Abstract
PurposeThis paper aims to strive to close the current research gap pertaining to potential implications of the blockchain for supply chain management (SCM) by presenting a framework built on four established economic theories, namely, principal agent theory (PAT), transaction cost analysis (TCA), resource-based view (RBV) and network theory (NT). These theories can be used to derive research questions that are theory-based as well as relevant for the industry. This paper is intended to initiate and stimulate an academic discussion on the potential impact of the blockchain and introduces a framework for middle-range theorizing together with several research questions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper builds on previous theories that are frequently used in SCM research and shows how they can be adapted to blockchain-related questions.FindingsThis paper introduces a framework for middle-range theorizing together with several research questions.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper presents blockchain-related research questions derived from four frequently used theories, namely, PAT, TCA, RBV and (NT). These questions will guide future research pertaining to structural (PAT, TCA) and managerial issues (RBV, NT) and will foster middle-range theory development in SCM research.Practical implicationsBlockchain technology has the potential to significantly change SCM. Given the huge investments by industry, academic research is needed which investigates potential implications and supports companies. In this paper, various research questions are introduced that illustrate how the implications of blockchain on SCM can be investigated from different perspectives.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, no academic papers are published in leading academic journals that investigate the relationship between SCM and blockchain from a theory-based perspective.
Highlights
About two decades ago, the internet emerged as an unprecedented and highly disruptive technology that shook the foundations of many established businesses
We closely follow an approach previously suggested by Halldorsson et al (2007) that builds on new institutional economics (Coase, 1937; Williamson, 1987) to provide guidelines on how to structure and manage supply chains
That paper was favorably received by the academic community and provides an ideal foundation for investigating the blockchain as a technological artifact that has the potential to significantly disrupt supply chains in various industries
Summary
The internet emerged as an unprecedented and highly disruptive technology that shook the foundations of many established businesses. This upheaval proliferated throughout many supply chains (SCs) and led to the restructuring of complete value networks (Yao et al, 2009; Dresner et al, 2001). The roots of the ARPANET, which was an early packet switching network based on TCP/IP, date back to the end of the 1960s. It was not until the commercial potential of the internet was fully realized in the 1990s that the World Wide Web
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