Conceptualising the use of Blockchain technology to enhance trust in supply chain transactions: An IS Perspective

The horsemeat case study and subsequent food fraud cases have demonstrated the complexity of food supply chains (SC). Risks and fraud instances in the SCs create issues of trust within SC relationships and trust for the product amongst the consumers. As part of this paper, we argue the need for tackling risks and fraudulent behaviour at the supplier relationship interface, thus disabling the downstream flow and maintaining trust with the consumers. However, research in the field of SC has demonstrated that achieving trust within the upstream SC is a highly complex and challenging task. Hence, through problematization, we investigate the use of blockchain technology as one of the solutions for enhancing trust in SC transactions. This paper presents the challenges associated with SC risks and fraud, the tenets of trust, and an overview of blockchain technology from an information systems perspective. In the findings, this paper provides a conceptual framework for using blockchain technology to enhance trust within SC transactions. Keywords: Blockchain, Trust, Supply chain, transactions, Information systems.