Operations strategy of cloud-based firms: achieving firm growth in the Big Data era

Why, where and how are organizations using blockchain in their supply chains? Motivations, application areas and contingency factors

Purpose

Blockchain is increasingly being considered for applications in operations and supply chain management. However, evidence from practice is still scarce on why, where and how organizations seek to apply the technology in the supply chain across different industries. The study develops a comprehensive framework to enhance understanding of the application areas of blockchain technology in the supply chain, as well as organizations' motivations in seeking blockchain solutions and relevant contingency factors influencing applications.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors investigate 50 use cases of blockchain applications in the supply chain, covering six industries. Contingency theory is applied in conducting a qualitative textual and correlation analysis to identify and compare blockchain adoption motivations, application areas and contingency factors across different industries.

Findings

The analysis develops an evidence-based framework that captures ten principal motivations in seeking blockchain solutions, three main blockchain application areas along with important application sub-categories and five clusters of contingency factors that influence blockchain deployment and its uses in different industrial sectors.

Research limitations/implications

The study expands the limited cross-sectoral research on blockchain applications and motivations in the supply chain. Using contingency theory, it presents a comprehensive framework that captures the drivers and factors relating to blockchain adoption in the supply chain in a nomological network. The study lays the foundation for further theoretical perspectives and empirical research to investigate relevant sectoral characteristics and their importance for different types of blockchain application in the supply chain.

Practical implications

The study informs practitioners about potential supply chain application areas that can be enhanced through blockchain technology, taking account of the specific characteristics of their products, business and manufacturing processes, supply network configurations, industry standards, regulations and market demand.

Originality/value

The study is the first to provide cross-sectoral evidence on the relevance of organizations' motivations and numerous contingency factors on blockchain application areas in the supply chain.

A cloud-based approach to library management solution for college libraries

Purpose

The study aims to focus on the present automation status of the college libraries with an objective to offer enhanced Web-based library service on an affordable virtualization on cloud computing model.

Design/methodology/approach

With Infrastructure as a Service (Infrastructure as a Service) delivery model, this study demonstrates how libraries of colleges/smaller institutes could be connected to cloud Library Management System infrastructure through internet or dedicated point-to-point WAN connectivity. The Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery model depicts how college libraries could form library consortium at its own private cloud environment with installation of the required LMS application, database, middleware and other prerequisites.

Findings

A cloud-based consortium approach for the college libraries will reduce the cost of purchasing hardware equipment and setting up of infrastructural facilities; relieve libraries of involving additional IT skilled manpower; foster collaborative approach with shared environment and minimise duplication in resource subscription.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first of its kind in the light of shifting of infrastructure, software and hardware requirements of smaller libraries for cooperative sharing in both IaaS and SaaS cloud platform. The study delineates step by step how college libraries could effectively leverage the cooperative cloud architecture for enhanced library services to reach wider user community.