Blockchain is a technology intended for sharing data across a broad network of untrusted entities in a decentralized manner. It first gained recognition as the technology behind Bitcoin, but is seeing fast adoption in other areas including supply chain, insurance, and banking. Our aim is to investigate the potential of blockchain technology, when applied in an inter-organizational setting. To this end, the paper provides a review of management accounting literature on inter-organizational relationships (IORs), and identifies areas that may be significantly impacted by blockchain technology. The objective is not to present an exhaustive review of this field, but instead to outline and scrutinize topics and issues related to IORs where capabilities of blockchain may have the most significant impact. Based on the synthesis of the reviewed literatures, we offer several propositions, which may provide a starting point for future research intended to explore blockchain in the context of IORs.
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