Blockchain in Supply Chain Management. An Empirical Study into the Key Factors Influencing the Intention to Adopt Blockchain by SMEs

Abstract

Blockchain Technology has gained popularity in recent years and one of its most promising applications is in Supply Chain Management. The visibility enabled by distributed ledger technology can empower Real-Time Tracking of Products (also referred to as the ‘Holy Grail’ of logistics), a faster and leaner Global Trade, and automatic controls with Smart Contracts. However, to realize this potential, all of the members of a supply chain have to be on board, including small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which often have neither the resources nor the expertise to join a blockchain-based network. Hence, as part of the Spark! Living Lab, a consortium that comprises TNO and TU Delft among other partners, my research was aimed at providing recommendations on how to support SMEs in the adoption of blockchain. First, a set of twenty-three factors relevant to blockchain adoption intention have been identified through a systematic literature review. Then, an online questionnaire has been employed to collect the factors' preferences of twenty respondents from the target population. The collected data has subsequently been processed with the Bayesian BWM, a novel MCDM method, to establish a weight-wise ranking of the identified factors. Finally, the results obtained have been used to provide suggestions to the Spark! Living Lab on the factors they should put more emphasis on when supporting SMEs in their blockchain journeys.