Purpose

This study aims to examine the blockchain landscape in supply chain management by drawing insights from academic and industry literature. It identifies the key drivers, categorizes the products involved and highlights the business values achieved by early adopters of blockchain technology within the supply chain domain. Additionally, it explores fingerprinting techniques to establish a robust connection between physical products and the blockchain ledger.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors combined the interpretive sensemaking systematic literature review to offer insights into how organizations interpreted their business challenges and adopted blockchain technology in their specific supply chain context; content analysis (using Leximancer automated text mining software) for concept mapping visualization, facilitating the identification of key themes, trends and relationships, and qualitative thematic analysis (NVivo) for data organization, coding and enhancing the depth and efficiency of analysis.

Findings

The findings highlight the transformative potential of blockchain technology and offer valuable insights into its implementation in optimizing supply chain operations. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of product provenance information to consumers, with blockchain technology offering certainty and increasing customer loyalty toward brands that prioritize transparency.

Research limitations/implications

This research has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, there is a possibility that some relevant investigations may have been missed or omitted, which could impact the findings. In addition, the limited availability of literature on blockchain adoption in supply chains may restrict the scope of the conclusions. The evolving nature of blockchain adoption in supply chains also poses a limitation. As the technology is in its infancy, the authors expect that a rapidly emerging body of literature will provide more extensive evidence-based general conclusions in the future. Another limitation is the lack of information contrasting academic and industry research, which could have provided more balanced insights into the technology’s advancement. The authors attributed this limitation to the narrow collaborations between academia and industry in the field of blockchain for supply chain management.

Practical implications

Practitioners recognize the potential of blockchain in addressing industry-specific challenges, such as ensuring transparency and data provenance. Understanding the benefits achieved by early adopters can serve as a starting point for companies considering blockchain adoption. Blockchain technology can verify product origin, enable truthful certifications and comply with established standards, reinforcing trust among stakeholders and customers. Thus, implementing blockchain solutions can enhance brand reputation and consumer confidence by ensuring product authenticity and quality. Based on the results, companies can align their strategies and initiatives with their needs and expectations.

Social implications

In essence, the integration of blockchain technology within supply chain provenance initiatives not only influences economic aspects but also brings substantial social impacts by reinforcing consumer trust, encouraging sustainable and ethical practices, combating product counterfeiting, empowering stakeholders and contributing to a more responsible, transparent and progressive socioeconomic environment.

Originality/value

This study consolidates current knowledge on blockchain’s capacity and identifies the specific drivers and business values associated with early blockchain adoption in supply chain provenance. Furthermore, it underscores the critical role of product fingerprinting techniques in supporting blockchain for supply chain provenance, facilitating more robust and efficient supply chain operations.

中文翻译：

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用于供应链溯源的区块链技术：提高供应链效率和消费者信任

目的

本研究旨在通过从学术和行业文献中汲取见解，研究供应链管理中的区块链前景。它确定了关键驱动因素，对涉及的产品进行分类，并强调了供应链领域区块链技术早期采用者所实现的商业价值。此外，它还探索了指纹识别技术，以在物理产品和区块链账本之间建立牢固的连接。

设计/方法论/途径

作者结合解释性意义构建系统文献综述，深入了解组织如何解释其业务挑战并在其特定的供应链环境中采用区块链技术；内容分析（使用 Leximancer 自动文本挖掘软件）用于概念图可视化，促进关键主题、趋势和关系的识别，以及用于数据组织、编码和增强分析深度和效率的定性主题分析 (NVivo)。

发现

研究结果凸显了区块链技术的变革潜力，并为其在优化供应链运营方面的实施提供了宝贵的见解。此外，它强调了产品来源信息对消费者的重要性，区块链技术提供了确定性并提高了客户对优先考虑透明度的品牌的忠诚度。

研究局限性/影响

这项研究有一些应该承认的局限性。首先，一些相关调查可能被遗漏或遗漏，这可能会影响调查结果。此外，有关供应链中区块链采用的文献有限可能会限制结论的范围。供应链中区块链采用的不断发展的性质也带来了限制。由于该技术还处于起步阶段，作者预计快速出现的文献将在未来提供更广泛的基于证据的一般性结论。另一个限制是缺乏对比学术和行业研究的信息，这些信息本可以为技术的进步提供更平衡的见解。作者将这种限制归因于学术界和工业界在供应链管理区块链领域的狭窄合作。

实际影响

从业者认识到区块链在解决行业特定挑战方面的潜力，例如确保透明度和数据来源。了解早期采用者所获得的好处可以作为考虑采用区块链的公司的起点。区块链技术可以验证产品来源、实现真实认证并遵守既定标准，从而增强利益相关者和客户之间的信任。因此，实施区块链解决方案可以通过确保产品的真实性和质量来增强品牌声誉和消费者信心。根据结果​​，公司可以根据自己的需求和期望调整其战略和举措。

社会影响

从本质上讲，区块链技术在供应链溯源计划中的整合不仅影响经济方面，而且还通过增强消费者信任、鼓励可持续和道德实践、打击产品假冒、增强利益相关者的能力以及促进更加负责任、透明和更加负责任的方式带来巨大的社会影响。进步的社会经济环境。

原创性/价值

这项研究整合了当前关于区块链能力的知识，并确定了与供应链起源中早期采用区块链相关的具体驱动因素和商业价值。此外，它还强调了产品指纹识别技术在支持供应链溯源区块链、促进更稳健、更高效的供应链运营方面的关键作用。