Purpose

Despite the growing interest in blockchain technology (BCT) applications in the agri-food industry, evidence of their economic and strategic implications remains scarce. This study aims to contribute to filling this gap by jointly investigating how BCT adoption affects transactional relationships, and how it contributes to the firm’s strategic resources.

Design/methodology/approach

An explanatory case study is conducted based on a theoretical framework grounded on transaction cost economics and the resource-based-dynamic capabilities view. Six BCT implementations by agri-food firms are studied. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Findings reveal that BCT benefits depend on how companies integrate technology across their supply chains. In fact, the results suggest that overall transaction efficiency within the supply chain is enhanced only for those firms prioritising stakeholder engagement during technology implementation and leveraging existing trust relationships with economic agents. Moreover, the results suggest that BCT is not yet perceived as a strategic resource, but rather that it has the potential to enhance firms’ operational-adaptive, absorptive and innovative capabilities. When all supply chain actors clearly understand blockchain’s functionality and value, the development of these capabilities becomes more pronounced.

Practical implications

The study identifies two BCT adoption configurations. One primarily focuses on enhancing supply chain efficiency and transparency (dynamic BCT), while the other uses BCT mainly for marketing purposes (static BCT). These configurations lead to varied possibilities for leveraging BCT’s potential advantages. Furthermore, they show how a mismatch between a strategic approach and its chosen configuration could work against any positive impact and lead to disillusionment with the BCT. Thus, managers should assess carefully the impact of such different configuration choices on performance.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to attempt to analyse the economic implications of adopting BCT in the food sector from both a firm and supply chain perspective. Additionally, it shows how interpreting these impacts is contingent on the diverse modalities for embedding BCT into existing supply chains.

中文翻译：

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区块链技术对农产品的影响：探索交易与公司战略资源之间的相互作用

 目的

尽管人们对农业食品行业中的区块链技术（BCT）应用越来越感兴趣，但其经济和战略影响的证据仍然很少。本研究旨在通过共同调查 BCT 的采用如何影响交易关系以及它如何为公司的战略资源做出贡献，从而有助于填补这一空白。

设计/方法论/途径

基于交易成本经济学和基于资源的动态能力观点的理论框架进行了解释性案例研究。研究了农业食品公司实施的六种 BCT。通过半结构化访谈收集数据并使用主题分析进行分析。

 发现

调查结果显示，BCT 的好处取决于公司如何将技术整合到其供应链中。事实上，结果表明，只有那些在技术实施过程中优先考虑利益相关者参与并利用与经济主体的现有信任关系的公司，供应链内的整体交易效率才会得到提高。此外，结果表明，BCT 尚未被视为战略资源，而是有潜力增强企业的运营适应性、吸收能力和创新能力。当所有供应链参与者清楚地了解区块链的功能和价值时，这些能力的发展就会变得更加明显。

 实际影响

该研究确定了两种 BCT 采用配置。一种主要侧重于提高供应链效率和透明度（动态 BCT），另一种则主要将 BCT 用于营销目的（静态 BCT）。这些配置为利用 BCT 的潜在优势提供了多种可能性。此外，它们还表明，战略方法与其所选择的配置之间的不匹配可能会抵消任何积极影响，并导致旅战斗队的幻灭。因此，管理者应该仔细评估这些不同的配置选择对性能的影响。

 原创性/价值

据作者所知，这是第一项尝试从企业和供应链角度分析食品行业采用 BCT 的经济影响的研究。此外，它还表明如何解释这些影响取决于将 BCT 嵌入现有供应链的不同模式。