Learning from Early Adopters of Blockchain Technology: A Systematic Review of Supply Chain Case Studies

Abstract

Blockchain technology is widely seen as a promising technology for global supply chains, though early adoption of the technology is both costly and risky. Along with many other discouraging factors, large investments required to enter or develop a blockchain raise barriers to entry. Concerns about potential benefits, on the other hand, have led to companies questioning whether it is worth it. Consequently, many players in the global arena are still preferring to wait by observing current practices before making investments, while trying to figure out what the technology might bring them. Hence, the main purpose of this paper is to research various implementations of blockchain technology in supply chains, in order to learn from its early adopters. For this purpose, we chose case studies as the research method, which we used in a systematic way. We focused on multiple relevant case studies from previous research concerning the use of blockchain technology in supply chain practices. Through a systematic analysis of case studies, the paper aims at bringing forward different views, approaches, and results about blockchain adoption, as a way to show the pros and cons of adopting the technology under certain circumstances. The research was obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection. This paper contributes to the literature by showcasing the use of blockchain in supply chains via multiple cases to learn from early blockchain adopters in supply chain practices.