Blockchain-driven customer order management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of Blockchain on the customer order management process and operations. There is limited understanding of the use and benefits of Blockchain on supply chains, and less so at processes level. To date, there is no research on the effects of Blockchain in the customer order management process. Design/methodology/approach A twofold method is followed. First, a Blockchain is programmed and implemented in a large international firm. Second, a series of simulations are built based on three scenarios: current with no-Blockchain, 1-year and 5-year Blockchain use. Findings Blockchain improves the efficiency of the process: it reduces the number of operations, reduces the average time of orders in the system, reduces workload, shows traceability of orders and improves visibility to various supply chain participants. Research limitations/implications The research is based on a single in-depth case that has the scope to be tested in other contexts in future. Practical implications This is the first study that demonstrates with real data from an industrial firm the effects of Blockchain on the efficiency gains, reduction on the number of operations and human-processing savings. A detailed description of the Blockchain implementation is provided. Furthermore, this research shows a list of the resources and capabilities needed for building and maintaining a Blockchain in the context of supply chains. Originality/value This is the first study that demonstrates with real data from an industrial firm the effects of Blockchain on the efficiency gains, the reduction in the number of operations and human-processing savings. A detailed description of the Blockchain implementation is provided. This paper contributes to the resource-based view of the firm, by demonstrating two new competitive valuable capabilities and a new dynamic capability that organisations develop when implementing and using Blockchain in a supply–demand process. It also contributes to the information processing theory by highlighting the analytics capabilities required to sustain Blockchain-related operations.

Historical Perspectives on Innovation in Indian Business

This chapter deals with the question of innovation in Indian business from a historical perspective. After a brief survey of the literature, emphasizing how divided scholarly opinion was regarding the existence of forms of innovation in Indian business prior to the colonial era, the focus shifts to the British period. It is shown that Schumpeter’s definition of innovation equating it with technological innovation cannot be fruitfully applied to the Indian business scene. Two case studies are then proposed: Tata Iron & Steel, the largest Indian industrial firm, is shown to have been innovative in the specific context of India’s backward industrial scene, while the Sindwork merchants of Hyderabad are an instance of an Indian trading network which extended its range to the entire world. Concluding remarks interrogate post-Independence developments and stress the limits of the innovativeness of Indian business, prior to the recent liberal reforms.

Evaluation of the degree of healthiness of the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) acorns in the Włoszczowa– Jędrzejów Nature Park and its neighbouring area

The aim of the study was to demonstrate the degree of healthiness of the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) acorns found in the Włoszczowa-Jędrzejów Nature Park (abbreviation: W-JOChK) and in the neighbouring area. It was dealt with by making the analysis of health of the acorns (total 3,600). The research material included the samples of fallen down acorns, collected under the pedunculate oaks in Kurzelów (W-JOChK), as well as Żelisławice. The study was conducted from late September 2014 to early October 2015. The analysis of acorns demonstrated that over 50% of the acorns were damaged by insects. The ‘perpetrators’ of the damage proved to be Curculio glandium (Coleoptera: Curculionidae - acorn weevil) and Cydia splendana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae - chestnut tortrix). It was stated that acorns from the pedunculate oak trees, which were found on the protected area, were twice less frequently inhabited by Curculio glandium than those originating from the trees in Żelisławice - near the industrial firm. The damages caused by Cydia splendana in both study sites were similar in number. The results indicate that the acorns of oaks in more polluted environment are probably more vulnerable to infestation by insects.