5G in digital supply chain and operations management: fostering flexibility, end-to-end connectivity and real-time visibility through internet-of-everything

In this paper, we introduce cloud supply chain which is a business model based on cloud-enabled networking of some third-party physical and digital assets to design and manage a supply chain network. Cloud supply chain integrates concepts and technology of Industry 4.0 and digital platforms emerging in the “supply chain-as-a-service” paradigm. This paper conceptualizes the cloud supply chain as a new and distinct research area. Through analysis of practical cases, we deduce some generalized characteristics of the cloud supply chain. In the generalised model, we formalize supply chain multi-structural dynamics and dynamic service composition. Our results show that the main generalized characteristics of the cloud supply chain are related to (i) multi-structural dynamics; (ii) platforms, digital supply chains, ecosystems, and visibility, (iii) dynamic service composition with dynamically changing buyer/supplier roles, (iv) resilience and viability, and (v) intertwined supply networks and circular economy. We close by discussing future research directions including novel context of Industry 5.0. 

Cloud supply chain: Integrating Industry 4.0 and digital platforms in the “Supply Chain-as-a-Service”

Blockchain technology has received significant attention from the food industry; however, due to the scarcity of successful Blockchain projects and sector-specific studies, a step-by-step approach ...

Blockchain adoption in food supply chains: a review and implementation framework

The globalisation of the food industry increases the complexity and the difficulty in enhancing efficiency and solving issues in food supply chains. Blockchain is a promising decentralised informat...

Blockchain in food supply chains: a literature review and synthesis analysis of platforms, benefits and challenges

Exploratory literature review of blockchain in the construction industry

While blockchain technologies are gaining momentum within supply chains, academic understanding of concrete, real-life design and implementation is still lagging, hence offering very limited insights into the true implications of blockchain technology on supply chains. This paper reports a two-year design science research (DSR) study of a smart contract initiative piloted by a consortium in the UK’s construction sector. We seek answers to the research question, ‘How should a blockchain enabled supply chain be designed?’ Guided by the theory of business model, we explore how a group of supply chain actors collectively designs and pilots a blockchain solution that addresses the supply chain transparency and provenance problem. Our research is one of the very few longitudinal empirical studies to offer in-depth evidence about how blockchain is deployed in complex multi-tier supply chain networks. In compliance with DSR research paradigm, we make contributions at three levels: designing and instantiating the blockchain architect and proving its utility in addressing the target problem; developing a set of design principles as a mid-range theory that can be applied and tested in different blockchain supply chain contexts; and refining and extending the kernel theory of business value at supply chain network level.

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Ahmed Zghari-Sales

Papers

Designing a blockchain enabled supply chain