Tomaz Sedej

From their origins in cryptocurrencies, blockchains are emerging as an increasingly important organizational phenomenon. Blockchain is a software protocol allowing secure transfer of unique instances of value over the internet, without needing to rely on trusted intermediaries. It is analogous to a digital ledger that maintains a distributed, tamper-evident log of sequenced transactions, which are secured by a peer-to-peer network of autonomous computer nodes. The nodes collectively update the… Vis mere

From their origins in cryptocurrencies, blockchains are emerging as an increasingly important organizational phenomenon. Blockchain is a software protocol allowing secure transfer of unique instances of value over the internet, without needing to rely on trusted intermediaries. It is analogous to a digital ledger that maintains a distributed, tamper-evident log of sequenced transactions, which are secured by a peer-to-peer network of autonomous computer nodes. The nodes collectively update the ledger, validate transactions and constantly monitor its integrity. By enabling a secure transfer of value between entities that do not necessarily know or trust each other, blockchains are essentially creating a new way of organizing economic transactions. In an enterprise setting, blockchain can be thought of as a shared information infrastructure, able to facilitate multi-party collaboration across organizational boundaries.
This thesis explores the potential of enterprise blockchain technology and its implications for inter-organizational relationships (IORs) focusing particularly on inter-organizational management accounting and control practices. IORs are both an interesting and intricate field of research. They can be defined as voluntary collaborative arrangements between legally autonomous organizations and can involve sharing of information, joint development of products and services, as well as a number of other partner contributions in terms of technology, capital, or firm-specific assets. Due to its multi-party nature, and its ability to distribute control among independent entities, blockchain could have a profound impact on the ways IORs are structured, potentially challenging some of the assumptions found in contemporary IOR literature. Vis mindre

Blockchain technology is increasingly emerging as an important organizational phenomenon, especially for collaboration across firm boundaries. Over the past three decades, accounting scholars have shown significant interest in management accounting and control mechanisms that are used by actors to sustain inter-organizational relationships. We outline fundamental technical features and limitations of permissioned blockchain technology and analytically propose blockchain as an empirical concept… Vis mere

Blockchain technology is increasingly emerging as an important organizational phenomenon, especially for collaboration across firm boundaries. Over the past three decades, accounting scholars have shown significant interest in management accounting and control mechanisms that are used by actors to sustain inter-organizational relationships. We outline fundamental technical features and limitations of permissioned blockchain technology and analytically propose blockchain as an empirical concept with implications for management accounting practices that underpin inter-organizational collaboration, trust, control, and information exchange. Particular focus of the analysis is on the interplay between the technical capabilities of blockchain technology and inter-organizational management control procedures. Based on this analysis, we develop a series of propositions that theorize how these procedures affect the way in which blockchain is enacted in IORs, and how they are affected by blockchain in turn. The paper concludes with a research agenda for accounting scholars and offers directions for further research. Vis mindre

The proliferation of blockchain-based platform ecosystems in recent years has prompted scholars across various disciplines to explore the conditions leading to their successful deployment. However, developing a blockchain-based platform ecosystem creates various challenges for the platform sponsor that may influence industry-wide adoption and, ultimately, the platform's success. This study follows the development of TradeLens, a leading global shipping platform ecosystem underpinned by… Vis mere

The proliferation of blockchain-based platform ecosystems in recent years has prompted scholars across various disciplines to explore the conditions leading to their successful deployment. However, developing a blockchain-based platform ecosystem creates various challenges for the platform sponsor that may influence industry-wide adoption and, ultimately, the platform's success. This study follows the development of TradeLens, a leading global shipping platform ecosystem underpinned by blockchain technology. We examine the factors affecting industry-wide adoption among global supply chain actors by unpacking platform value drivers and platform governance mechanisms identified at TradeLens. While the platform value hinges on the digitalization of workflows and the ecosystem leverage, the platform governance includes strategic (off-chain), technology (on-chain), and interoperability (on- and off-chain) governance – as mechanisms for effectively managing a blockchain-based platform ecosystem. This paper contributes to the literature on blockchain-based platform ecosystems and the platform literature. Vis mindre