and at the same time, a helpful tool highlighting the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of this technology, supporting organizations in assessing how ready they are for its adoption. The research on blockchain in accountancy organizations is still necessary for at least seven key areas which have been proposed and detailed at the end of the paper, bringing in this way clarity in regards to the most endorsed avenues for future research directions.
Purpose Facilities management (FM) has become a revolutionary profession, which adds value to the built environment. Compared to other industries, the development of the FM industry is at a preliminary stage owing to poor adaptation of digitalisation. Although FM procurement process has improved over time, it is still complex, inefficient and challenging with the lack of digital innovations. Blockchain technology has emerged as a revolutionary digital technology under “Procurement 4.0”. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that enables the effective use of blockchain technology for FM procurement process. Design/methodology/approach Data collection using interviews was performed in two stages adopting a mono method qualitative methodological choice using case studies and survey strategies. Template analysis and content analysis techniques were used to analyse the collected data. Findings Through the findings, main steps in the current FM process were identified. It was revealed, manual procurement has issues related to, efficiency, data security, communication and transparency. Similarly, e-procurement systems also have issues related to data security, poor integration and transparency. FM industry has identified the requirement of transforming into an advanced digitalised technology-based procurement system. This study revealed, blockchain features to overcome these issues and the application of blockchain technology in different steps of the procurement process through the developed framework. Originality/value The developed framework offers a solution for the future technological transformation of FM procurement using blockchain technology.
Qun Song, Yuhao Chen, Yan Zhong, Kun Lan · 6 authors
Numerous supply-chain combines with internet of things (IoT) applications have been proposed, and many methods and algorithms enhance the convenience of supply chains. However, new businesses still find it challenging to enter a supply chain, because unauthorised IoT devices of different companies illegally access resources. As security is paramount in a supply chain, IoT management has become very difficult. Public resources allocation and waste management also pose a problem. To solve the above problems, we proposed a new IoT management framework that embraces blockchain technology to help companies to form a supply chain effectively. This framework consists of an access control system, a backup peer mechanism and an internal data isolation and transmission approach. The access control system has a registrar module and an inspection module. The registrar module is mainly responsible for information registration with a registration policy, which has to be followed by all the companies in the supply chain. Besides, it provides a revocation and updating function. The inspection module focuses on judging misbehaviour and monitors the actions of the subjects; when any misoperation occurs, the system will correspondingly penalise violators. So that all related actions and information are verified and stored into blockchain, the IoT access control and safety of IoT admission are enhanced. Furthermore, in a blockchain system, if one single peer in the network breaks down, then the whole system may stop, because consensus cannot be reached. The data of the broken peer may be lost if it does not commit yet. The backup peer mechanism allows the primary peer and the backup peer to connect to an inspecting server for acquiring real-time data. The internal data isolation and transmission modules transmit and stores private data without creating a new subchannel. The proposed method is taken full account of the stability of the network and the fault tolerance to guarantee the robust of the system. To obtain unbiases results, experiments are conducted in two different blockchain environment. The results show our proposed method are promising IoT blockchain system for the supply chain.
Hari Pranav A, M. Latha, Ashwin. M. S, R. Chinnaiyan
Government funded projects require the use of bidding via tenders, this process is tedious and leads to corruption as there is very less transparency. This paper proposes a solution using Blockchain as a Service for easy and transparent administration of public projects which allows various stakeholders to scrutinize the entire process.
Abstract Service supply chain management is a complex process because of its intangibility, high diversity of services, trustless settings, and uncertain conditions. However, the traditional evaluating models mostly consider the historical performance data and fail to predict and diagnose the problems’ root. This paper proposes a distributed, trustworthy, tamper-proof, and learning framework for evaluating service supply chain performance based on blockchain and adaptive network-based fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) techniques, named Di-ANFIS. The main objectives of this research are as follows: (1) presenting hierarchical criteria of service supply chain performance to cope with the diagnosis of the problems’ root; (2) proposing a smart learning model to deal with the uncertainty conditions by a combination of neural network and fuzzy logic; and (3) introducing a distributed blockchain-based framework due to the dependence of ANFIS on big data and the lack of trust and security in the supply chain. Furthermore, the proposed six-layer conceptual framework consists of the data layer, connection layer, blockchain layer, smart layer, ANFIS layer, and application layer. This architecture creates a performance management system using the Internet of Things, smart contracts, and ANFIS based on the blockchain platform. The Di-ANFIS model provides a performance evaluation system without needing a third party and a reliable intermediary that provides an agile and diagnostic model in a smart and learning process. It also saves computing time and speeds up information flow.
Blockchain is an innovative distributed ledger technology enabling the exchange of value online without the need of a central authority. Blockchain provides a decentralized and trustless network, secured by cryptography and consensus mechanisms. The acceptance of blockchain technology greatly impact the real estate owners, financiers, builders and more. Hence, this study attempts to find out how buyers and sellers of real estates are accepting blockchain technology by integrating and analysing a proposed hybrid model of UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) combined with TRI (Technology Readiness Index). This study utilizes a quantitative research method and aims to identify the key influencing factors in the acceptance of blockchain technology. It is crucial to fully comprehend the potential of blockchain technology as it is a new revolutionary technology. This paper proposed a conceptual model that tests the performance expectancy, effort, social influence, facilitating condition, innovativeness, optimism, discomfort and insecurity in influencing the user intention behaviour in accepting blockchain technology. A pilot-test was conducted to test the research model. The results showed that all composite reliability values except for ‘Social Influence’ were found to be above the recommended value of 0.70, suggesting strong indicator reliability of the constructs.
Applying blockchain technology for information sharing in supply chain is driven by many factors, but developing trust is one of the most proposed. However, trust is a multidimensional, intangible concept without an agreed-upon definition. Whereas some argue that trust is the main driver of blockchain technology, others have found a negative relationship. This study focuses on how applying blockchain in supply chain management can influence trust and proposes a corresponding research agenda. Trust and blockchain technology discussions are scattered throughout the literature. Thus, a systematic literature review was performed based on a conceptual trust framework. This study discovered a gap in linking trust theories to blockchain technology applications especially in supply chain management, and provided insights into trust's reciprocal nature. Current literature strongly expects trust as a consequence for blockchain adoption if considered in the technology. Simultaneously, trust in supply chain partners is strongly expected as an antecedent to blockchain because it requires openness in information sharing. Thus, propositions and agenda for future research are suggested. The research is limited to literature findings due to the immaturity and low scalability of blockchain technology adoption; however, the most reviewed articles in less than two years old, increase the results' accuracy.
Blockchain technology has been gaining traction across different sectors. It has the potential to immensely benefit the healthcare sector, given the sector's inherent complexities, problems, and inefficiencies. However, to date, no comprehensive, evidence-based effort has been made to understand the readiness of this sector for blockchain adoption. We proposed a readiness assessment framework that encompasses the complex interplay of different underlying factors, social structures, and institutional mechanisms and that covers all key stakeholders. Based on a systematic literature review, the framework is applied to the UAE's healthcare sector and its applicability and usefulness is established. The findings show the multifaceted significance of government readiness in driving blockchain initiatives. Large firms are found to be more willing to leverage the opportunities afforded by blockchain. Lack of clarity on blockchain regulations and laws, and issues pertaining to privacy and trust are found to affect the readiness of all stakeholders. The proposed framework and the study's findings will be useful in guiding policy interventions and developing support mechanisms to strengthen areas related to blockchain adoption.
Open access
Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
Organizational and Employee Performance
Organizational Leadership and Management Strategies
After the development and inception of cryptocurrencies, Blockchain has found much usefulness in many domains. The Blockchain technology offers several advantages like decentralization, traceability, anonymity, cryptography, collective maintenance and immutability. The possible disruption and prospective capabilities of the Blockchain technology has been extensively utilized in the Finance domain. There has been extensive exploration on the integration and application of Blockchain technology in the domain of supply chain and supply chain finance as well. But, a detail framework of application is seldom mentioned. In this research, we have studied and analyzed the possible synchronization between Blockchain technology and supply chain finance. This study also presents a conceptual framework based on Blockchain technology to enhance the efficiency of supply chain financing for small and medium scale enterprises. Finally, this study proposes three supply chain finance models and their operation processes on a Blockchain Platform.
This research aims to analyze the effects of the adoption of blockchain on information governance and transaction costs. We present an exploratory, quantitative, and qualitative study. In the first stage, quantitative, a theoretical model was developed and tested based on structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Data collection was carried out through an online survey with IT and management professionals involved in blockchain projects from different countries. In the second stage, qualitative, a multiple case study was carried out in order to illustrate how the relations of the developed model are established. In the quantitative phase, the study’s hypotheses were supported and it was observed that the adoption of blockchain technology can be seen as a mechanism to reduce transaction costs, since it has a positive impact on information governance. In the qualitative phase, it was observed that, in the three cases analyzed, characteristics such as information security, transparency, and the possibility.