scholarly journals Security of Blockchain-Based Supply Chain Management Systems: Challenges and Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5585
Author(s):  
Sana Al-Farsi ◽  
Muhammad Mazhar Rathore ◽  
Spiros Bakiras

Blockchain is a revolutionary technology that is being used in many applications, including supply chain management. Although, the primary motive of using a blockchain for supply chain management is to reduce the overall production cost while providing the comprehensive security to the system. However, current blockchain-based supply-chain management (BC-SCM) systems still hold the possibility of cyber attacks. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate practical threats and vulnerabilities in the design of BC-SCM systems. As a starting point, we first establish key requirements for the reliability and security of supply chain management systems, i.e., transparency, privacy and traceability, and then discern a threat model that includes two distinctive but practical threats including computational (i.e., the ones that threaten the functionality of the application) and communication (i.e., the ones that threaten information exchange among interconnected services of the application). For investigation, we follow a unique approach based on the hypothesis that reliability is pre-requisite of security and identify the threats considering (i) design of smart contracts and associated supply chain management applications, (ii) underlying blockchain execution environment and (iii) trust between all interconnected supply management services. Moreover, we consider both academic and industry solutions to identify the threats. We identify several challenges that hinder to establish reliability and security of the BC-SCM systems. Importantly, we also highlight research gaps that can help to establish desired security of the BC-SCM. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first effort that identifies practical threats to blockchain-based supply chain management systems and provides their counter measures. Finally, this work establishes foundation for future investigation towards practical security of BC-SCM system.

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1600-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Klassen ◽  
Sara Hajmohammad

Purpose In operations and supply chain management, time is largely one-dimensional – less is better – with much effort devoted to compressing, efficiently using, and competitively exploiting clock-time. However, by drawing on other literatures, the purpose of this paper is to understand implications for the field of operations management if we also emphasize how humans and organizations experience time, termed process-time, which is chronicled by events and stages of change. Design/methodology/approach After a brief review, the limitations of the recurrent time-oriented themes in operations management and the resulting short-termism are summarized. Next, sustainability is offered as an important starting point to explore the concept of temporality, including both clock- and process-time, as well as the implications of temporal orientation and temporal conflict in supply chains. Findings A framework that includes both management and stakeholder behavior is offered to illustrate how multiple temporal perspectives might be leveraged as a basis for an expanded and enriched understanding of more sustainable competitiveness in operations. Social implications Research by others emphasizes the importance of stakeholders to competitiveness. By recognizing that different stakeholder groups have varying temporal orientations and temporality, managers can establish objectives and systems that better reflect time-based diversity and diffuse temporal conflict. Originality/value This paper summarizes how time has been incorporated in operations management, as well as the challenges of short-termism. Sustainability forms the basis for exploring multiple perspectives of time and three key constructs: temporal orientation, temporality, and temporal conflict. A framework is proposed to better incorporate temporal perspectives as a basis for competitiveness in operations and supply chain management.


2013 ◽  
pp. 1166-1188
Author(s):  
Qiang Yan ◽  
Yingjiu Li ◽  
Robert H. Deng

As RFID-enabled technology is becoming pervasive in enterprise systems and human life, it triggers significant concerns over the malware that can infect, damage, and even destroy RFID-enabled network systems. RFID malware can spread malicious codes or data quickly to a large number of RFID systems via RFID read and write, which are pervasive operations on RFID tags that are transported from one RFID system to another. To address this concern, this chapter uses RFID-enabled supply chain management systems in the EPCglobal network as a case study to demonstrate the important issues in RFID malware protection. This case study shows that although there are fundamental difficulties in preventing RFID malware from entering the systems, the behaviors of RFID malware resemble traditional malware after it enters the systems. Based on this characteristic, the security threats of RFID malware can be effectively controlled.


2010 ◽  
pp. 303-324
Author(s):  
Bhuvan Unhelkar ◽  
Ming-Chien Wu ◽  
Abbass Ghanbary

This chapter investigates opportunities to integrate mobile technologies within an organization’s enterprise architecture (EA), with an emphasis on supply chain management (SCM) systems. These SCM systems exist within the overall EA of the business. SCM systems are further influenced by the increasing modern-day need for information and communications technologies (ICTs) within a business, to bring together all of its disparate applications. The resultant enterprise application integration (EAI) also stands to benefit immensely from the incorporation of mobile technologies within it. Traditionally, supply chain management systems have involved management of the flows of material, information, and finances in a complex web of networks that include suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and customers. Thus, these traditional supply chain management systems have a great need for integration under the umbrella of EAI. Mobile technologies can provide time and location independence to these EAIs in terms of information in the supply chain systems, creating the possibility of multiple business processes that traverse diverse geographical regions. This chapter, based on the research conducted by the authors at the University of Western Sydney, discusses the opportunities that arise in supply chain management systems due to the time and location independence offered by mobility, and the resultant advantages and limitations of such integration to the business.


2011 ◽  
pp. 1012-1033
Author(s):  
Bhuvan Unhelkar ◽  
Ming-Chien Wu ◽  
Abbass Ghanbary

This chapter investigates opportunities to integrate mobile technologies within an organization’s enterprise architecture (EA), with an emphasis on supply chain management (SCM) systems. These SCM systems exist within the overall EA of the business. SCM systems are further influenced by the increasing modern-day need for information and communications technologies (ICTs) within a business, to bring together all of its disparate applications. The resultant enterprise application integration (EAI) also stands to benefit immensely from the incorporation of mobile technologies within it. Traditionally, supply chain management systems have involved management of the flows of material, information, and finances in a complex web of networks that include suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and customers. Thus, these traditional supply chain management systems have a great need for integration under the umbrella of EAI. Mobile technologies can provide time and location independence to these EAIs in terms of information in the supply chain systems, creating the possibility of multiple business processes that traverse diverse geographical regions. This chapter, based on the research conducted by the authors at the University of Western Sydney, discusses the opportunities that arise in supply chain management systems due to the time and location independence offered by mobility, and the resultant advantages and limitations of such integration to the business.


2011 ◽  
pp. 258-279
Author(s):  
Mahesh Sarma ◽  
David C. Yen

In order to maintain a competitive position in today’s marketplace, companies must demand a greater level of enterprise ef?ciency. In today’s rapidly changing market, experts argue that it is no longer about becoming a powerhouse but simply about remaining competitive. That is why automating and linking the supply chain has become so imperative. Supply chain management systems link all of the company’s customers, suppliers, factories, warehouses, distributors, carriers, and trading partners. These systems integrate all the key business processes across the supply chain of a company. This chapter explains the objectives of sup-ply chain management and how SAP’s supply chain management system helps companies ful?ll these objectives.


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