Resistance to blockchain adoption in the foodservice industry: moderating roles of public pressures and climate change awareness

Abstract

Purpose Blockchain technology has created possibilities for environmental supply chain sustainability and climate protection. However, because of its early development stage, users tend to resist the adoption of this new technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of resistance on blockchain adoption intentions in the context of the foodservice industry. This study further explores if public pressures and climate change awareness could possibly weaken the negative relationships between blockchain resistance and adoption intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from managers and full-time employees in the foodservice industry, using an online research panel survey. A structural equation model was developed and tested to examine the hypothesized relationships. Additionally, a multi-group analysis was performed to test the moderating roles of public pressures and climate change awareness. Findings The findings from this study confirmed that foodservice employees’ characteristics, including traditional barriers, and blockchain technology factors, like perceived risk, are both significant in forming resistance to blockchain. This study also demonstrated the significant roles of internal and external stakeholders in weakening the negative associations between blockchain resistance and adoption intentions. Research limitations/implications This study recommends that foodservice companies address how to reduce their employees’ negative perceptions about changes imposed by blockchain adoption. This study also suggests the joint consideration of the pressures from internal and external stakeholders to provide continued insights into developing environmental practices for the foodservice industry. Originality/value This study extends the theoretical underpinning of the innovation resistance theory by incorporating the stakeholder theory as a strong foundation for understanding how external pressures and internal awareness may influence foodservice employees’ responses to the implementation of blockchain technology to mitigate climate change.

Blockchain adoption in the food and beverage industry from a behavioral reasoning perspective: moderating roles of supply chain partnerships

“…Findings suggests that traditional barriers are the greatest barrier to blockchain adoption in the F&B industry. A similar finding was uncovered by Jang et al (2023). They elucidated that traditional barriers amplify the challenges associated with adopting blockchain in the foodservice industry.…”

“…Blockchains can substantially assist the F&B industry in improving real-time coordination between business partners to achieve more cost-efficient and eco-environmental business performance. As modern consumers become more sensitive to F&B companies’ ethical sourcing and production activities, blockchain adoption could represent a normative solution (Jang et al , 2023). Singh and Sharma (2022) claimed that blockchains contribute to reducing the difference between food supply and demand, thereby minimizing food waste and improving environmental protection.…”

“…There exists another line of inquiry that delves into the challenges associated with blockchain adoption in the F&B sector, particularly the concerns surrounding the sharing of internal information with business partners (Jang et al , 2023). Most F&B employees who are unfamiliar with blockchains hesitate to learn and implement new work processes, as with any change in their current systems (Palamara, 2018).…”

Climate change and the European banking sector: the effect of green technology adaptation and human capital

“…This study acknowledges that climate change induces GTA practices in three different areas: (1) banking (Zhu et al, 2022;Domarack a et al, 2023), (2) EI (Zhang et al, 2023) and ( 3) HR (Jang et al, 2023). Therefore, following the approach of Birindelli et al (2022), our empirical model incorporates the moderating effect of climate change on the link between GTA and banking sector performance while controlling for bank and country specific controls.…”

Ethical consumption and climate change in hospitality and tourism: challenges, solutions, and prospects: Guest editorial

“…These articles delve into topics such as carbon footprints, sustainability values and the role of technology in mitigating climate change impacts. For instance, the study by Yoo et al (2023) investigated the resistance to blockchain adoption in the food service industry. They found that employee characteristics and perceived risk of blockchain technology contribute to this resistance.…”