Unraveling the hype: A literature review and Delphi study of the potential of public and permission-less blockchains in the supply chain

Sammanfattning: Background: Blockchain technology has during the last years become a hot topic for supply chain management. Solutions are being developed and sold, but exactly what blockchain technology can bring to the supply chain is unclear. The technology can be divided into two main varieties, public and private. The public version sparked the initial interest in the technology but has not been as heavily promoted in a supply chain management context as its private counterpart. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the potential of public permission-less blockchain technology to solve supply chain issues. Research Questions: RQ1: What are supply chain issues that public permission-less blockchain technology can solve? RQ2: How can public permission-less blockchain technology be applied to solve these issues? RQ3: What are challenges for successful implementation and use of public and permission-less blockchain technology in the supply chain? Method: The thesis is based on a literature review and a Delphi study. Scientific articles and whitepapers describing use cases of public permission-less blockchain were reviewed and the findings from the literature review were used as a foundation for the Delphi study. The Delphi study involved 31 experts divided into three panels, representing experts on supply chain management, blockchain technology and academic experts with knowledge of the two previous fields. Conclusions: Public and permission-less blockchain technology was found to have potential in solving issues related to paperwork and to increase transparency and traceability of products. Further it can be used to automate transactions and to create marketplaces without trusted middlemen.