Analysing the impact of blockchain-technology for operations and supply chain management: An explanatory model drawn from multiple case studies

Abstract

Blockchain technology is said to have a high disruptive potential and can do without an intermediary. Numerous contributions deal with its impact on and possibilities for logistics and supply chains. In this article, we use a multiple case analysis to develop an explanatory model for the interaction of actors in an operational supply chain involving blockchain technology. In addition, we show which intermediary tasks the blockchain could replace and what impact this would have on the industry logic. For this purpose, we analyze the status quo in practice based on a multiple case study with real use cases and find answers to our research questions. The findings of the paper include (1) insights into the impact of blockchain technology on the logistics industry, and (2) the implications and research questions related to blockchain technology and the impact of blockchain technology on business models.