Supply chain management and blockchain: bridging the antecedents of the technology with the status quo of use case applications

摘要

Blockchain technology has been characterised as a disruptive technology in multiple business contexts, including supply chain and logistics management. However, being at the centre of the academic debate since the beginning, the unique value proposition levers of blockchain (i.e., durability, transparency, immutability and process integrity) have never been connected to real-world applications on an empirical ground. In addition, how and to what extent do these real-world applications make use of this innovative technology? Our paper, aimed at enriching the conversation about real use case scenarios specific to the supply chain industry, is presented as a multiple case study leveraging a coding strategy that is structured around the reference literature on the topic. In particular, we cover seven companies that are operating blockchain networks in different supply chain and logistics contexts. The paper ultimately addresses the need for both practitioners and researchers to 'connect the dots' between the blockchain networks and their empirical implementation within the supply chain industry.