A Systematic Review of Blockchain Literature in Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Identifying Research Questions and Future Directions

Sebastian Kummer, David M. Herold, Mario Dobrovnik, Jasmin Mikl and Nicole Schäfer
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Sebastian Kummer: Department of Logistics, School of Management, Jilin University, no. 5988 Renmin Street, Changchun 130012, China
David M. Herold: Institute for Transport and Logistics Management, WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria
Mario Dobrovnik: Institute for Transport and Logistics Management, WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria
Jasmin Mikl: Institute for Transport and Logistics Management, WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria
Nicole Schäfer: Institute for Transport and Logistics Management, WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria

Future Internet, 2020, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Potential blockchain applications in logistics and transport (LSCM) have gained increasing attention within both academia and industry. However, as a field in its infancy, blockchain research often lacks theoretical foundations, and it is not clear which and to what extent organizational theories are used to investigate blockchain technology in the field of LSCM. In response, based upon a systematic literature review, this paper: (a) identifies the most relevant organizational theories used in blockchain literature in the context of LSCM; and (b) examines the content of the identified organizational theories to formulate relevant research questions for investigating blockchain technology in LSCM. Our results show that blockchain literature in LSCM is based around six organizational theories, namely: agency theory, information theory, institutional theory, network theory, the resource-based view and transaction cost analysis. We also present how these theories can be used to examine specific blockchain problems by identifying blockchain-specific research questions that are worthy of investigation.

Keywords: blockchain; supply chain; logistics management; agency theory; information theory; institutional theory; network theory; resource-based view; transaction cost analysis; organizational theories (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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