Blockchain for supply chain transparency and traceability - A contingency framework to implementation challenges.

Sammanfattning: Purpose - Blockchain technology holds immense potential in increasing transparency in supply chains. However, little is known about the implementation challenges and ways to address them. The purpose of this report is to get a deeper understanding of the challenges that might occur when implementing blockchain technology in a supply chain and the suitable actions for each one of them from the mining industry's perspective. Method - This study was conducted by using an abductive research approach with a qualitative data collection through interviews. The respondents were divided into three categories: exploratory, pilot and main interview, the pilot and main interviews were divided into two types, potential actors in the supply chain ecosystem and experts on the topic. In total 17 interviews were conducted which was then analyzed through a thematic analysis. Findings - The findings of the collected theory in combination with the information gathered through the interviews resulted in a framework based on the TOE-model. The framework explicates four key challenges in implementing BC, (1) Technological, (2) Organizational, (3) Ecosystem and (4) Environmental. The challenges within these categories are then categorized based on the level a company can control/ have an impact on these challenges, the categories are hard control, soft control, and no control. Finally, these challenges are connected to different mitigators which aim to solve these challenges. Theoretical and Practical implications - The presented study contributes to current literature by extending previous research of challenges and applying the T-O-E model to the challenges occurring in the mining industry. Moreover, this study breaches a gap by connecting challenges to mitigators and recommended actions. Furthermore, the study contributes to practical implication by enabling practitioners to get a bird’s eye view of the challenges and the recommended action during the blockchain implementation process. Limitations and future research - This study is limited by its qualitative method since it cannot determine the significance and magnitude of each challenge, calling for future research to quantitatively study this area.