A Systematic Review of the Adoption of Blockchain for Supply Chain Processes

A Systematic Review of the Adoption of Blockchain for Supply Chain Processes

Bongisizwe Erasmus Buthelezi, Patrick Ndayizigamiye, Hossana Twinomurinzi, Shopee M. Dube
Copyright: © 2022 |Pages: 32
DOI: 10.4018/JGIM.297625
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Abstract

This paper systematically reviews the literature on the adoption of Blockchain technology in Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes. Using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) methodology, 53 peer-reviewed research publications from five different databases (IEEE Xplore, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, and EBSCOhost) were selected and analyzed using a classification coding framework. The findings reveal that Agri-food traceability, Blockchain security, smart contracts, and the Internet of Things (IoT) were the significant identified current trends in the use of Blockchain in SCM processes. The key identified challenges include high costs of transactions and a lack of trust between stakeholders. Identified solutions were Blockchain traceability systems and the use of smart contracts and IoTs. In addition, this paper identified gaps in the literature that need to be addressed in future studies.
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Introduction

The primary aim of Supply chain management (SCM) is to manage a firm's stakeholder networks efficiently to maximize shareholder value and ensure customer satisfaction (Stock & Boyer, 2009). Supply chain management networks are complex due to the various components required by stakeholders in an increasingly networked and rapidly evolving digital world. Recent technological advancements associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) are further causing significant disruptions and compelling SCM professionals to create new business processes and models (Queiroz et al. 2019). In this paper, we systematically review research that has investigated blockchain technology as a superior 4IR technology that could unravel the increasing complexity in SCM processes while at the same time decentralizing stakeholder authority (Schniederjans et al. 2020). Specifically, the study seeks to explore the few studies available on the adoption of blockchain technology in SCM to identify the current trends, challenges, and proposed solutions. This paper distinguishes itself from previous systematic reviews that investigated blockchain adoption in the context of SCM, as depicted in Table 1.

Table 1.
Description of previous systematic reviews on the adoption of blockchain in SCM
AuthorSystematic Literature Review adopted methods
Surjandy et al. (2019)Studied the current benefits, challenges, and the impact of blockchain adoption in the SCM of the pharmaceutical industry. Future research proposed in the study involved identifying current blockchain trends to improve SCM systems.
Queiroz et al. (2019) Analysed literature on the integration of blockchain in SCM. The authors highlighted that there are very few publications that provide solutions that address issues that impede blockchain adoption in the SCM sector
Duan et al. (2020) A content-analysis-based literature review on blockchain adoption was conducted within the food SCM. The authors recommended future studies that focus on the real-world implementation of blockchain, which provides more empirical evidence instead of just harping on theoretical concepts.
Dutta et al. (2020) A literature search was conducted on blockchain integration in SCM operations. A future research agenda was established, thus laying a solid foundation for future research on this important emerging research area.
Chang and Chen (2020) A literature review and an analytical review of blockchain-based SCM were conducted to elucidate the benefits and challenges of the blockchain-supply-chain paradigm. This study contributes to a broader understanding of blockchain applications in SCM and provides a blueprint for these applications.
Gonczol et al. (2020) A survey was conducted to investigate academic studies about blockchain application in SCM and distributed ledger implementations in SCM. The benefits and drawbacks of distributed organisation and SCM presented in the study laid a foundation for practitioners and researchers to focus their future projects on improving the technology and its applications.

Source: Developed by the authors

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