Applications of Blockchain Technology in E-Business Value Chains

Blockchain Technology (BCT) is explored as a substantial part of the next generation of the Internet affecting business models in e-business. This book explores the application of BCT in e-business focusing on the value creation. The research objective is to examine how and why BCT is used in e-business value chains. This objective is reached through a pragmatic multimethod approach combining four studies. Study 1 summarises the state-of-the-art of approaches to assess a BCT fit for a particular scenario and outlines shortcomings resulting from these approaches. Study 2 provides empirical insights into the usage of BCT in four e-business value chains based on the cases Theta (content), OpenBazaar (commerce), Presearch (context), and Crypviser (connection). Study 3 deepens the insights in the e-commerce value chain. By means of a qualitative content analysis of news articles, various BCT application domains for each e-commerce activity are presented. Study 4 narrows the perspective of analysis to e-negotiations, proposes a BC-based negotiation support system and examines its opportunities and challenges. Finally, an integrative discussion of the findings results in two explanations how BCT is applied in e-business.