Open Access

Blockchain-Enabled Supply Chain Transparency, Risk Resilience, and Digital Transformation: An Integrated Theoretical and Empirical Synthesis

4 Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

The accelerating complexity of global supply chains, intensified by digitalization, geopolitical uncertainty, sustainability pressures, and volatile demand patterns, has exposed fundamental structural weaknesses in traditional supply chain management systems. These weaknesses include fragmented information flows, limited transparency, heightened operational and financial risk, and inadequate coordination among heterogeneous stakeholders. In response, blockchain technology has emerged as a transformative digital infrastructure capable of reshaping supply chain governance, trust mechanisms, and risk management architectures. This research article develops an extensive, theory-driven and empirically grounded examination of blockchain-enabled supply chains by synthesizing insights from operations management, information systems, risk management, sustainability science, and organizational theory.

Drawing strictly on the provided scholarly references, this study constructs a comprehensive conceptual framework that integrates blockchain technology with supply chain transparency, resilience, sustainability, and digital innovation ecosystems. The article elaborates on how distributed ledger technology fundamentally reconfigures supply chain information asymmetries, enhances traceability, mitigates opportunistic behavior, and supports real-time risk monitoring across organizational boundaries. It further explores blockchain adoption through the Technology–Organization–Environment framework, highlighting organizational readiness, technological maturity, regulatory conditions, and stakeholder acceptance as interdependent determinants of successful implementation.

Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative, integrative research design based on systematic literature synthesis, consensus-based methodological reasoning, and interpretive theoretical analysis. Rather than reducing findings to simplistic metrics, the research emphasizes deep descriptive interpretation of blockchain’s operational, strategic, and socio-technical implications for supply chain systems. The results reveal that blockchain acts not merely as a transactional technology but as a governance infrastructure that enables new forms of collaboration, accountability, and risk-sharing. However, the study also identifies critical limitations, including scalability constraints, integration challenges, organizational resistance, and evolving regulatory ambiguities.

The discussion advances future research directions by linking blockchain-enabled supply chains with artificial intelligence, data analytics, organizational agility, and sustainability-driven value creation. The article concludes that blockchain adoption, when aligned with strategic intent and organizational capability, represents a foundational shift in supply chain management from reactive coordination toward proactive, resilient, and transparent ecosystems.

Keywords

References

📄 Abeyratne, S.A. and Monfared, R.P. (2016), “Blockchain ready manufacturing supply chain using a distributed ledger”, International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology, Vol. 5 No. 9, pp. 1–10.
📄 Akter, S., Michael, K., Uddin, M.R., McCarthy, G. and Rahman, M. (2020), “Transforming business using digital innovations: the application of AI, blockchain, cloud and data analytics”, Annals of Operations Research, pp. 1–33.
📄 Albayati, H., Kim, S.K. and Rho, J.J. (2020), “Accepting financial transactions using blockchain technology and cryptocurrency: A customer perspective approach”, Technology in Society, Vol. 62, 101320.
📄 Alkhudary, R., Brusset, X. and Fenies, P. (2020), “Blockchain and risk in supply chain management”, in International Conference on Dynamics in Logistics, Springer, pp. 159–165.
📄 Ambulkar, S., Blackhurst, J. and Grawe, S. (2015), “Firm’s resilience to supply chain disruptions: Scale development and empirical examination”, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 33, pp. 111–122.
📄 Angelis, J. and da Silva, E.R. (2019), “Blockchain adoption: A value driver perspective”, Business Horizons, Vol. 62 No. 3, pp. 307–314.
📄 Araz, O.M., Choi, T.M., Olson, D. and Salman, F.S. (2020), “Data analytics for operational risk management”, Decision Sciences, Vol. 51 No. 6, pp. 1316–1319.
📄 Babich, V. and Hilary, G. (2020), “Distributed ledgers and operations: What operations management researchers should know about blockchain technology”, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 223–240.
📄 Bai, C. and Sarkis, J. (2020), “A supply chain transparency and sustainability technology appraisal model for blockchain technology”, International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 58 No. 7, pp. 2142–2162.
📄 Bai, C.A., Cordeiro, J. and Sarkis, J. (2020), “Blockchain technology: Business, strategy, the environment, and sustainability”, Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 321–322.
📄 Baker, J. (2012), “The technology-organization-environment framework”, Information Systems Theory, pp. 231–245.
📄 Balasubramanian, S., Shukla, V., Sethi, J.S., Islam, N. and Saloum, R. (2021), “A readiness assessment framework for blockchain adoption: A healthcare case study”, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 165, 120536.
📄 Baran, B.E. and Woznyj, H.M. (2020), “Managing VUCA: The human dynamics of agility”, Organizational Dynamics.
📄 Black, N., Murphy, M., Lamping, D., McKee, M., Sanderson, C., Askham, J. and Marteau, T. (1999), “Consensus development methods: a review of best practice in creating clinical guidelines”, Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 236–248.
📄 Campbell, S.M. and Cantrill, J.A. (2001), “Consensus methods in prescribing research”, Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 5–14.
📄 Casey, M. and Wong, P. (2017), “Global supply chains are about to get better, thanks to blockchain”, Harvard Business Review.
📄 Chang, D.Y. (1996), “Applications of the extent analysis method on fuzzy AHP”, European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 95 No. 3, pp. 649–655.
📄 Chang, Y., Iakovou, E. and Shi, W. (2020), “Blockchain in global supply chains and cross border trade: a critical synthesis of the state-of-the-art, challenges and opportunities”, International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 58 No. 7, pp. 2082–2099.
📄 Chen, Y. (2018), “Blockchain tokens and the potential democratization of entrepreneurship and innovation”, Business Horizons, Vol. 61 No. 4, pp. 567–575.
📄 Sharma, V. (2025), “Insurance transformation: From risk prevention to risk assumption, powered by blockchain”, World Research of Business Administration Journal, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 150–161.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>