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1,208 results · page 38 of 51
Mahsa Sadeghi, Amin Mahmoudi, Xiaopeng Deng
No abstract is available for this record.
Nam Vu, Abhijeet Ghadge, Michael Bourlakis
Blockchain technology has received significant attention from the food industry; however, due to the scarcity of successful Blockchain projects and sector-specific studies, a step-by-step approach for implementing Blockchain in food supply chains (FSCs) is still missing. A systematic literature review of 69 high-quality, peer-reviewed articles is utilized to capture Blockchain adoption drivers and barriers, applications, and implementation stages within FSCs. Current Blockchain issues such as scalability, regulations, privacy, and incentivization are identified as future research opportunities. Following innovation adoption theory, a three-stage conceptual framework for Blockchain implementation in FSCs is developed. The proposed framework is novel and is expected to benefit food chain managers in establishing the suitability of Blockchain for their organization and/or wider supply network. Identified influential factors, case examples, and implementation stages are expected to guide practitioners in developing a roadmap for adopting Blockchain in the food industry.
Maryam Philsoophian, Peyman Akhavan, Morteza Namvar
Purpose Sharing knowledge with business partners is a challenging issue as firms need to share their valuable know-how assets with individuals or other companies out of their organizational boundaries. As supply chain management (SCM) deals with various stakeholders, firms face difficulties with privacy and ownership when they share their know-how with suppliers or business partners. This study introduces blockchain technology as a mediator in improving knowledge sharing (KS) practices in supply chains. Design/methodology/approach The data have been collected from surveys with 116 experts working in blockchain start-ups and organizations, and the authors used structural equation modeling for its analysis. Findings The results show that two features of blockchain technology, namely transparency and security, have the highest impacts on mediating knowledge sharing impacts on supply chain performance. The authors’ findings also highlight that among the performance metrics of SCM, speed is highly improved when blockchain technology is used for knowledge sharing. Their study provides guidance for managers on how to improve SCM performance through KS, which is empowered by a blockchain system. Originality/value The authors’ findings help organizations to improve supply chain actions, improve innovation, enhance competitive advantage and increase the speed of relationships in the supply chain. The research also contributes literature by analyzing the key factors showing how knowledge sharing structure may be improved by blockchain technology which would be helpful for both academics and practitioners.
Jung‐Yu Lai, Juite Wang, Yi-Hsuan Chiu
No abstract is available for this record.
Jiaguo Liu, Huimin Zhang, Huida Zhao
Abstract Blockchain technology plays a very positive role in promoting the development of the port supply chain. Although there are some practical examples of blockchain in the port supply chain (eg. Trade Len or Cargo Smart), there are few application scenarios. Therefore, blockchain technology has yet to be widely used in the port industry. This may be related to the construction of blockchain. This paper analyzes the impact of blockchain technology on the port supply chain and the technology sharing on the shipping market. It is found that the investment of blockchain technology in a competitive environment has different characteristics. When the efficiency of technology investment and the proportion of market expansion reach a certain combination, there are two different equilibrium strategy choices: Only technology investment or technology sharing. Based on the above research results, this paper further investigates the results of the comprehensive influence of different factors such as competition intensity and market expansion proportion.
Yihua Chen, Ivanka Visnjic, Vinit Parida, Zhengang Zhang
Purpose The authors seek to understand the process of digital servitization as a shift of manufacturing companies from the provision of standard products and services to smart solutions. Specifically, the authors focus on changes in the business model (i.e. the value proposition, the value delivery system and the value capture mechanism) for digital servitization. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine a Chinese air conditioner manufacturer, Gree, who became the global leader with their smart solutions. These solutions included performance-based contracts underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI)-powered air conditioners that automatically adjust to environmental changes and are capable of remote monitoring and servicing thanks to its Internet of things (IoT) technology. Findings To successfully offer smart solution value propositions, a manufacturer needs an ecosystem value delivery system composed of suppliers, distributors, partners and customers. Once the ecosystem relationships are well aligned, the manufacturer gains value with multiple value capture mechanisms (i.e. efficiency, accountability, shared customer value and novelty). To arrive at this point, a manufacturer has to pass through different stages that are characterized by both discontinuous and continuous interplay between business models and digital technologies. At the beginning of each stage, new value propositions and value delivery systems are first discontinuously created and then enabled with digital technology. As a result, new value capture mechanisms are activated. Meanwhile, the elements of the existing business model are continuously improved. Research limitations/implications By combining process-perspective and business-model lenses, the authors offer nuanced insights into how digital servitization unfolds. Practical implications Executives can obtain insights into the business model elements, they need to change over the course of digital servitization and how to manage the process. Originality/value A longitudinal case study of a traditional manufacturer that has achieved stellar success through digital servitization business models development.
Christian Rainero, Giuseppe Modarelli
Purpose In the disruptive technologies era, the lack of convincing business cases on blockchain (BC) adoption about food supply chain, the existence of uncertainties and barriers to adoption due to knowledge scarcity on characteristics as well as the potentialities and risks involved in it, have triggered the need to investigate the first multinational BC adoption for food supply chain in Europe, to consider how it can guarantee knowledge for the consumption/purchase decision-making and the creation-mechanism of consciousness for sustainable behavioral choice. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide a field exploratory analysis based on customers' perceptions and real knowledge about BC (as a knowledge-constructive tool) in the food and beverage sector. This connected with the need for an informed context, favoring sustainable conscious decision-making related to both the food chain and innovation acceptance. This analysis included the use of innovation acceptance as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic orientation through a survey- and interview-based field analysis (80 respondents). Findings The findings of this study can be considered as antecedents of innovation acceptance in the sector. The analysis assesses consumers' scarce knowledge and perceptions on the BC system, the scarce usage level and the higher acquiring propensity for traceable foodstuffs generating bi-directional/dimensional value, considering that consumption habits could change through security and certainty antecedents and induced knowledge provided by external technological intervention. Originality/value By trying to match innovation and the knowledge-construction need as a vehicle for acceptance, the theoretical contribution would empower the literature on food traceability from the perspective of strategic BC application through a from-knowledge-to-knowledge strategy.
Ji Jiang, Jin Chen
As a disruptive tool, blockchain technology can eradicate the product-counterfeiting problem in supply chains. However, a blockchain-supported platform charges an operating fee to legitimate manufacturers and retailers for product traceability and authentication. In this study, we employ enterprise profit-driven analytical models using Stackelberg equilibrium theory and highlight the values of blockchain-supported e-commerce platforms in addressing the product-counterfeiting problem. To measure the actual benefits of blockchain technology, we compare the profits of all agents in two different supply chains, traditional and blockchain-supported. Results show that the application of blockchain technology is not always beneficial to manufacturers, retailers, and customers. However, when the manufacturing cost of a legitimate manufacturer is sufficiently high, the manufacturer generates more profits using blockchain technology. Further, for a price-sensitive market, a retailer tends to trade in a blockchain-supported e-commerce platform if the retailer’s qualification in the platform is lower than that in a traditional supply chain, and the manufacturing cost of the counterfeit manufacturer in the platform is higher than that in a traditional supply chain.
Mobashar Mubarik, Raja Zuraidah Raja Mohd Rasi, Muhammad Faraz Mubarak, Rashid Ashraf
Purpose This study investigates the impact of blockchain technology on green supply chain practices with the aim to promote pro-environmental settings in supply chains of manufacturing firms. Moreover, mediating role of environmental orientation is examined between blockchain technology and green supply chain practices. Also, moderating role of technological orientation in this connection is undertaken. Design/methodology/approach The authors have applied a quantitative methodology in which a questionnaire was developed from literature. After that, data are collected from manufacturing firms of Malaysia. The data collected are analysed by using PLS-SEM in which multiple regression and moderation are applied. Findings The results of this study confirm the positive impact of blockchain on green supply chain practices. Also, the mediating role of environmental orientation is revealed in this relationship. Moreover, technological orientation is confirmed as a moderator which strengthens the relationship between blockchain technology and green supply chain practices. Research limitations/implications This study has collected data from manufacturing firms of Malaysia. However, the authors have not undertaken service sector firms. Thus, they recommend future researchers to consider service sector firms in this context. Moreover, they have taken SMEs for this study and have neglected large firms. Therefore, in future, large firms could be taken to test the current study's perspective in them. Furthermore, this study suggests to the policymaker and managers, especially of manufacturing concerns, to infuse Industry 4.0 technologies such as blockchain technology because of its manifold benefits. Practical implications This study suggests to the policymaker and managers, especially of manufacturing concerns, to infuse Industry 4.0 technologies such as blockchain technology because of its manifold benefits. First, it will enhance the integration across the streams of the supply chain; secondly, it will improve the demand and supply planning which will eliminate the extra production and will enable firms to adopt just-in-time production by saving various costs associated otherwise. Importantly, these processes are against the pro-environmental behaviour which is pivotal to achieve green supply chain practices. Originality/value This study contributes by joining the technological perspective of Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainability perspective of green supply chain in manufacturing concerns. In addition, the related concepts of technological orientation and environmental orientation are also undertaken to further adjoin the former fields. As a practical contribution, this study will, first, enhance the integration across the streams of supply chain; secondly it will improve the demand and supply planning which will eliminates the extra production and will enable firms to adopt just-in-time production by saving various costs associated otherwise. It is also suggested to instil pro-environmental behaviour or environmental orientation in the employees at all levels of firm. Moreover, technological orientation should also be improved by emphasizing on the importance of technology for environmentally friendly and green supply chain practices.
Nir Kshetri
No abstract is available for this record.
Shengying Zhao, Xiangyuan Lu
With respect to a two-echelon supply chain which comprised of a core manufacturer and a capital-constrained supplier, this paper analyzed the effect of government subsidy to the accounts receivable financing in the context of third-party partial guarantee. Based on the decentralized decision-making model without and with government subsidy, from the perspective of promoting the guarantee coefficient of the third-party guarantee, this paper studied how government subsidy impacts the supply chain coordination. The results show that government subsidy can reduce financing risks and costs, but not the bigger the better. Supplier's profit, manufacturer's profit and whole supply chain profit Pareto is also improved. In the range of a reasonable government subsidy coefficient, the higher government subsidy coefficient, the higher supply chain financing efficiency and supply chain coordination. Finally, this paper conducts some numerical experiments to verify the results.
Abdullah Yıldızbaşı
No abstract is available for this record.
Francesco Mercuri, Gaetano della Corte, Federica Ricci
The lack of transparency along global supply chains poses challenges in the areas of fraud, pollution, human rights abuses, and inefficiencies. In this context, the blockchain has the potential to offer an unprecedented level of transparency, with a shared and decentralized database in which immutable and encrypted copies of information are stored on every node of the network. Using a single case study methodology, this paper investigates how blockchain technology can improve and facilitate sustainable business models. The aim of this paper is to understand how blockchain technology can drive the development of sustainable business models. Recent studies show the importance of sustainability perspectives for business models. The study was conducted by applying the CAOS (“Characteristic, Ambience, Organization, Start-up”) model to a start-up operating in the agri-food sector, not yet institutionalized, called Devoleum. The results indicate that blockchain technology can increase sustainability through realizing the traceability, security, and non-manipulability of information, which are particularly useful in the agri-food sector. Furthermore, the absence of intermediaries in blockchain technology contributes to reducing transaction costs and the time required to consolidate relations between the company and the environment. The limitations of this study must be identified in that the company is operational but not yet incorporated.
Xiaomin Du, Ying Qi, Beibei Chen, Biaoan Shan · 5 authors
Based on the diffusion of blockchain technology in the smart grid, this paper studies the framework and application of the blockchain technology in the smart grid, so as to combine the blockchain with the smart grid and establish a sustainable supply chain. However, the establishment of a sustainable supply chain is based on a layered theoretical framework. Not only should the framework take into account needless attributes and the relationship among various criteria and aspects but the application should also involve a balance of multiple stakeholders. For the above reasons, this paper uses a combination of Fuzzy-DEMATEL and ISM. The results show that (1) the hierarchical path of sustainable supply chain management of the smart grid under the blockchain starts from the social level, pays attention to system construction, grasps the technical standards, and defines the development goals of the power grid. (2) The development of green energy has become a new market growth point. (3) The control of the operation level becomes the focus of the smart grid. (4) The optimization and development of the economic structure are restricted by social factors. By integrating and optimizing the blockchain and supply chain, this paper puts forward a theoretical framework, establishes a sustainable GIP application system with multistakeholder participation at the supply chain level, and indicates the significance of the blockchain in the smart grid.
Chunguang Bai, Qingyun Zhu, Joseph Sarkis
No abstract is available for this record.
Bin Shen, Ciwei Dong, Stefan Minner
The phenomenon of copycats is common in a wide range of industries. Recently, to indicate product authenticity and combat copycats, many brand name companies (BNCs) have started selling products through retailers. These BNCs deploy a scalable protocol that is integrated into a permissioned blockchain technology (PBT) platform. We examine how PBT combats copycats in the supply chain and how it benefits BNCs. Although PBT implementation helps novice customers identify product authenticity and the real quality of products, that is, to take advantage of a quality disclosure effect , we show that, if and only if the number of novice customers is large enough, then selling through a PBT retailer can effectively combat copycats. Thus, PBT increases the profit of the BNC, consumer surplus, social welfare, and reduces the profit of a copycat. Moreover, conventional wisdom tells us that PBT ensures supply chain transparency and motivates a firm to improve its product quality. However, the BNC reduces the quality of its products when using PBT, because an improvement in product quality is not profitable if consumers can distinguish between genuine and imitation products. Furthermore, we extend the model by considering the case where the BNC itself implements PBT. Without the double marginalization effect , even if the number of novice customers is small, blockchain technology may exist in the market (the BNC self‐implements). In addition, if the unit production cost of a genuine product is large enough, social welfare increases when production cost increases.
Jasmine Chang, Michael N. Katehakis, Jim Shi, Zhipeng Yan
No abstract is available for this record.
Pervez Akhtar, Nora Azima, Abdul Ghafar, Shahab Ud Din
Blockchain technology, as a distributed digital ledger technology that ensures traceability, security, and transparency is displaying potential for easing some comprehensive supply chain problems. Scholars have started analyzing systematically the potential benefits and effects of block-chain on numerous activities of an organization. This paper presents the barricades in the adoption of blockchain technology in supply chain management. The potential benefits of blockchain adoption such as quality, cost, speed, transparency, durability, and immutability are also discussed in this paper. We present the early literature discussing the use of blockchain in the field of the supply chain to enhance accountability and transparency. This study explains the several mechanisms by which supply chain managers can prepare their organizational structure to adopt the latest technology. It further highlights the mechanisms to achieve supply chain objectives. Part of this paper also discusses how blockchains, a potentially disruptive solution that is on its early evolution, can overcome several potential barricades. Future research directions are proposed which can further provide insights into overcoming barriers and adoption of blockchain technology in the field of supply chain management.
Chiara Magrini, Jana Nicolas, Holger Berg, A. Bellini · 8 authors
Nowadays, high expectations are set for a digitally enabled circular economy (CE), to enhance resource efficiency. Tracing, tracking, and storing information is most important for this. In this paper, the application of Internet of Things (IoT) and Distributed Ledger Technology (Blockchain) are hence discussed by presenting the case of professional Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in Italy. Within the context of CE, prevention of electronic waste (WEEE) is extremely relevant as it is a fast-growing waste stream, and the products contain environmentally damaging substances as well as valuable and rare materials. The use of a proper combination of IoT and blockchain can help the producers to keep control on products until EEE end-of-life, while promoting CE strategies and supporting decision-making. Based on the outcomes of five interviews conducted in 2019 to companies of the EEE sector, potential improvements in the EEE end-of-use management are discussed. After providing the definition of requirements for both the technical solution and its testing are provided, three solution variations and the related business models are created and presented, as well as considerations on their environmental and economic impacts. The study shows how digital technologies can support the appropriate and circular management of EEE products and WEEE.
Niloofar Etemadi, Pieter van Gelder, Fernanda Strozzi
Over the last few years, the increasing level of cyber risks derived from the growing connectedness of Industry 4.0 has led to the emergence of blockchain technology as a major innovation in supply chain cybersecurity. The main purpose of this study is to identify and rank the significant barriers affecting the implementation of blockchain technology as a key component of cyber supply chain risk management (CSCRM). This research relied on the “interpretive structural modeling (ISM)” technique in the structure of a hierarchical model to investigate the contextual relationships of identified challenges for blockchain adoption in CSCRM; it also classifies the influential challenges based on their driving and dependence powers. The results highlight that “cryptocurrency volatility” is the challenge at the top level of the hierarchy, implying weak driving power but it is strongly dependent on the other challenges. “Poor regulatory provisions”, “technology immaturity”, “dependent on input information from external oracles”, “scalability and bandwidth issues”, and “smart contract issues” are significant challenges for the adoption of blockchain in cyber supply chain risk management and are located at the bottom level of the hierarchy with higher driving power. The implications for theory and practice of the research are also highlighted.
Weihua Liu, Shangsong Long, Yanjie Liang, Jinkun Wang · 5 authors
No abstract is available for this record.
Wolfram Groschopf, Mario Dobrovnik, Christian Herneth
Current research on smart contracts focuses on technical, conceptual, and legal aspects but neglects organizational requirements and sustainability impacts. We consider this a significant research gap and explore the relationship between smart contracts and sustainability in supply chains. First, we define the concept of smart contracts in terms of supply chain management. Then, we conduct a content analysis of the literature to explore the overlapping research fields of smart contracts and sustainability in supply chains. Next, we develop a semi-structured assessment framework to model the potential environmental and social impacts induced by smart contracts on supply chains. We propose a conceptual framework for supply chain maturity by mapping the relationships between organizational development, sustainability, and technology. We identify smart contracts as a foundational technology that enables efficient and transparent governance and collaborative self-coordination of human and non-human actors. Thus, we argue that smart contracts can contribute to the economic and social development of networked value chains and Society 5.0. To stimulate interdisciplinary research on smart contracts, we conclude the article by formulating research propositions and trade-offs for smart contracts in the context of technology development, business process and supply chain management, and sustainability.
Mauro Vivaldini, Paulo Renato de Sousa
Purpose The paper aims to further understanding of connectivity from the perspective of blockchain technology (BT) in the supply chain (SC). It presents the weaknesses (inhibitors) of connectivity during technology implementation, focusing on supply chain interaction and resilience. Design/methodology/approach Restricting the focus to digital connectivity, interaction and supply chain resilience, this paper uses a systematic literature review (SLR) to examine how the literature has addressed, related or flagged connectivity weaknesses affecting supply chain interaction and resilience. Findings This study highlights the influence of connectivity for blockchain-technology projects. Technical and organisational influencers that affect the adoption of technology in the SC are presented. These influencers support the factors proposed in this study regarding the weaknesses that negatively affect the interaction between the agents involved and the SC's resilience. The research suggests that the weaknesses are related to technical needs and the relationships between companies arising from functionalities. Research limitations/implications This paper is restricted to a review of the theory and the researched material. Although the author was careful to choose the best search terms related to the research objective, some potentially relevant articles may have been excluded. Practical implications The study summarises research on blockchain connectivity influencers in the SC, helping managers to anticipate and mitigate some of doubts and concerns in projects of this nature. Originality/value This is one of the first articles in the area of operations and SCs that addresses the topic of connectivity, focusing on its restrictive factors (connectivity inhibitors), in the context of blockchain implementation in the SC.
Jianli Zhou, Yunna Wu, Fangtong Liu, Yao Tao · 5 authors
No abstract is available for this record.