Decentralized Information Management Research Articles

Improving green supply chain resilience through Blockchain innovation: A risk mitigation perspective

The increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies has brought to light the underlying technology known as Blockchain. This innovation is a decentralized information management system that allows for the recording of digital asset transactions without the need for institutional intermediaries. The potential of Blockchain to revolutionize the management of companies, particularly in the context of supply chain risk management, is immense due to the complex and vulnerable nature of the supply chain. This article aims to highlight the impact of the Blockchain on the risks observed in the Supply Chain by examining how this innovation can strengthen the resilience of these chains in times of increased threat and uncertainty. Our study, which utilizes a bibliometric analysis, highlights the role of Blockchain technology in mitigating various risks, including those related to fraud, errors, loss of information, and supply chain failure. It should be noted that the implementation of environmental supply chain practices requires the commitment and participation of all stakeholders involved in the supply chain, as well as favorable policies and incentives from governments and institutions to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices. The key features of Blockchain, including real-time transparency, traceability, and automated smart contract management, enable risk mitigation and contribute to the overall resilience of green supply chains.

Decentralized management of ephemeral traffic incidents

AbstractEphemeral traffic incidents, such as a fallen tree on a road, pose traffic safety hazards, and impact locally on traffic. While these incidents are neither predictable nor persistent, their existence is relevant for all vehicles planning to pass by while the impact continues. This article develops a novel communication strategy for vehicular ad hoc networks aiming to inform all the affected vehicles, while involving only the minimum number of non‐affected vehicles. This strategy exploits time geography as a spatial and temporal filter, ensuring also that the information broadcasting timely terminates when the incident is over. Agent‐based traffic simulations show that, when a road is temporarily blocked due to an ephemeral incident, the proposed decentralized information management model achieves significant improvement in travel efficiency and automatically updates outdated incident information in time.

Blockchain and e-government innovation: Automation of public information processes

The emergence of the blockchain phenomenon affects various aspects of human life. Public sector reforms are also influenced by this trend. E-government leaders around the world are tentatively beginning to grasp the potential of blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies, especially with regard to their promise to provide more decentralized information management solutions in government and make public digital platforms more transparent and efficient. Software developers around the world have come up with a range of digital solutions to accelerate these reforms. Given the multidimensional nature of e-government, it is interesting to understand in which areas blockchain has the potential to promote innovation, what processes and procedures can be automated using blockchain technology, and what illustrative examples of government efficiency can be observed in this area.

EXPLORING APPLICATIONS OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Blockchain provides a secure decentralized information management system that can solve many common problems facing the construction industry. The loose structure of the construction industry, the way that public and private projects are tendered, and the supply chain system it uses for material and service delivery provide unique challenges and problems. New information technology management systems such as BIM and RFID are used to address some of these issues, though not completely. Blockchain technology can be used to further improve the information management systems in construction, provide more automation and mitigate many possible legal conflicts by default. Implementation of blockchain technology in the construction industry can also result in the use of smart contracts with fewer administrative struggles, improve the flow of the project, material, and service delivery, and increase the security and currentness of BIM or project documents. This study aims to explore the applications of blockchain technology in improving the construction industry's information management systems. It is concluded that not only the blockchain technology has potential in addressing some of the common problems in the construction industry but also it is adaptable to the construction industry structure and the way it is practiced. Thus, blockchain technology is a viable option for adaptation in the construction industry.

Factors Affecting Organizational Design: A Study on the Selected Dimensions in the Bangladeshi Context

This paper explores variations in organization design due to factors like industry type, organization size, maturity, technology intensity and strategic focus. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey and Key Informant Interviews (KII). No single factor was found to have a significant impact on all dimensions. Bigger organizations were found to have relatively decentralized information management system and service organizations had decentralized control mechanism and two-way communication practices. Organizations with relatively greater technology focus tended to use decentralized decision making, control mechanism and information management practices.

An ontology framework towards decentralized information management for eco-industrial parks

In this paper, we develop a skeletal ontology for eco-industrial parks. A top-down conceptual framework including five operating levels (unit operations, processes, plants, industrial resource networks and eco-industrial parks) is employed to guide the design of the ontology structure. The detailed ontological representation of each level is realized through adapting and extending OntoCAPE, an ontology of the chemical engineering domain. Based on the proposed ontology, a framework for distributed information management is proposed for eco-industrial parks. As an example, this ontology is used to create a knowledge base for Jurong Island, an industrial park in Singapore. Its potential uses in supporting process modeling and optimization and facilitating industrial symbiosis are also discussed in the paper.

Fundamental Values of Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain Technology

This paper studies how decentralized information management affects asset quality uncertainty and consumer welfare. We show that quality certification improves transparency but has a non-monotonic impact on trading activity and the fee for certification. Thus, when a single agent serves as a centralized quality certifier, she has an incentive to leave the market opaque even if the resolution of uncertainty increases consumer welfare. By contrast, in a decentralized system, record keepers competitively determine the reliability of quality certification. Each record keeper does not incorporate the impact of her monitoring on the general equilibrium transparency, as well as the non-monotonic reaction of the fee revenue. Thus, it may outperform the centralized counterpart in terms of consumer welfare. As a leading example, we apply our discussions to the blockchain economy and derive its implications for the cryptocurrency price and the total hash rate.

Distributed Big Data: Individuals’ Dignity and Public Welfare by Decentralized Information Management

Distributed Big Data: Individuals’ Dignity and Public Welfare by Decentralized Information Management

Computer software for health care CQI

The transition from quality assurance to continuous quality improvement (CQI) demands a basic change from centralized to decentralized information management. In CQI, front-line staff can use personal computer (PC) software skills to manage, analyze, and act on process-related information. Information services departments play a key role in this transition by, among other things, selecting software that optimally supports the PC-based work carried out by CQI teams. A review of typical CQI team software requirements and of available PC software suggests that Microsoft Excel 4.0 is a nearly ideal software platform to support CQI teams.

Do not reorganize economies away — Scale, scope and decentralization

To improve adaptability to changing market circumstances, firms continually review the internal balance between differentiation and integration. More intense competition increases internal differentiation, usually called ‘decentralization’ by practitioners. Simultaneously, many firms' information managers maintain that integration of data should be used as a means of increasing adaptability and to lower data processing expenditure (hard- and software, training). This paper is an assessment of some managerial issues; it is an examination of the author's practical experience and a selective study of cases in the Netherlands. Based on practitioners' views, it emphasizes the risk of overestimating the advantage of decentralized information management. This paper offers an approach to keeping potential synergy in place, through analysis of scale and scope economies.