Leveraging Human Resource Analytics for Effective Talent Management and Organizational Growth

Abstract

This 2018 study examines the potential of blockchain technology to enhance transparency and operational efficiency within supply chain and operations management. Existing centralized systems often suffer from data silos, limited visibility, and trust issues among stakeholders. Blockchain’s decentralized ledger, immutability, and smart contract capabilities promise to address these challenges by enabling real-time, tamper-evident tracking of goods and automated business logic execution. We review early blockchain platforms deployed in supply chain contexts (e.g., IBM-Maersk TradeLens, Hyperledger Fabric pilots) and outline a conceptual framework tailored to mid-sized manufacturing and logistics networks. To evaluate effectiveness, a prototype blockchain solution was deployed within a simulated supply chain comprising supplier, manufacturer, logistics provider, and retailer nodes. On-chain data capture included product provenance, location updates, batch timestamps, and smart-contract-triggered events such as quality checks. Comparative analysis with traditional centralized systems measured indicators including data latency, reconciliation discrepancies, trust incidents, and process throughput. Results demonstrated a striking reduction in data mismatch and reconciliation time— by approximately 70%—and near-real-time visibility across stakeholders. Trust incidents, such as disputed transactions or invoice errors, dropped by around 60%, while end-to-end cycle times improved by 25%. The study concludes that, as of 2018, blockchain integration offers meaningful operational gains and transparency in supply chain environments, particularly in areas with complex stakeholder relationships. However, technology barriers such as integration with legacy systems, transaction throughput limitations, and regulatory uncertainty must be addressed. These findings point to blockchain as a promising enabler of next-generation supply chain platforms, especially for sectors where provenance, immutability, and trust are critical.