Table Of ContentAbdelaziz Bouras · Ibrahim Khalil
Belaid Aouni Editors
Blockchain Driven
Supply Chains
and Enterprise
Information
Systems
Blockchain Driven Supply Chains and Enterprise
Information Systems
Abdelaziz Bouras • Ibrahim Khalil (cid:129) Belaid Aouni
Editors
Blockchain Driven Supply
Chains and Enterprise
Information Systems
Editors
AbdelazizBouras IbrahimKhalil
CollegeofEngineering SchoolofComputingTechnologies
QatarUniversity RMITUniversity
Doha,Qatar Melbourne,VIC,Australia
BelaidAouni
CollegeofBusiness&Economics
QatarUniversity
Doha,Qatar
ISBN978-3-030-96153-4 ISBN978-3-030-96154-1 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96154-1
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Foreword
Industrial modern supply chains are becoming very complex. Mastering their
managementisakeysuccessfactorforcompaniesandenterpriseswishingtogrow
andincreasetheirgains.
We totally understand the huge potential impact that disruptive technologies
such as fintech, artificial intelligence, and blockchain have on current and future
supplychains.Thesetechnologiesaredemonstratingtheabilitytoincreasebusiness
performance,byhelpingtooptimizegrowth,toestablishtrustandtransparencyin
thebusinessandinthefinancialtransactions,aswellastobettersecureinformation
anditsinfrastructure.
AtQatarRail,wearecurrentlycloselyfollowingsuchprogressthroughcollab-
orationswithresearchinstitutionsandresearchprojects,suchastheSupplyLedger
projectwhichaimsatenhancingtraditionalsupplychainsusingdigitaltechnologies.
This book provides opportunities to industries and organizations to explore the
benefit of blockchain technology for their business innovations and supply chains
transparency.
I thank the authors and editors for their efforts in bridging the gap between
researchandindustryapplications.
Doha,Qatar H.E.Dr.AbdullaAbdulazizTurkiAlSubaie
ManagingDirector&CEO/QatarRail
v
Preface
This book, titled Blockchain Driven Supply Chains and Enterprise Information
Systems, aims at establishing a common ground to provide solutions and best
practices around blockchain for supply chain management and enterprise infor-
mation systems. This book considers the implementation of blockchain platforms
inbothexistingtraditionalsupplychainsystemsandfutureenterpriseinformation
solutions.
The book has 11 chapters related to important blockchain topics, addressing
someofthecurrentneeds:
The first chapter provides a scientific analysis of key factors that affect the
influence of the blockchain on supply chains performance. The analysis was
performed using SPSS and AMOS and the study relied on literature review and
surveys of Indian firms. The study is valuable for the industry as it helps decision
makers assess the current standing of blockchain and assists them in making
the decision for the technology adoption. The chapter proposes a research model
based on literature review and surveys to identify critical determinants, namely
knowledge sharing, higher authority support, and business partner pressure, to be
consideredwhenadoptingblockchaintechnologytobetterincreasethesupplychain
performance.
The second chapter discusses the role of blockchain in establishing trust in
traditional supply chain systems. This trust is analyzed based on a case study
involvingthefinanceprocessofsupplychain.Itfocusesonanimportantdiscussion
on the notion of trust, though globally there is still lack of consensus on what
constitutes trust, and there is no generally widely accepted definition. However,
someattemptshavebeenmadeinotherdomains,suchastheworkdonebytheNIST
grouparoundastandardizeddefinitionof“trustworthiness”asoneofthefacetsof
theCPS(cyber-physicalsystems).
Thethirdchapterproposesablockchain-powereddigitalcertificatemanagement
systemforsupplychainsystemsinthecontextoftransportationofdangerousgoods.
Thechaptersuggestsablockchain-baseddigitalcertificateplatformtomonitorthe
transport of dangerous goods as a supply chain process in terms of verification
of stakeholders’ identity, history of transportation, environmental data, and real-
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viii Preface
time location. It focuses on the use of Hyperledger Fabric blockchain network to
implement the proof of concept which ensures digital management of transport of
dangerousgoods.
The fourth chapter presents the challenges of global supply chain systems
from the perspective of centralized design. A blockchain-enabled ERP system is
presentedtomitigatetheissuesinthecentralizedglobalsupplychain.Thischapter
deals with centralized and decentralized supply chains. It proposes a taxonomic
analysisofchallengesandhighlightssomesolutiontracksbasedonappropriateuse
oftechnology.
Thefifthchapterseekstoshowthepertinenceofadoptingblockchaintechnology
intextilesupplychainandthebenefitsofsuchtechnologyintermoftraceabilityand
temperproofing.Itproposesablockchain-basedsolutiontoenhancetraceabilityand
informationsharinginthetextilesupplychain.
ThesixthchapterdealswithIoT-drivenfoodsupplychainmanagementsystems,
taking advantage of blockchain to improve traceability, transparency, and trust-
worthiness of the transactions. A complete step-by-step operational flow detailing
agri-food supply chain management process would help readers understand how
traceabilityisachievedandhowthesystemsavestremendouslywithcost-effective
measures.Theproposedarchitecturehighlightstraceability,andsoftwarearchitec-
turedetailshowthearchitecturecanberealizedinpractice.Theproposedconcept,
thatis,fromfarmtofork,wasimplementedinEthereumandHyperledgerSawtooth.
The seventh chapter highlights the most known consensus algorithms–based
blockchains and their application in the healthcare sector, such as proof of work,
proof of stake, and proof of authority. The main objective of this chapter is
to illustrate applications and implications of several consensus mechanisms in
blockchain-basedhealthcaresupplychainsystems.
The eighth chapter shows how blockchain can help improve the authenticity
and transparency of supply chain transactions in the automotive industry. It has
identified the weakness of the existing supply chain system in the automotive
industry and explained the challenges of adoption and deployment of blockchain
in this area. It gives a great insight to managers and blockchain practitioners on
howtoovercomethedifficultiesthattheywillencounterduringimplementationof
blockchaintechnology.
The ninth chapter presents a new consensus mechanism for blockchain-based
supplychainmanagementsystemstoprovidesolutionstodatasecurityandestablish
trustamongdifferentsupplychainparticipants.Theproposedconsensusmechanism
offers a less complicated implementation of the distributed ledger and ensures
higherefficiencyandscalabilityforachievingconsensus.Itisdesignedconsidering
aconsortiumblockchainnetworkinvolvingallsupplychainstakeholders.
The tenth chapter focuses on blockchain technology and its features, such as
distributed ledger and smart contracts from a regulation point of view. It defines
thecurrentregulatorylandscapeandinternationalinitiatives.Thechapterhighlights
some applications of the blockchain technology through regulation perspective in
thefinance,healthcare,logistics,andconstructionsectors.Itemphasizessomechal-
Preface ix
lengesfacedbyblockchaintechnologyandcomesupwithsomerecommendations
totacklethosechallenges.
The eleventh chapter presents a broker-based integration of blockchain smart
contracts with industrial workflows. It uses Hyperledger Fabric as a permissioned
blockchainplatformtostorethetransactiondataandmanagethelifecycleofsmart
contracts. It uses as well Odoo which is an open-source framework written in
Python. The chapter proposes a proof-of-concept integration with a scenario of a
small-scale manufacturing supply chain involving a limited number of actors and
demonstrates that the Odoo workflows can easily be adapted to be fully managed
using smart contracts. Thus, increasing the security and enhancing the traceability
andtrustofcriticalbusinesstransactions.
Wewouldliketothanktheauthorsfortheirvaluedcontributionsandeffortsand
the reviewers for their help and support in achieving this book. We hope that this
bookservesasastepforwardinthisexcitingareaofblockchainsforindustryand
businesses.
Doha,Qatar AbdelazizBouras
Melbourne,VIC,Australia IbrahimKhalil
Doha,Qatar BelaidAouni
Acknowledgments
This book was made possible by NPRP grant NPRP11S-1227-170135 from the
Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements
madehereinaresolelytheresponsibilityoftheauthors.
xi
About the Book
Thisbookprovidesseveralinternationalcasestudiesacrossdifferentdomainssuch
ashealthcare,agri-food,logistics,andtransportation.Thosecasestudiesaremainly
related to the implementation of blockchain platforms on modern systems and
the integration of such technology with existing traditional systems. The book
highlights as well subjects and concerns such as efficiency of blockchain-based
supply chains, blockchain consensus protocols and mechanisms, and blockchain
basedenterpriseinformationsystems.Itconcludeswithsomedirectionsandrecom-
mendations with regards to the adoption of standardized blockchain frameworks.
Theeditors’andauthors’expertiseacrossdifferentcontextsandcountrieshasmade
this book a worthy contribution to both theory and practice. Through its solutions
and best practices, this book constitutes an interesting source for practitioners and
studentsinterestedinthedomainofblockchainforsupplychainsmanagementand
enterpriseinformationsystems.
xiii
