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LEVERAGING BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY TO REVAMP THE VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION JOURNEY: PERSPECTIVES OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND ECONOMIC CIRCULARITY
The automotive industry is undergoing a significant transition accelerated by global emission regulations for a phase out of internal combustion engines (ICEs) and a transition toward the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). While regulatory measures and incentivized adoption for EVs presents opportunities for reducing emissions and promoting sustainability, it also poses complex challenges. The EV industry faces potential production challenges, particularly in the sourcing, manufacturing, and lifecycle management of critical minerals and raw materials for electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). With a heavy reliance on a steady and diversified supply of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements, the finite nature of mineral resources poses long-term challenges for EV stakeholders.
The recent measures instituted by government regulations do recognize the need for EV stakeholder accountability, requiring substantiated evidentiary proof by way of data collection and analysis mandating resource recapture and reintroduction into circularity, environmental benefits, and real-time data availability. By implementing clear end-of-life requirements such as collection targets, material recovery goals, and extended producer responsibility, EV producers are held responsible for managing the entire lifecycle of electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). Government regulations are aimed at bolstering sustainability standards, and a high degree of accountability for all battery products, showing a clear shift towards circular economic standards.
This culminating experience project explores the role of collaborative initiatives and innovative technological frameworks, particularly, blockchain, smart contracts, and Nash equilibrium game theory, in addressing sustainability challenges within the EV ecosystem. The research questions are: (RQ1) How does the strategic application of blockchain technology within a circular economic framework facilitate cooperation among stakeholders in the EV industry, leading to improved oversight, enhanced accountability, and guided decision-making? (RQ2) How can the implementation of private-permissioned blockchain technology, particularly through smart contracts, be strategically employed to enhance transparency, traceability, and sustainability throughout the lifecycle of electric vehicles, within the broader context of the EV ecosystem? (RQ3) Why should EV industry stakeholders engage in a consortium, that is driven by blockchain technology, smart contracts, Nash Equilibrium game theory, and what are the potential effects?
The findings for each question are: (Q1) The partnership among RCS, IBM, Ford, exemplified how integrating blockchain into a circular economic framework can establish oversight, ensure accountability, and enable informed decision-making with traceable and transparent data circularity. Ford notably improved its cobalt due diligent management system, marked by a notable forty-six percentage point within one year, demonstrating its commitment to responsible sourcing and regulatory compliance. (Q2) Private-permissioned blockchain networks, especially with smart contracts, automate performance obligations, without an intermediary interaction, strengthening self-governance within a decentralized network. The consensus mechanism, integral to blockchain architecture, enhances accountability among EV stakeholders by validating and authenticating transactions. Opting for a consensus algorithm, emphasizing participant reputation over computational power, reduces reliance on resources while maintaining network integrity. (Q3) EV stakeholders and their tier-1 suppliers, in a consortium, are incentivized to uphold their reputation and branding through adherence to ethical and sustainable practices facilitated in a blockchain network. By doing so, they contribute to the overall stability of the industry and the circular economic framework, as mutual benefits are maximized, unilateral deviations are discouraged, and collaborative dynamics are fostered.
The conclusions are: (Q1) EV producers involved in circular economic initiatives can be perceived as collaborative partners that prioritize collective success over individual gain, fostering positive brand associations with teamwork and partnership. (Q2) By aligning incentives, fostering collaboration, and leveraging data-driven insights, EV producers and their suppliers can optimize resource use, minimize waste, and contribute to the transition towards a more sustainable economic model. (Q3) By adhering to ethical and sustainable practices the equilibrium ensures that EV stakeholders maintain trust and credibility, promoting a sustainable ecosystem for the EV industry within the circular economy
A Review of Blockchain-Based Systems in Transportation
This paper presents a literature review about the application of blockchain-based systems in transportation. The main aim was to identify, through the implementation of a multi-step methodology: current research-trends, main gaps in the literature, and possible future challenges. First, a bibliometric analysis was carried out to obtain a broad overview of the topic of interest. Subsequently, the most influential contributions were analysed in depth, with reference to the following two areas: supply chain and logistics; road traffic management and smart cities. The most important result is that the blockchain technology is still in an early stage, but appears extremely promising, given its possible applications within multiple fields, such as food track and trace, regulatory compliance, smart vehicles' security, and supply-demand matching. Much effort is still necessary for reaching the maturation stage because several models have been theorized in recent years, but very few have been implemented within real contexts. Moreover, the link blockchain-sustainability was explored, showing that this technology could be the trigger for limiting food waste, reducing exhaust gas emissions, favouring correct urban development, and, in general, improving quality of life
Blockchain technology for operational excellence and supply chain resilience : a framework based on use cases and an architecture demonstration
Increased risks and uncertainties can disrupt the whole supply chain (SC), resulting in ineffective value transition. Facilitated by digital technologies, SC resilience can be achieved which enables organisations to strengthen capabilities. Therefore, blockchain is emerging as a promising technology that promises transparency and decentralisation across multiple SC nodes and can effectively respond to any disruption and recover fast through visibility. However, prior research does not offer a clear framework for blockchain adoption to achieve operational excellence and SC resilience. This paper develops an explanatory framework for SC resilience and operational excellence by conducting a rigorous analysis of recent literature, existing industrial cases (i.e. food SC, diamond SC, electric vehicle (EV) battery SC, blood SC), and a reference architecture implementation in forest SC. We explore how blockchain has addressed the traceability challenges and developed operational excellence in selected use cases. The theoretical and use case analysis reveal the promising effect of blockchain in developing capabilities and effective response systems where transparency, traceability, real-time information sharing, process, and security are the most common value propositions. The reference model (available on GitHub) demonstrates an increase in process efficiency by offering data safety, and transparent and traceable information which cannot be altered throughout SC.© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/),which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed
A Blockchain, 5G and IoT-based transaction management system for Smart Logistics: an Hyperledger framework
The recent technological progress has started a revolution in the logistic and supply chain environment, known as Logistics 4.0. Such a revolution is strongly based on information sharing and digitalization. For this reason, distributed ledger technologies (and blockchain in particular) are attracting the interest of countries and companies. However, the proper verification of data coming from oracles is a huge issue. This paper proposes a solution integrating Blockchain and IoT, by exploiting the enhanced data security and integrity provided by Narrowband-IoT. A preliminary performance evaluation of Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperladger Sawtooth is also presented
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
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
Blockchain Solutions for Multi-Agent Robotic Systems: Related Work and Open Questions
The possibilities of decentralization and immutability make blockchain
probably one of the most breakthrough and promising technological innovations
in recent years. This paper presents an overview, analysis, and classification
of possible blockchain solutions for practical tasks facing multi-agent robotic
systems. The paper discusses blockchain-based applications that demonstrate how
distributed ledger can be used to extend the existing number of research
platforms and libraries for multi-agent robotic systems.Comment: 5 pages, FRUCT-2019 conference pape
Understanding blockchain technology for future supply chains: a systematic literature review and research agenda
Purpose: This paper investigates the way in which blockchain technology is likely to influence future supply chain practices and policies. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of both academic and practitioner literature was conducted. Multiple accounts of blockchain adoption within industry were also consulted to gain further insight. Findings: While blockchain technologies remain in their infancy, they are gaining momentum within supply chains, trust being the predominant factor driving their adoption. The value of such technologies for supply chain management lies in four areas: extended visibility and traceability, supply chain digitalisation and disintermediation, improved data security and smart contracts. Several challenges and gaps in understanding and opportunities for further research are identified by our research. How a blockchain enabled supply chain should be configured has also been explored from a design perspective. Research limitations/implications: Our systematic review focuses on the diffusion of blockchain technology within supply chains and great care was taken in selecting search terms. However, we acknowledge that our choice of terms may have excluded certain blockchain articles from this review. Practical implications: This paper offers valuable insight for supply-chain practitioners into how blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt existing supply chain provisions as well as a number of challenges to its successful diffusion. Originality/value: Ours is one of the first studies to examine the current state of blockchain diffusion within supply chains. It lays a firm foundation for future research. Keywords: blockchain, distributed ledger technology, supply chain management, peer-to-peer communication, systematic literature revie
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
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