PurposeBlockchain has been considered as a disruptive technology and every industry stands to benefit from it. According to Deloitte, increasing number of managers claim that their firms will suffer loss in competitive advantage if they do not adopt blockchain. Despite this motivation, insufficient knowledge on how can blockchain add value inhibits the commitment to its adoption. To better understand the possible influence of blockchain, two dimensions (exploitation and exploration) of blockchain initiatives are distinguished. This research aims to examine the impact of ambidextrous blockchain initiatives on firms' operational efficiency, as well as the moderating role of unabsorbed slack and environmental munificence.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, secondary panel data were collected from multiple sources to test the proposed hypotheses. Content analysis was adopted to operationalise ambidextrous blockchain initiatives from firms' official announcements.FindingsThe authors find that firms' ambidexterity in blockchain initiatives have significantly positive impact on operational efficiency. Furthermore, when firms have lower unabsorbed slack or in more munificent environments, they may benefit from managing a balance between exploration and exploitation.Originality/valueThis research offers some insightful theoretical and managerial implications of ambidextrous blockchain initiatives. The findings of this study contribute to blockchain literature by providing theory-driven empirical research.

An empirical investigation of electronic word-of-mouth: product recall and crisis response strategy in social media

PurposeOrganisational learning plays a critical role for firms to keep abreast of a supply chain environment filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA). This study investigates the extent to which supply chain learning (SCL) affects operational resilience under such circumstances.Design/methodology/approachThis study developed a research framework and underlying hypotheses based on SCL and information processing theory (IPT). An empirical test was carried out using secondary data derived from the “Supply Chain Policy” launched by the Chinese government and two large related conferences.FindingsSCL positively relates to operational resilience, and several moderators influence the relationship between them. The authors argue that digital-technological diversity could weaken the role of SCL in operational resilience, whereas customer concentration, and participating in a pilot programme could enhance the effect of SCL.Practical implicationsFirms should embrace the power of SCL in building resilience in the VUCA era. Meanwhile, they should be cautious of a digital-technological diversification strategy, appraise the customer base profile and proactively engage in pilot programmes.Originality/valueThis research develops the SCL construct further in the context of China and empirically measures its power on operational resilience using a unique dataset. This contributes to the theorisation of SCL.