John G. Keogh
57205343423
Publications - 21
When Industry 5.0 Meets the Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review
Publication Name: Circular Economy and Sustainability
Publication Date: 2025-08-01
Volume: 5
Issue: 4
Page Range: 2621-2652
Description:
This paper examines the convergence of Industry 5.0 and the circular economy, emphasizing the role of emerging technologies in promoting sustainability via human-centric approaches. In contrast to Industry 4.0, which prioritizes automation and digitalization, Industry 5.0 stresses the synergistic integration of technology, environmental sustainability, and human collaboration to enhance resource efficiency and minimize waste. Using co-word analysis and BERTopic modeling on 283 journal articles extracted from the Scopus database, this research identifies key trends and themes linking Industry 5.0 and the circular economy. The study findings demonstrate the use of automation, machine learning, and 3D printing in sustainable manufacturing, which aligns with circular economy principles by optimizing resource efficiency and reducing waste. The topic modeling analysis further demonstrates the role of blockchain, cybersecurity, and human-centric AI in enabling closed-loop systems while assuring transparency and accountability in circular production models. The collaboration between humans and machines emerges as a crucial topic highlighting the need for adaptive manufacturing systems to balance productivity and environmental responsibility. The findings indicate that Industry 5.0 increasingly aligns with circular economy goals, paving the way to more sustainable, resilient, and human-centric industrial processes. This study offers valuable insights for academics and practitioners, indicating that the confluence of technology, sustainability, and human involvement will propel the future of industrial innovation.
Open Access: Yes
The nexus of IoT and aquaculture: A bibliometric analysis
Publication Name: Applied Food Research
Publication Date: 2025-06-01
Volume: 5
Issue: 1
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The Internet of Things (IoT) in aquaculture presents significant opportunities for improving the sector's productivity, sustainability, and resilience. This study aims to achieve two primary goals: to deliver an extensive overview of IoT applications in aquaculture and to pinpoint emerging trends and research gaps, thereby directing future academic endeavors in the aquaculture field. Through bibliometric analysis, which involved keyword co-occurrence and article co-citation network analyses, we investigated 428 publications from 2012 to 2024 retrieved from Scopus. The review indicates a significant rise in investigative efforts, especially in recent years, highlighting the sector's increasing focus on the role of IoT in tackling the distinct challenges aquaculture faces, including water quality monitoring, disease prevention, and resource efficiency. Prominent themes recognized encompass advanced aquaculture systems, water quality and health monitoring, and sophisticated forecasting tools. This investigation enhances the existing knowledge base by emphasizing key themes, significant studies, and essential technological advancements in IoT-enabled aquaculture, providing one of the initial bibliometric assessments in this swiftly developing field. Future research should focus on enhancing interoperability among IoT devices, improving data security and privacy, integrating artificial intelligence for predictive analytics, and expanding IoT applications to support small-scale and resource-constrained aquaculture operations.
Open Access: Yes
Knowledge flows in industry 4.0 research: a longitudinal and dynamic analysis
Publication Name: Journal of Data Information and Management
Publication Date: 2025-06-01
Volume: 7
Issue: 2
Page Range: 123-145
Description:
Industry 4.0 represents a significant shift in industrial practices, presenting unique opportunities to improve manufacturing via advanced digital technologies and sustainable processes. The rapid growth of Industry 4.0 research has uncovered a significant knowledge gap and emphasized the need for studies adopting dynamic and longitudinal perspectives to understand this field’s evolution comprehensively. This study meticulously analyzes 10,176 articles to investigate the thematic evolution and knowledge transfer mechanisms within Industry 4.0. The examination reveals four distinct sub-periods, each characterized by thematic transitions, starting with foundational themes such as simulation and cyber-physical systems, progressing to later focuses on cloud computing, convolutional neural networks, and digital twin technologies. As research progresses, themes like production facilities, monitoring, and security highlight the shift towards automation, real-time monitoring, and strong data security measures. Five primary thematic domains are identified: (1) core enablers of sustainable smart manufacturing, (2) innovation and strategic transformation, (3) smart and secure manufacturing systems, (4) advanced data-driven manufacturing technologies, and (5) AI-driven real-time monitoring and production. These domains illustrate a transition from fundamental enablers like the Internet of Things (IoT) to more intricate AI-based applications. The main path analysis indicates a shift in emphasis, moving from essential digital integration towards sustainability, digital transformation, and resource efficiency applications. The findings reveal significant implications and highlight Industry 4.0 as a driving force for sustainable and resilient industrial ecosystems.
Open Access: Yes
Smart Logistics for Sustainable Food Industries
Publication Name: Smart Food Industry the Blockchain for Sustainable Engineering Volume II Current Status Future Foods and Global Issues
Publication Date: 2024-01-01
Volume: Unknown
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 292-306
Description:
Food production, processing and preservation have all advanced significantly over the years. Despite this, the safety and quality of food have been questioned in the aftermath of a long series of food frauds and food safety crises. Adding to the existing complexities related to food safety management and food fraud mitigation, calls for a stronger focus on sustainability have gradually increased in response to the negative effects of climate change and system shocks such as the COVID pandemic. These calls are exacerbated by claims of excessive water consumption for food animals and crops as well as toxic discharges. To meet the expectations of an expanding global population, there is an urgent need to leverage new technologies and embrace digital transformation in order to improve sustainability across the food industry. In this context, smart logistics emerges as an innovative paradigm for integrating novel technologies and realising the potential of cyber-physical systems to improve food logistics operations. Additionally, smart logistics has the potential to improve food chain transparency and ensure timely delivery of perishable food while increasing flexibility and improving efficiency. This chapter discusses emerging technologies that serve as a foundation for smart logistics and are critical enablers for the development of a sustainable food industry. It is primarily focused on a variety of food logistics operations, including warehousing, transportation, and distribution. Technological advancements such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytics (BDA), Blockchain Technology (BT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are discussed.
Open Access: Yes
Examining Knowledge Diffusion in the Circular Economy Domain: a Main Path Analysis
Publication Name: Circular Economy and Sustainability
Publication Date: 2023-03-01
Volume: 3
Issue: 1
Page Range: 125-166
Description:
The circular economy (CE) field has recently attracted significant interest from academics and practitioners. CE represents a departure from the linear economy, which is characterised by unsustainable resource production and consumption. The growing number of publications necessitates a comprehensive analysis of this field. This is the first systematic examination of the knowledge base and knowledge diffusion pathways in the CE domain. We analyse a Web of Science dataset containing 5431 articles published between 1970 and 2020. To create a comprehensive review of the CE domain, we conducted a keyword co-occurrence network analysis. We examined four distinct types of main paths using the main path analysis (MPA) technique: forward, backward, global, and key-route. According to the analyses, CE research focuses on six primary research themes: CE and sustainability, bioeconomy, CE practices, lifecycle assessment and industrial symbiosis, construction activities, and waste management. In addition, the MPA demonstrates that the CE literature has recently focused on Industry 4.0 technologies and their contribution to CE. This is the first attempt to depict the genealogy of CE research so that scholars can comprehend the domain’s evolutionary structure, identify hot topics, and capture the history, development status, and potential future directions of CE research.
Open Access: Yes
Blockchain technology in the smart city: a bibliometric review
Publication Name: Quality and Quantity
Publication Date: 2022-10-01
Volume: 56
Issue: 5
Page Range: 2875-2906
Description:
Blockchain can function as a foundational technology with numerous applications in smart cities. The objective of this paper is twofold. First, it provides a detailed overview of the extant literature on blockchain applications in smart cities; second, it reveals the trends and suggests future research directions for scholars who wish to contribute to this rapidly growing field. We conducted a bibliometric review using a keyword co-occurrence network and article co-citation analysis. The analysis includes the assessment of 148 articles published between 2016 and 2020 in 76 academic journals. The review results demonstrate that the number of articles devoted to the study of blockchain applications and smart cities has increased exponentially in recent years. More importantly, the research identifies some of the most influential studies in this area. The paper discusses trends and highlights the challenges related to the deployment of blockchain in smart cities. To the authors’ best knowledge, this represents the first study to review the literature from leading journals on blockchain applications in smart cities using bibliometric techniques.
Open Access: Yes
A bibliometric analysis of humanitarian logistics
Publication Name: Acta Technica Jaurinensis
Publication Date: 2022-05-25
Volume: 15
Issue: 2
Page Range: 74-90
Description:
Recent years have seen a surge in interest in humanitarian logistics (HL) research. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 894 HL-related studies. The publications were chosen using a combination of keywords from their titles, abstracts and author-supplied keywords from the leading database Scopus. The publications were classified according to their publication year, country of origin, type of publication, most relevant journals, and most influential authors. The review’s findings indicate that over a four-decade period, HL research progressed through three distinct stages. In terms of national contribution, the United States of America leads with the most studies published on HL. Additionally, the HL literature is advanced primarily through academic journal articles. The Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management is the leading journal in the field, with 148 articles published. The study makes a significant contribution by providing relevant analysis that may inform and guide scholars and researchers as they explore the evolution of HL research and foster networking and collaboration opportunities across multiple institutions.
Open Access: Yes
Big data in the food supply chain: a literature review
Publication Name: Journal of Data Information and Management
Publication Date: 2022-03-01
Volume: 4
Issue: 1
Page Range: 33-47
Description:
The emergence of big data (BD) offers new opportunities for food businesses to address emerging risks and operational challenges. BD denotes the integration and analysis of multiple data sets, which are inherently complex, voluminous and are often of inadequate quality and structure. While BD is a well-established method in supply chain management, academic research on its application in the food ecosystem is still lagging. To fill this knowledge gap and capture the latest developments in this field, a systematic literature review was performed. Forty-one papers were selected and thoroughly examined and analysed to identify the enablers of BD in the food supply chain. The review primarily attempted to obtain an answer to the following research question: “What are the possibilities of leveraging big data in the food supply chain?“ Six significant benefits of applying BD in the food industry were identified, namely, the extraction of valuable knowledge and insights, decision-making support, improvement of food chain efficiencies, reliable forecasting, waste minimization, and food safety. Finally, some challenges and future research directions were outlined.
Open Access: Yes
Barriers to Blockchain Adoption in the Circular Economy: A Fuzzy Delphi and Best-Worst Approach
Publication Name: Sustainability Switzerland
Publication Date: 2022-03-01
Volume: 14
Issue: 6
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Blockchain can help to fundamentally alter aspects of circular economy (CE) activities and overcome pressing sustainability issues. Nevertheless, limited studies have investigated the barriers to blockchain adoption in the CE. This study aims to close the knowledge gap by providing a comprehensive review of the barriers hampering the adoption and integration of blockchain technology in the CE. An integrated approach based on fuzzy Delphi and best-worst methods has been applied to analyze and rank the barriers. Sixteen barriers to blockchain adoption in the CE were identified from the academic literature and validated by a panel of experts. The findings from the fuzzy Delphi technique identified ten significant barriers for further analysis. Then, using the best-worst method, the optimal weights were determined based on the experts’ judgment to recognize the importance of each barrier. The findings from this method showed that a lack of knowledge and management support, reluctance to change and technological immaturity are the most significant barriers. In contrast, the least significant barriers are investment costs, security risks, and scalability issues. Theoretically, this study is the first to apply an integrated approach combining fuzzy Delphi and best-worst techniques to prioritze the barriers to blockchain adoption in the CE. It also provides valuable insights for managers and decision-makers that can be used to optimize blockchain implementations in the CE.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/su14063611
Modeling enablers for blockchain adoption in the circular economy
Publication Name: Sustainable Futures
Publication Date: 2022-01-01
Volume: 4
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Blockchain technology can play a crucial role to facilitate the transition from a linear to a circular economy. This article evaluates those enablers that influence technology adoption in the circular economy. A comprehensive literature review and feedback from experts revealed nineteen critical enablers. The Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology was used to determine the cause-and-effect relationships between them. The findings identified five critical causal enablers: transparency, security, smart contracts, traceability, and enhanced collaboration. Effect enablers were identified as immutability, decentralization, privacy, automation, information sharing, and enhanced regulation.
Open Access: Yes
The potentials of augmented reality in supply chain management: a state-of-the-art review
Publication Name: Management Review Quarterly
Publication Date: 2021-10-01
Volume: 71
Issue: 4
Page Range: 819-856
Description:
This paper examines the potentials of augmented reality (AR) technology in supply chain management (SCM) and logistics. Specifically, we provide an overview of the technology’s various value propositions and its ability to support companies’ business processes. Although the emergence of Industry 4.0 has renewed the interest in AR, and how it can address several issues challenging existing business models, rigorous studies investigating the potentials of AR for SCM and logistics activities are scant. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic literature review to compile existing literature, identify current research gaps, and systematize AR research in SCM and logistics activities. In total, forty-three (43) papers were thoroughly analyzed. The findings of this study reveal that AR can add value in five main areas, namely warehousing, manufacturing, sales and outdoor logistics, planning and design and human resource management. Moreover, we discuss organizations’ challenges when deploying AR in SCM and logistics and propose exploratory research opportunities for further investigation. In this paper, we highlight numerous practical implications of AR in SCM and recommend that organizations consider AR as a potential solution for enhancing business processes, improving operational efficiencies, and increasing overall competitiveness. This study represents one of the first attempts to synthesize AR’s literature from an SCM and logistics perspective.
Open Access: Yes
5G Networks in the Value Chain
Publication Name: Wireless Personal Communications
Publication Date: 2021-03-01
Volume: 117
Issue: 2
Page Range: 1577-1599
Description:
As Information and Communication Technologies are evolving rapidly and at an exponential pace‚ businesses are forced to cope with the latest trends in innovation and to respond to emerging needs and opportunities. The constant digitization and process automation (digitalization) of supply chains call for the consideration of innovative services to sustain value chain efficiency and effectiveness. Given the approaching technological developments‚ the new network upgrades embodied in 5G networks raises several high expectations along the value chain. This paper recognizes the critical role of 5G telecommunications to support several value chain activities and create value propositions that would not be possible with existing network generations. To this end‚ Porter’s value chain model is applied and comprehensively discussed to highlight the potential areas that could be facilitated by 5G telecommunications.
Open Access: Yes
Enablers of Augmented Reality in the Food Supply Chain: A Systematic Literature Review
Publication Name: Journal of Foodservice Business Research
Publication Date: 2021-01-01
Volume: 24
Issue: 4
Page Range: 415-444
Description:
The food industry represents one of the most critically important sectors of the economy. Food is a basic necessity for human life and requires specialized handling, preparation, and logistics to be safe for human consumption. Moreover, food supply chains have become more globalized, fragmented, and complex. Food industry stakeholders are forced to reconsider conventional ways of managing food chains and coping with the latest technology innovation trends. As technology unlocks several opportunities in supply chains, food businesses have a vested interest in exploring Augmented Reality (AR). AR denotes the technology of overlaying virtual objects upon the real-world environment. Despite being a well-established technology, AR possibilities in the food supply chain remain an unexplored research area. Therefore, to fill this knowledge gap and capture the latest developments in this field, we conducted a systematic literature review. Fifty-one (51) publications were thoroughly analyzed to identify the enablers of AR in the food industry. Findings revealed five main areas where AR potentially offers substantial business value. These include food process efficiencies, food decision-making, food marketing, food training, and food safety. Finally, research contributions, trajectories and limitations were highlighted.
Open Access: Yes
Halal food supply chains: A literature review of sustainable measures and future research directions
Publication Name: Foods and Raw Materials
Publication Date: 2021-01-01
Volume: 9
Issue: 1
Page Range: 106-116
Description:
Introduction. Although sustainability represents a high-profile topic in supply chain management, it remains an unexplored research area for Halal food supply chains (HFSCs). Hence, to bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic literature review to identify the measures necessary for the development of sustainable HFSCs and potential research gaps at the nexus of sustainability and Halal food literature. Study objects and methods. We carefully analyzed forty (40) papers selected from leading, highly-ranked journals to answer the following research question: “What are the measures necessary for the development of sustainable Halal food supply chains?” Results and discussion. The findings revealed that the improvement of Halal processes through the implementation of quality management systems, the effectiveness of Halal labeling, and the use of technology could enhance the economic performance of HFSCs. Furthermore, HFSC’s sustainability efforts are strengthened by enhancing trust and transparency benefitting human resource skills development, promoting animal welfare issues, and increasing regulatory compliance. The implementation of environmental protection measures is a primary driving factor for environmental sustainability activities. Environmental sustainability could be fostered by a shift to the application of greening practices and the support of environmentalism in the Halal food industry. Conclusion. The findings of this study provide critical managerial implications for Halal food practitioners as they can have a summary of the previous studies and thus use it as a benchmark for introducing sustainable measures in their Halal food firms.
Open Access: Yes
Potentials of blockchain technologies for supply chain collaboration: a conceptual framework
Publication Name: International Journal of Logistics Management
Publication Date: 2021-01-01
Volume: 32
Issue: 3
Page Range: 973-994
Description:
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the potentials of blockchain technologies (BC) for supply chain collaboration (SCC). Design/methodology/approach: Building on a narrative literature review and analysis of seminal SCC research, BC characteristics are integrated into a conceptual framework consisting of seven key dimensions: information sharing, resource sharing, decision synchronization, goal congruence, incentive alignment, collaborative communication and joint knowledge creation. The relevance of each category is briefly assessed. Findings: BC technologies can impact collaboration between transaction partners in modern supply chains (SCs) by streamlining information sharing processes, by supporting decision and reward models and by strengthening communicative relationships with SC partners. BC promises important future capabilities in SCs by facilitating auditability, improving accountability, enhancing data and information transparency and improving trust in B2B relationships. The technology also promises to strengthen collaboration and to overcome vulnerabilities related to moral hazard and shortcomings found in legacy technologies. Research limitations/implications: The paper is mainly focused on the potentials of BC technologies on SCC as envisioned in the current academic literature. Hence, there is a need to validate the theoretical inferences with other approaches such as expert interviews and empirical tests. This study is of use to practitioners and decision-makers seeking to engage in BC-collaborative SC models. Originality/value: The value of this paper lies in its call for an increased focus on the possibilities of BC technologies to support SCC. This study also contributes to the literature by filling the knowledge gap of how BC potentially impacts SC management.
Open Access: Yes
Potentials and challenges of augmented reality smart glasses in logistics and supply chain management: a systematic literature review
Publication Name: International Journal of Production Research
Publication Date: 2021-01-01
Volume: 59
Issue: 12
Page Range: 3747-3776
Description:
This study investigates the potentials and challenges of applying augmented reality (AR) smart glasses in logistics and supply chain management (SCM). A systematic literature review on AR smart glasses was conducted to provide a comprehensive synthesis of what has been published in the literature to capture the dynamics surrounding this technology and identify areas deserving of further academic attention. To summarise the latest developments in this field, eighty-two (82) publications were selected and thoroughly analysed. In terms of research findings, four main clusters of potential benefits were identified: visualisation, interaction, user convenience, and navigation. In contrast, the challenges posed by smart glasses in the logistics field were clustered around technical, organisational, and ergonomic considerations. The accumulation of knowledge and actionable insights in this study will benefit both academics and practitioners interested in this emerging wearable technology segment. As the first attempt to explore the importance of smart glasses in logistics and SCM activities, this study offers significant contributions to the literature by codifying extant knowledge on AR smart glasses and setting forth an agenda for future research.
Open Access: Yes
Blockchain Technology in the Food Industry: A Review of Potentials, Challenges and Future Research Directions
Publication Name: Logistics
Publication Date: 2020-12-01
Volume: 4
Issue: 4
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising technology with far-reaching implications for the food industry. The combination of immutability, enhanced visibility, transparency and data integrity provides numerous benefits that improve trust in extended food supply chains (FSCs). Blockchain can enhance traceability, enable more efficient recall and aids in risk reduction of counterfeits and other forms of illicit trade. Moreover, blockchain can enhance the integrity of credence claims such as sustainably sourced, organic or faith-based claims such as kosher or halal by integrating the authoritative source of the claim (e.g., the certification body or certification owner) into the blockchain to verify the claim integrity and reassure business customers and end consumers. Despite the promises and market hype, a comprehensive overview of the potential benefits and challenges of blockchain in FSCs is still missing. To bridge this knowledge gap, we present the findings from a systematic review and bibliometric analysis of sixty-one (61) journal articles and synthesize existing research. The main benefits of blockchain technology in FCSs are improved food traceability, enhanced collaboration, operational efficiencies and streamlined food trading processes. Potential challenges include technical, organizational and regulatory issues. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our research and present several ideas for future research.
Open Access: Yes
The Impact of Blockchain on Medical Tourism
Publication Name: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Volume: 403
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 29-40
Description:
Medical tourism has witnessed significant growth over the last decade. This nascent sector creates a new tourist class with access to affordable healthcare services by combining healthcare services with tourism and hospitality. Information technology is an essential factor, which can enable the growth of medical tourism. Technology enables the search process for information about the available services, costs, hospitality, tourism and post-treatment options. However, these technologies are primarily legacy systems and lack interoperability. Several questions arise, including the potential patient-tourist ability to verify crucial factors such as the quality of care and the credentials of the medical professionals and medical facilities. Moreover, questions arise regarding patient-doctor trust, procedure and risk transparency‚ medical record privacy and other health-related hazards in specific procedures. In this conceptual paper, we investigate the potential benefits of Blockchain technology to address some of the open questions in medical tourism. We conclude that Blockchain technology can benefit medical tourism, and we lay the foundation for future research.
Open Access: Yes
How Blockchain Technology Can Benefit Marketing: Six Pending Research Areas
Publication Name: Frontiers in Blockchain
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Volume: 3
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The proliferation of sophisticated e-commerce platforms coupled with mobile applications has ignited growth in business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce, reshaped organizational structures, and revamped value creation processes. Simultaneously, new technologies have altered the dynamics of brand marketing, enabling a broader reach and more personalized targeting aimed at increasing brand trust and enhancing customer loyalty. Today, the Internet allows marketers to penetrate deeper into their existing markets, create new online marketplaces and to generate new demand. This dynamic market engagement uses new technologies to target consumers more effectively. In this conceptual paper, we discuss how blockchain technology can potentially impact a firm's marketing activities. More specifically, we illustrate how blockchain technology acts as incremental innovation, empowering the consumer-centric paradigm. Moreover, blockchain technology fosters disintermediation, aids in combatting click fraud, reinforces trust and transparency, enables enhanced privacy protection, empowers security, and enables creative loyalty programs. We present six propositions that will guide future blockchain-related research in the area of marketing.
Open Access: Yes
Covid-19 and the food chain? Impacts and future research trends
Publication Name: Logforum
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Volume: 16
Issue: 4
Page Range: 475-485
Description:
Background: Throughout history, the world has witnessed natural disasters affecting businesses and societies with varying degrees of disruption. COVID-19 (henceforth C19) constituted a significant system shock and a stark reminder of the fragility and sensitive nature of supply chains. The pandemic has exerted considerable societal and economic pressure and has had an adverse impact on food supply chains in particular. Many food processing operations were forced to alter activities or close temporarily due to outbreaks. Societal lockdowns, travel restrictions, business closures and quarantine have led to structural changes in the productivity of economies and impacted the mental health and financial wellbeing of citizens. Methods: We present a critical review of the literature to explore the impact of C19 on the food supply chain. We collected data from journal articles retrieved from a leading scientific database (i.e., Scopus), books, chapters, conference proceedings, reports, and a variety of Internet websites. For the literature search, we used the following words; "COVID-19" and "food". Results and conclusions: The findings of the review suggest that the C19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges for food supply chains. We reveal that C19 has raised food insecurity and food safety concerns, increased supply chain and logistics costs and radically changed consumer behavior. On the positive side, the pandemic has improved awareness of food waste and the importance of self-grown foods. We generated nine research propositions to foster future academic research. Our study also highlighted the need to advance this literature and calls for increased attention from the supply chain management and logistics community to further analyse and quantify the impact of C19 on the food chain.
Open Access: Yes
Leveraging the Internet of Things and blockchain technology in Supply Chain Management
Publication Name: Future Internet
Publication Date: 2019-07-01
Volume: 11
Issue: 7
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Modern supply chains have evolved into highly complex value networks and turned into a vital source of competitive advantage. However, it has become increasingly challenging to verify the source of raw materials and maintain visibility of products and merchandise while they are moving through the value chain network. The application of the Internet of Things (IoT) can help companies to observe, track, and monitor products, activities, and processes within their respective value chain networks. Other applications of IoT include product monitoring to optimize operations in warehousing, manufacturing, and transportation. In combination with IoT, Blockchain technology can enable a broad range of different application scenarios to enhance value chain transparency and to increase B2B trust. When combined, IoT and Blockchain technology have the potential to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of modern supply chains. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we illustrate how the deployment of Blockchain technology in combination with IoT infrastructure can streamline and benefit modern supply chains and enhance value chain networks. Second, we derive six research propositions outlining how Blockchain technology can impact key features of the IoT (i.e., scalability, security, immutability and auditing, information flows, traceability and interoperability, quality) and thus lay the foundation for future research projects.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/fi11070161
