An integrated approach to model the blockchain implementation barriers in humanitarian supply chain

Abstract

Purpose Block chain technology (BCT) has emerged as a promising solution for the co-ordination and aid mechanism issues in the context of humanitarian supply chain (HSC). However, implementation of BCT in HSC discerns several barriers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify and model the block chain implementation barriers in the context of HSC. Design/methodology/approach In the present study, 14 potential barriers to BCT adoption in HSC have been identified through literature survey. The survey comprises white papers, pilot studies, conference proceedings and journal articles. Further, the identified barriers were finalised in consultation with a team of experts. The team comprised experienced stakeholders working in the humanitarian domain and BCT development. The barriers were categorised into four (technological, organisational, exogenous and economic) perspectives adopting the kappa statistics. Further, the barriers were prioritised using fuzzy best worst method (FBWM) approach. Later, sensitivity analysis was performed to check the robustness and viability of the model. Findings The findings from the study indicate that the barriers, such as “data privacy, ownership, and security issues” (B1), “funding issues and cost complexity” (B3) and “technological complexities” (B8), are relatively more influential. The HSC stakeholders and BCT developers are required to identify the safety mechanism against the misuse of victim’s data. The funding issues and technological complexities are interrelated and need synergetic cooperation between blockchain developers, donors, humanitarian organisations (HOs) and other HSC stakeholders. Further, “lack of awareness and understanding among stakeholders” (B6) and “interoperability, collaboration and cross-pollination among HOs” (B5) were identified as least influential barriers to BCT adoption in HSC. Research limitations/implications In literature, limited study has been observed on determining barriers to BCT implementation. A more systematic method and statistical confirmation is necessary to establish further new confronting barriers. This study is limited to Indian context. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is first of its kind to use an FBWM approach for prioritising the barriers to BCT adoption in the context of HSC. The study provides potential barriers to BCT and categorises them into four different perspectives, along with their degree of influence.

Exploring the application of blockchain to humanitarian supply chains: insights from Humanitarian Supply Blockchain pilot project

“…However, there is no consensus in the literature about the importance of "privacy concerns". Patil et al (2021) recognize "data privacy, ownership and security issues" as a significant barrier, while Sahebi et al (2020) categorize "privacy risks" among the least important barriers. The importance of barriers is a critical aspect for practice as HOs need to prioritize and develop mitigation plans to address issues accordingly.…”

“…Since the blockchain application is in its early stage, the survey results show that there is lack of knowledge on what resources are required for the blockchain application among the multiple actors including the government, HOs, beneficiaries and local communities. Patil et al (2021) partly refer to this barrier through the barrier "technological complexities" and rank this barrier as a relatively high influence factor. In our case study, some interviewees connected the resource issues with the size of organizations and their affordability to use the technology.…”

“…In our case study, some interviewees connected the resource issues with the size of organizations and their affordability to use the technology. To address the barrier, Patil et al (2021) call for synergetic cooperation between blockchain developers, donors, HOs and other HSC stakeholders. Similarly, the academic participants of our focus group noted the Application of blockchain to HSCs opportunities to use available resources from the business sector through effective collaboration.…”

“…Methodologically, we leverage insights from the scant HSC literature that has conceptually investigated drivers and barriers of blockchain adoption in (e.g. Sahebi et al, 2020;Khadke and Parkhi, 2020;Patil et al, 2021) to inform our multi-method study: focus group discussions combined with an in-depth case study of the Humanitarian Supply Blockchain pilot. To the best of our knowledge, the Humanitarian Supply Blockchain pilot is the only humanitarian blockchain pilot project that (1) has targeted the scope of delivering relief items to affected communities (opposed to other pilots that focus on cash-based assistance), and (2) its existence is known through public information platforms (e.g.…”

Application of fuzzy TOPSIS framework for selecting complex project in a case company

“…The fuzzy triangular numbers are extensively used by the researchers work in MCDM models due to their simple intuitiveness and calculation to performance measurement (Pedrycz, 1994; Vinodh and Devadasan, 2011; Koohathongsumrit and Meethom, 2021). In the case of a questionnaire survey, where the decision is mainly based on experts opinions, fuzzy triangular numbers are proved as efficient to calculate and required less time to get the solution successfully (Alkhatib, 2017; Patil et al , 2020; Jaukovic et al , 2020; Lam et al , 2021).…”