Blockchain technology into the logistics supply chain implementation effectiveness

Technologies currently have a tremendous impact on all spheres of economy, business and a state. They integrally change people’s conception of trade, property, and market entities interaction. Artificial intelligence, additive, informationommunication, green technologies, biotechnologies, and blockchain technologies development and implementation confirm their leadership importance and inevitability in relation to the activities traditional approaches. In the modern world only the companies with flexible vision, equipment and technologies able to instantly reform, adapt to new conditions and challenges, will benefit. The point at issue is Industry 4.0 as a new technological mode emergence

Life Cycle Costing and Food Systems: Concepts, Trends, and Challenges of Impact Valuation

Our global food systems create pervasive environmental, social, and health impacts. Impact valuation is an emerging concept that aims to quantify all environmental, social, and health costs of food systems in an attempt to make the true cost of food more transparent. It also is designed to facilitate the transformation of global food systems. The concept of impact valuation is emerging at the same time as, and partly as a response to, calls for the development of legal mechanisms to address environmental, social, and health concerns. Information has long been understood both as a necessary precursor for regulation and as a regulatory tool in and of itself. With global supply chains and widespread impacts, data necessary to produce robust and complete impact valuation requires participation and cooperation from a variety of food system actors. New costing methods, beyond basic accounting, are necessary to incorporate the scope of impacts and stakeholders. Furthermore, there are a range of unanswered questions surrounding realizations of impact valuation methods, e.g. data sharing, international privacy, corporate transparency, limitations on valuation itself, and data collection standardization. Because of the proliferation of calls for costing tools, this article steps back and assesses the current development of impact valuation methods. In this article, we review current methods and initiatives for the implementation of food system impact valuation. We conclude that in some instances, calls for the implementation of costing have outpaced available and reliable data collection and current costing techniques. Many existing initiatives are being developed without adequate consideration of the legal challenges that hinder implementation. Finally, we conclude with a reminder that although impact valuation tools are most often sought and implemented in service of market-based tools for reform, they can also serve as a basis for robust public policies

Blockchain technology to improve supply chain management - a systematic literature review

This study followed the systematic literature review approach to analyse how blockchain technology can improve supply chain management and to promote a future research agenda. The search was carried out at Web of Science Core Collection between September 2019 and February 2020 by using the keywords “blockchain” AND “supply chain” OR “blockchain” AND “logistics” in the title. In this review 127 studies were identified for screening and a final sample of 67 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analysed to answer the research questions. After examining the selected studies, our findings uncover a range of approaches showing how blockchain can enhance the supply chain management and point out which sectors are most likely to benefit from its implementation. This study contributes to the existing literature by systematising the most relevant information on blockchain implementation in supply chains. In addition, the findings of this study also provide managers and researchers with insights about the likely consequences of blockchain adoption in various sectors. Although there are already some literature reviews on blockchain technology in the supply chain management, this is one of the first studies that brings together the main issues focused on the consequences of blockchain adoption in the supply chain management.A gestão da cadeia de abastecimento está a passar por um processo de digitalização das suas operações justificada pela Quarta Revolução Industrial (Indústria 4.0) que prevê a adoção de novas tecnologias com o objetivo de reduzir custos operacionais, aumentar a eficiência da cadeia de abastecimento e agregar valor aos produtos e serviços. Ferramentas tecnológicas como a internet das coisas (IoT), identificação por radiofrequência (RFID) e Big Data, estão a ser utilizadas na melhoria dos controlos de produção, compra, procura, na tomadas de decisões dos gestores, entretanto, a recente tecnologia blockchain tem chamado atenção de pesquisadores e especialistas devido ao seu potencial transformador nos negócios e principalmente na gestão da cadeia de abastecimento. Por este motivo, este estudo propõe uma revisão sistemática de literatura com o objetivo de analisar como a tecnologia blockchain pode melhorar a gestão da cadeia de abastecimento e propor uma agenda de investigação para o futuro. A pesquisa foi realizada na base de dados Web of Science Core Collection entre setembro de 2019 e fevereiro de 2020 usando as palavras-chave "blockchain" E "supply chain" OU "blockchain" E "logistics" no título. O critério de seleção dos artigos considerou apenas estudos revistos por pares, anais de conferência e livros nos idiomas inglês, espanhol, francês e português. A seleção dos estudos ocorreu em duas etapas. Na primeira etapa, foram analisados títulos e resumos. Na segunda etapa, foi realizada a leitura integral dos estudos que não foram excluídos na primeira fase. Os critérios de exclusão foram: artigos de revisão de literatura, relatórios, estudos focados em informações técnicas, estudos que enfatizaram outras tecnologias (IoT, RFID), gestão financeira da cadeia de abastecimento e/ou estudos relacionados com bitcoins. Os artigos que preencheram um desses critérios foram excluídos com justificativa. Embora tenhamos excluído artigos de revisão de literatura, esses documentos ainda foram utilizados para identificar estudos-chave que não haviam sido capturados da base de dados Web of Science. Por fim, nesta revisão foram identificados 127 estudos para triagem e uma amostra final de 67 estudos atendeu aos critérios de inclusão e foram analisados para responder às perguntas da pesquisa. As perguntas a que a pesquisa teve por objetivo responder foram: quais os benefícios e riscos da tecnologia blockchain; quais os setores que já adotaram a tecnologia blockchain na gestão da cadeia de abastecimento e sua fase de implementação; quais as características das empresas que utilizam a tecnologia; quais são os fatores facilitadores e barreiras para a adoção da tecnologia blockchain nas empresas; qual a influência da tecnologia blockchain na garantia da sustentabilidade da cadeia de abastecimento dentro da estratégia organizacional e dos níveis operacionais; como avaliar o desempenho da tecnologia blockchain na gestão da cadeia de abastecimento. Os estudos selecionados apontam que a partir de 2017 houve um aumento expressivo de estudos relacionados ao uso da tecnologia blockchain na cadeia de abastecimento. Os Estados Unidos, China e Índia são os países com a maior percentagem de publicações sobre o tema e representam aproximadamente 44% do total. Os estudos foram publicados em jornais especializados em sistema de produção e processos, engenharia industrial, tecnologia, gestão, logística, cadeia de abastecimento e sustentabilidade. Quanto aos benefícios e riscos da adoção da tecnologia blockchain, os estudos indicam que a transparência dos dados, rastreabilidade e a redução dos custos operacionais são um dos maiores benefícios da adoção da tecnologia blockchain na cadeia de abastecimento, enquanto a escalabilidade e interoperabilidade foram identificados com os maiores riscos/limitações da implantação da tecnologia. No que tange aos fatores facilitadores da adoção da tecnologia blockchain, a gestão de topo apresenta-se como agente principal no incentivo à adoção do blockchain nas organizações, além disso, a perceção de utilização da tecnologia pelos funcionários também influencia o sucesso de implantação da tecnologia blockchain. Outras características que afetam a adoção da tecnologia são a infraestrutura das empresas, políticas governamentais e a cultura do país, entretanto esses fatores tendem a ter níveis diferentes de acordo com o país onde a empresa está instalada. No que diz respeito aos fatores que dificultam a implantação do blockchain nas organizações, são apontados a falta de conhecimento da tecnologia blockchain e dos seus potenciais benefícios, a existência de um número reduzido de aplicações do blockchain nas empresas, a coordenação e comprometimento dos parceiros de negócios na resolução de problemas e no tratamento de dados, fatores externos, como a legislação e incentivos governamentais. Após examinar os estudos selecionados, a nossa análise revela uma série de abordagens que mostram como a blockchain pode melhorar a gestão da cadeia de abastecimento e identifica os setores mais propensos a retirar benefícios de sua implementação. A indústria de alimentos e a indústria farmacêutica são apontados como os setores com maior vantagem na adoção do blockchain devido a criticidade dos seus produtos, a procura crescente por informações referente a proveniência dos bens e seu alto valor agregado. O perfil das organizações que adotaram a tecnologia blockchain são geralmente multinacionais de grande e médio porte, com capilaridade de parceiros de negócios, grande volume de produção e alto valor agregado aos seus bens. Quanto a sustentabilidade, a tecnologia blockchain pode influenciar, através da transparência e rastreabilidade dos produtos, na redução da produção de lixo e das emissões de carbono no meio ambiente, no controlo das leis e práticas laborais, evitando-se trabalho escravo e, relacionado com as questões económicas, redução dos custos com auditorias, controlo de pedidos de compra, produção e procura. Os indicadores de performance, de acordo com os estudos revistos, podem ser melhorados com a utilização da tecnologia blockchain, promovendo novas métricas sustentáveis baseadas na rastreabilidade e na transparência dos dados. Apesar da fase inicial da tecnologia blockchain, alguns estudos propõem indicadores que avaliam a eficiência da cadeia de abastecimento após a adoção do blockchain, como o tempo de processamento das transações, a utilização de recursos (água, energia elétrica) e níveis de emissão de carbono. Embora já existam algumas revisões de literatura sobre a tecnologia blockchain na gestão da cadeia de abastecimento, este é um dos primeiros estudos que reúne questões importantes focadas nas consequências da adoção do blockchain na gestão. Além disso, os resultados deste estudo fornecem implicações para a gestão e para a teoria sobre as prováveis consequências da adoção de blockchain em vários setores da economia

Sustainability in the Aerospace, Naval, and Automotive Supply Chain 4.0: Descriptive Review

The search for sustainability in the Supply Chain (SC) is one of the tasks that most concerns business leaders in all manufacturing sectors because of the importance that the Supply Chain has as a transversal tool and due to the leading role that it has been playing lately. Of all the manufacturing sectors, this study focuses on the aerospace, shipbuilding, and automotive sectors identified as transport. The present study carries out a descriptive review of existing publications in these three sectors in relation to the sustainability of the Supply Chain in its 4.0 adaptation as an update in matters that are in constant evolution. Among the results obtained, Lean practices are common to the three sectors, as well as different technologies focused on sustainability. Furthermore, the results show that the automotive sector is the one that makes the greatest contribution in this sense through collaborative programs that can be very useful to the other two sectors, thus benefiting from the consequent applicable advantages. Meanwhile, the Aerospace and Shipbuilding sectors do not seem to be working on promoting a sustainable culture in the management of the Supply Chain or on including training programs for their personnel in matters related to Industry 4.0

Blockchain Technology for Renewable Energy : Principles, Applications and Prospects

Blockchain, or distributed ledger, is an innovative technology that is emerging in various sectors and industries across the globe. It has attracted the attention of different interest groups such as energy companies, SMEs and start-ups, information technology developers, financial institutions, national authorities, and the university community. Through, for example, the decentralization of authority in transactions, Internet of Things (IoT) implementation, and smart contracting, the improvement of the daily business operations is firmly forecasted. In the energy sector, digitalization is already present in solutions such as smart grids, smart meters, electric vehicles, etc. Moreover, a new concept of the Internet of Energy (IoE) has been introduced in the academic literature. In this article, the level of trust and maturity of Blockchain technology implementation is investigated through the Blockchain Maturity Questionnaire, developed by the authors. The database consists of responses from upper management professionals from the renewable energy industry. The analysis reveals the state of know-how about Blockchain, the main benefits and bottlenecks associated with its implementation as well as willingness to integrate this technology in the case companies’ future operations. The insight from the industry experts helped to provide a “Roadmap for Blockchain Adoption” in future energy systems. This curiosity study yields numerous applications not only for the renewable energy industry experts but also for the interest groups coming from different industries, as well as public authorities and researchers scrutinizing the fields taken into its scope.© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Integration of Blockchain and Lean Six Sigma approach for operational excellence: A proposed model

Purpose This study aims to explore the potential application of blockchain technology in Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project through a proposed blockchain-LSS (BLSS) model. The proposed model can tackle real-time problems in information sharing, transparency and traceability in every stage of the LSS project. Design/methodology/approach The scoping review approach is used to develop the integrated model of the BLSS approach for operational excellence. The proposed model is validated through expert’s input, which is collected by a questionnaire survey method. Findings The prime function of the proposed BLSS model is the information sharing among the project team and real-time monitoring, transparency, traceability and immutability in the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control phase. The proposed model also consists the information about the role of blockchain features at each phase of the LSS project. The project team and industry employees can trace the success of the project at every moment, resulting in trust buildup and the elimination of fake data. Moreover, there would be no disputes among various sections/shops of the plant and employees to share the real information. Practical implications This paper provides guidelines to practitioners and managers for integrating the LSS approach and blockchain. The blockchain helps managers and practitioners in better data traceability and transparency, monitoring of data as well as more sustainable LSS project management. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research attempt that developed an integrated model of blockchain and LSS approach to maintaining the immutable records of assets in projects and targeted Industry 4.0

Sustainable Development Report: Blockchain, the Web3 & the SDGs

This is an output paper of the applied research that was conducted between July 2018 - October 2019 funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and conducted by the Research Institute for Cryptoeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and RCE Vienna (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development).Series: Working Paper Series / Institute for Cryptoeconomics / Interdisciplinary Researc

Identifying capabilities and constraints in utilizing blockchain technology in hospitality and tourism

PurposeThe purpose of this study synthesises the body of research revolving around blockchain technology (BCT) whilst drawing on the technology-organization-environment framework, resource-based theory and theory of constraints, to conceptualize capabilities (enablers) and constraints (barriers) of BCT in the hospitality and tourism (H&T) industry.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review of BCT in the hotel and tourism industry has been achieved through two databases, i.e. Scopus and Web of Science. From 544 articles selected between the years 2008 and 2023 (first quarter), a sample of 49 articles was used to structure existing research on this subject.FindingsThe findings of this systematic literature review of BCT in the H&T literature establish a solid groundwork for assessing the evolution of this research area over time. Findings are classified into two groups: capabilities (enablers) and constraints (barriers) of BCT based on publication year, different research methods, theoretical underpinnings and applicable contexts.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to synthesize studies related to BCT in H&T research by combining three theoretical approaches. It serves as a foundation to evaluate the development of BCT studies in this field

Assessment of Digitalized Logistics for Implementation in Low-Income Countries

Integration of digitalization and automation with logistics systems promotes effective and efficient flow of goods, information, and services, contributing to economic development. The level of implementation of digitalization and automation in low-income countries is still low, however. The aim of this study is to establish which digitalized logistics practices could best be adopted by firms in low-income countries. A systematic literature review was used to identify state-of-the-art digitalization and automation technologies in logistics chains. Criteria for adopting digitalized logistics practices were also identified in the literature review. An expert survey was conducted to identify criteria weights using analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Economic benefit, infrastructure, and affordability were the criteria that were given the highest weights by the experts. Case studies that applied state-of-the-art technologies such as internet of things (IoT), radio frequency identification (RFID), blockchain, big data analytics (BDA), and sensors mainly for traceability, production operation, and warehouse and inventory management were considered as recommended practices. Identification of suitable practices considering the local conditions in low-income countries could help logistics professionals and policymakers adopt enabling technologies in logistics chains

Sustainable Development Report: Blockchain, the Web3 & the SDGs

This is an output paper of the applied research that was conducted between July 2018 - October 2019 funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and conducted by the Research Institute for Cryptoeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and RCE Vienna (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development).Series: Working Paper Series / Institute for Cryptoeconomics / Interdisciplinary Researc