DEMO Models Based Automatic Smart Contract Generation: A Case in Logistics Using Hyperledger

This article presents a practical research project aimed at developing a method for automatically generating smart contracts from business models. The project has as a context the logistics in- dustry and uses Hyperledger Fabric as the blockchain (BC) platform. The main contributions are a mapping from DEMO (Design and Engineering Methodology for Organizations) language to Hyperledger Chaincode using GO language, as well as an evolution of DEMO’s Action Model Grammar, that enable specification of elements necessary for automatic SC generation. The proposed approach extends the DEMO methodology so that it includes an SC concern, enabling the generation of reusable action rule specifications and other elements necessary for SC genera- tion. Our research contributes to combining the strengths of the DEMO methodology and smart contracts. The design and implementation considerations of this approach are discussed in de- tail, and the results can be applied in future business cases requiring enterprise interoperability supported by distributed ledger technology

Archival Study of Blockchain Applications in the Construction Industry From Literature Published in 2019 and 2020

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate proposed blockchain applications in the construction industry from contemporary literature. Methodology: Archival studies will be used to obtain academic content from secondary sources. An explorative strategy will be adopted with no preconception or biases on the preferred route of execution. Blockchain is a fast-evolving technology with a high rate of yearly progression; therefore, this paper refines the search to recently published material in 2019 and 2020. Data is collected in two stages, firstly, categories of research are extrapolated from secondary literature and recorded into a table, and afterwards, the corresponding proposed application of blockchain is documented and reviewed. Findings: An adequate breadth and variety of categories are substantiated from archival literature, which effectively contributes to the extraction of proposed blockchain applications for construction. The data collection extracts 19 categories from the explorative study, in which 19 proposed solutions (one per category) is presented. All of the advisory content for the proposed solutions were obtained from a deliberated selection of 21 academic study papers. Limitations: The study is limited to one proposed application per category, totalling 19 proposed solutions; however, assessing various approaches per category could not be researched comparatively due to voluminous information. Thus, recommendations incorporate a holistic case study of one subject category which incorporates a multitude of various proposed applications. Originality: This paper contributes to new knowledge through extrapolating proposed blockchain applications from academic literature in 2019 and 2020

Conceptual framework of a Project Bank Account (PBA) blockchain payment application for the construction industry

The UK government published a guidance document in 2012 stipulating the use of project bank accounts (PBA) to promote fair and prompt payment practices in the construction industry. PBA utilises a project-specific escrow bank account to provide greater cash flow auditability and mitigate cascading payments down the supply chain. However, PBA is bureaucratic to manage and costly to set up. This paper will investigate whether blockchain can be used as an alternative system for executing PBA payments