Glenn Charles Parry

We conceptualize the centralizing-decentralizing paradox of blockchain implementation in supply chains and examine its consequences for complexity. Blockchain’s distributed ledger enables decentralized collaboration by securely sharing data. However, centralizing tendencies for focal firms to seek control over supply chains conflict with this opportunity. Our findings from blockchain for supply chain experts show widespread agreement that using blockchain facilitates decentralized collaboration whilst creating a supply chain systems paradox that often demands high levels of centralization. We find that reducing the paradox to a false dyad for communication masks its underlying complexity. We contribute to theory by developing a novel, nuanced conceptualization of underlying tensions of blockchain in supply chains. We conceptualize paradoxes as complex interacting tensions, advancing understanding of governance in blockchain-based supply chain management.

Global labour markets face significant disruption from the rapid advance of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. Digital or gig economy workers, like freelancers and online independent contractors, are more exposed to the disruptive impacts of technological changes due to their flexible working conditions, which often come with flexible contracts, less robust legal agreements and other unstable working conditions. This study explores how gig economy workers benefit from alternative privacy-enhancing decentralised reputation systems and technologies that enable them to manage information like education, certifications, credentials, and professional experience, both by collecting and sharing information with employers. We propose a blockchain framework comprising three components: (1) Self-sovereign identity (SSI) enabling cryptographically secured, portable control over credentials via decentralised storage; (2) Immutable reputation registries leveraging consensus mechanisms to secure tamper-proof work histories; and (3) Privacy-preserving signalling using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to let workers selectively disclose reputation metrics without revealing sensitive details. We combine Signalling Theory (ST) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to empirically assess real workers' intentions to use this type of decentralised reputation system. Our framework enhances transparency, worker autonomy, and privacy in the digital economy.

Despite increasing interest in transdisciplinary engineering (TE), how to evaluate transdisciplinary (TD) working remains unclear. Moreover, the " right " balance of competencies of researchers, teams, and collaborators (including academic and societal actors) who form the TD team remains broad. This paper aims to enhance clarity by presenting a model that differentiates the individual and team-level competencies required to work in a multidisciplinary (MD), interdisciplinary (ID) and TD way. To construct the model, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) which identified key competencies required to engage in TD research. The competencies were qualitatively extracted, inductively analysed and thematically grouped to describe skills attributes and development in the progression towards TD work. The model illustrates that MD competencies focus on goal achievement (which in themselves may be discipline-targeted or distributed), ID competencies focus on integrating ideas from different disciplines, with an explicit appreciation of non-disciplinary and non-academic perspectives on technical advancement, and TD competencies focus on the synthesis of new ideas, solutions or approaches through collaborative skills and common high-level motivational drivers. We characterise the progression of such cross-disciplinary working as emergent, emphasising that a combination of individually held, and team-held competencies in addition to a researcher's disciplinary background, influence TD work effectiveness. When working in a TD way, the individuals involved in the research do not need to be knowledgeable in all the disciplinary knowledge held by all group members. Instead, individuals within the TD team provide insights into how their discipline sees or understands a particular problem.

Blockchain technology is expected to have a disruptive impact on supply chain management. To date practical implementations are fewer than expected and insights into the critical success factors (CSFs) of blockchain implementation are limited. This study couples a systematic literature review (SLR) with expert insights captured through a Delphi study to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the CSFs for implementing blockchain technology in the supply chain? 2) How do supply chain management practitioners perceive the CSFs in supply chains? 28 success factors have been identified by SLR. The Delphi study was employed test if these are necessary and sufficient, and prioritise them. This study provides a novel theoretical framework for the CSFs of blockchain technology adoption. This study assists decision-makers and policymakers in understanding each CSFs’ significance and devising the appropriate strategies and policies to address implementation challenges.

The target of this paper is to present a novel mathematical model to design a resilient and energy efficiency additive
manufacturing supply chain. This model minimizes the total cost of designing SC by selecting the optimal location and type of
3D printers to meet customer demand through active facilities and penalizing lost demand if necessary. To evaluate the
efficiency of the proposed algorithm, several experimental instances are solved and the results for a selected case is reported.
The results obtained for the selected case demonstrate that the proposed model can effectively reduce energy costs, with only
a slight increase in expected shipment costs while the fixed location costs and expected penalty costs remains unchanged.

Despite the significant attention given to blockchain technology, there needs to be more understanding of the related organizational challenges to adoption. This research provides a systematic literature review (SLR) to comprehensively explore the current literature and answer the following three research questions: 1) Which organizational theories are used to examine blockchain technology in supply chain management (SCM)? 2) What is the value of blockchain technology for SCM? 3)What are the organizational capabilities that influence the success of blockchain technology implementation in supply chains? Through the SLR, we identify the organizational theories applied to investigate the impact of blockchain technology on SCM and examine the main drivers of blockchain deployment. The study also investigates specific dimensions of blockchain technology capability, laying the groundwork for further research on this important emerging research area.

A variety of skill sets need to be developed during the transition from engineering product to customer service. Service may be defined as the application of competencies for the benefit of another. To facilitate the realisation of value (benefit), those working in servitizing firms must maintain the specialist competence of manufacturing, whilst developing new generalist competencies that involve understanding customer value, management, integrative abilities and openness. Transdisciplinary Engineering (TE) is the ability to transcend a single discipline to deliver value by drawing upon multiple competencies from across the disciplines. This study argues servitization is an intrinsically transdisciplinary process. Despite the need for broader service competencies, a lack of knowledge surrounding competencies needed for transdisciplinary servitization persists. Difficulties arise due to TE being a developing knowledge area. TE processes will already exist in servitization, but because the concept is poorly understood, formalisation has not yet taken place. The study seeks to open a new line of research into TE competencies required for servitization and their development. To frame the TE field in the servitization context, generalist lessons from TE working are used.