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The novel blockchain technology can be leveraged, owing to the growth in computing power and its widespread applications. This study aims to understand the challenges of adopting blockchain technology in the financial sector, organise them into a model and classify them for systematic address.

Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) has been carried out along with MICMAC (Matrice d’impacts croisés multiplication appliquée á un classment) analysis to hierarchically structure blockchain adoption problems and categorise the challenges into four classes-autonomous, dependent, linkage and independent for better addressing. The study also uses content analysis using NVivo software.

The digraph depicts the hierarchical challenge model. Vulnerability to financial crimes and glitches, privacy issues and geopolitical tensions due to cross-border transactions are the dependent variables. Complex architecture to comprehend, code and fix, the need for new financial intermediaries, complexity in auditing and the lack of unified governance and coordination among institutions and regulators are the independent variables. The digraph, which is also justified by the qualitative content analysis, is beneficial for stakeholders to systematically address the interdependent challenges associated with blockchain implementations in finance to foster its favourable adoption.

The challenges in the adoption of blockchain should be resolved to allow the implementation of this technology in various finance domains. This study enables organisations to carry out resource planning and systematically address these challenges to leverage the advantages of blockchain.

The results of the present study can help in promoting the proliferation of blockchain for faster, cost-effective, transparent and secure financial transactions and foster innovative and new business models for economic growth.

The development of technology has brought about significant changes in the financial sector. Blockchain is a technological advancement that aims to bring security and transparency to transactions. There has been no research leveraging ISM-MICMAC to hierarchically organise and classify the blockchain challenges in the financial sector, a critical one. The research also uses content analysis which is seldom found along with ISM-MICMAC.

The logistics industry has undergone a tremendous transformation. This transformation is necessary to cope with the fundamental changes in customer expectations and the need for digitalization imposed by the pandemic, changes in the socioeconomic world, and innovative technology solutions. This paper aims to present digital transformation as an integrated framework for transforming the operating model and applying advanced solutions to the ecosystem of a quintile logistics (5PL) company. 5PL operators are typically an ecosystem. Loosely coupled or self-organized entities that collaborate in a symbiotic relationship represent this ecosystem. They aim to jointly develop capabilities, create innovative services or solutions, share knowledge, facilitate transactions, and leverage network synergies in a logistics environment to provide optimized or novel customer- or partner-centric solutions (Lamberjohann and Otto, 2020).

Currently, there is no single definition of an integrated logistics operations model in 5PL practice, so the qualitative method used in this paper allows for investigation from an exploratory perspective. The paper follows a qualitative research methodology, collecting and analyzing data/facts through interviews and visits to subject matter experts, industry practitioners, and academic researchers, combined with an extensive review of academic publications, industry reports, and written and media content from established organizations in the marketplace. This paper follows a qualitative research methodology, as it is an inquiry rather than a statistical study. The qualitative method allows the study of the concepts of phenomena and definitions, their characteristics, and the defining features that serve as the basis (Berg, 2007). It emphasizes generalized interpretation and deeper understanding of concepts, which would be more difficult in quantitative, statistically based research. Fact-finding was conducted in two ways: in-depth interviews with experts from academia, information and communication technology organizations, and key players in the logistics industry; and academic publications, industry reports, and written and media content from established national and international organizations in the market.

The operations model introduced considers six aspects: persons, processes, platforms, partners, protection and preservation. A virtual team approach can support the personal side of the 5PL ecosystem’s digital transformation. Managing a 5PL ecosystem should be based on collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment methods (Parsa et al., 2020). A digital platform can support trust among the stakeholders in the ecosystem. A blockchain solution can powerfully support the 5PL ecosystem from partner relationships’ points of view. The implementation of a cybersecurity reference model is important for protection (Bandari, 2023). Reverse logistics and an integrated approach support the preservation of the ecosystem.

While the author has experience applying the different components of the operations model presented, it would be interesting to find a 5PL that would use all the components presented in an integrated way. The operations model presented applies to any similar ecosystem with minor adaptations.

This paper addresses operations models and digital transformation challenges for optimizing 5PL operators. It provides several opportunities and considerations for 5PL operators interested in improving their management and operations to cope with the growing challenges of today’s world.

The competitiveness and long-term performance of 5PL operators depend on selecting and carefully implementing their operations models. This paper emphasizes the importance of using advanced operations models.

The operations model derives from the author’s personal experiences in research and the innovative application of these models to logistics operators (DHL, UPS, Poste Italiane and others). This paper brings together academic and industry perspectives and operations models in an integrated business digital transformation. This paper defines an original optimal operations model for a 5PL operator and can add sustainable value to organizations and society. In doing so, it outlines different solution requirements, the critical success factors and the challenges for solutions and brings logistical performance objectives when implementing a digital business transformation.

Technical advantages embraced by blockchain, such as distributed ledger, P2P networks, consensus mechanisms and smart contracts, are highly compatible with addressing the security issues of transferring and storing judicial documents and obtaining the feedback and evaluation of judicial translation services in cases with foreign elements. Therefore, based on this, a consortium blockchain-based model for supervising the overall process of judicial translation services in cases with foreign elements is proposed.

Some judicial documents are required to be translated when there are language barriers in cases with foreign elements. The purpose of this paper is expected to address security issues, which is ignored, in the process of translating judicial documents.

The experimental results show that the model constructed in this paper can effectively guarantee the security and privacy of transferring and storing translated judicial documents in cases with foreign elements, and realize the credibility and traceability of feedbacks and evaluations of judicial translation services. In addition, the underlying network communications is stable and the speed for processing data can meet the requirements of practical application.

The research in this paper provides an innovative scheme for judicial translation services in cases with foreign elements. The model constructed is conducive to protecting the security of the transfer and storage of judicial documents and improving the efficiency and modernization ability of hearing cases with foreign elements.

A novel facet of the construction industry's (CI) digital transformation relates to the rise of smart contracts, and the contribution of blockchain technology in this domain appears to be nascent but rapidly gaining traction. Although the benefits of digitalisation for technologically less enthusiastic CI are irrefutable, the adoption of smart contracts has been found to be low pertaining to industry professionals' behavioural factors stimulated by technological perception. The challenge undertook by this study, therefore, is to develop a knowledge framework for blockchain-enabled smart contract adoption in the CI.

From a methodological perspective, this study employed a qualitative approach that involved semi-structured interviews with ten (10) highly experienced CI practitioners involved in digital innovations for data collection. Directed content analysis was performed using NVivo 12 software, which enabled the creation of preliminary open codes. Subsequently, these open codes were grouped into similar categories to develop axial codes. Finally, the study presented final themes along with their corresponding descriptions.

Notably, research findings expanded the current body of knowledge on perceived attributes and their measurement items to determine the perception of innovation adoption in CI, where a total of nine (9) perceived attributes were associated with thirty-two (32) measurement items.

The measurement items were seen as having an extensive impact on the CI professionals' decision to adopt blockchain-enabled smart contracts. With ensuing implications, this study represents one of the first to present a knowledge framework exclusively customised for blockchain-enabled smart contracts, laying the groundwork for effective technological adoption by CI professionals.

Ethereum-based blockchain technology (EBT) affords members of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) a market advantage in deploying blockchain within their organizations, including cybersecurity and operational benefits, that leads firms to strategically invest in this nascent technology. However, the impact of such strategic investments in EBT has yet to be explored in the context of its relationship to firm value. Therefore, this study explores EBT-specific firm-level characteristics that result in a stock market reaction to announcements of strategic investments.

The authors use the event study methodology, strategic investment literature and signaling theory as contextualizing frameworks for their study. Additionally, the authors explore a new method for examining technology investments as a strategic counter to cybersecurity threats.

Firms that signal to the market their strong commitment to their strategic investment by developing an EBT proof of concept see significantly higher market returns. Firms that have had prior cybersecurity incidents are rewarded by the market for strategically investing in EBT, and when firms with large undistributed free cash flows utilize this cash for strategic EBT investment, the market is more likely to reward these firms, indicating the market views EBT investment positively in these circumstances.

The results of this study provide new evidence of the value impact of EBT for firms that suffered cybersecurity events in the past. The authors provide empirical evidence of firm-level characteristics that investors use to discern whether a strategic investment in EBT will drive organizational value. Likewise, the authors demonstrate how signaling affects investor perceptions of strategic information technology (IT) investments in EBT.

This paper aims to propose a model for democratization of Islamic home financing to tackle the issue of sustainability of homeownership affordability.

A conceptual framework and fractional equity model (FEM) are developed to incorporate big data analytics, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology in an ecosystem for affordability and sustainability of homeownership via the proposed financing model. In addition, the FEM adopts the simulation approach to show its validity in terms of liquidity when compared with traditional home financing. In this regard, this paper is focused on developing and demonstrating the feasibility of a new financing model, rather than testing specific hypotheses or relationships. This is to propose the democratization model for Islamic Home Financing that will not benefit the prospective home buyers without compromising the profitability of the financial institutions.

The findings indicate that the proposed end-to-end solution within the financing ecosystem can lead to more efficient matching market between the buyers and sellers of houses, reduced transaction costs, greater transparency and enhanced efficiency which in the end could lead to lower costs of owning homes and sustained financial resilience among house owners. The findings indicate that the FEM model is able to increase homeownership with more elements of liquidity, marketability and sustainability for homebuyers.

This research highlights the potential of big data and blockchain technology in democratizing Islamic home financing and evidence that the transfer of ownership is possible through tokenization. However, this will require a mature financing environment to adapt the technology for practical application.

The model proposes a solution to propagate shared prosperity among stakeholders such as the house buyers/owners, sellers, investors as well the government agencies. The proposed FEM model provides alternative home financing that is more marketable, flexible and sustainable for households/buyers and financiers.

It is hoped that with the proposed financing ecosystem to promote affordability and sustainability of homeownership via big data analytics, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology can lead to greater financial resilience for homeowners which can then be translated to enhanced well-being, increased productivity and can further promote economic growth.

This research is a concept paper based on academic research and industry collaboration with a technology provider.

This study aims to evaluate blockchain as an e-government governance model. It assesses its alignment with legal frameworks, emphasizing robustness against disruptions and adherence to existing laws.

The paper explores blockchain’s potential in e-government, focusing on legal, ethical and governance aspects. It conducts an in-depth analysis of blockchain’s integration into data governance, emphasizing legal compliance and resilient security protocols.

The study comprehensively evaluates blockchain’s implementation, covering privacy, interoperability, consensus mechanisms, scalability and regulatory alignment. It highlights governance’s critical role in ensuring legal compliance within blockchain paradigms.

Ethical and legal concerns arising from blockchain adoption remain unresolved. The study underscores how blockchain challenges its core principles of anonymity and decentralization in e-government settings.

The framework outlined offers potential for diverse technological environments, albeit raising ethical and legal queries. It emphasizes governance’s pivotal role in achieving legal compliance in blockchain adoption.

Blockchain’s impact on legal and ethical facets necessitates further exploration to align with its core principles while addressing governance in e-government settings.

This study presents a robust framework for assessing blockchain’s viability in e-government, emphasizing legal compliance, despite ethical and legal intricacies that challenge its fundamental principles.

The essence of blockchain governance is a far departure from the cryptocurrency or Bitcoin that has led to innovation and changing the outline of medical services. The major challenge in medical services is the lack of accessibility of medical services and lack of awareness. A large group of the population belonging to an ethnic minority has a high rate of complications, re-operation and graft rejection. To connect with a minority group and address privacy and safety issues, blockchain-based e-health-care services have massive potential in the medical industry, especially from the perspective of the social aspect.

The study proposed a framework that describes the complex interplay of different stated factors, including perceived ease of use, trust, perceived usefulness and perceived security and privacy. The paper uses structural equation modeling to understand the ethnic minority group’s readiness to adopt blockchain-based e-health-care services.

It was found that all the direct relationships between variables are supported by the findings and have a significant positive relationship with the adoption intention. The tested framework will help regulatory bodies and marketers to develop support health-care service mechanisms for ethnic minority groups by addressing their issues related to security and privacy.

Blockchain-based e-health-care services have massive potential in the medical industry, although, its actual diffusion has not been explored much, with particular reference to an ethnic minority group. This study will explore the diffusion of smart health-care services with respect to ethnic minority group.

This study aims to investigate the key factors that influence the behavioural intention of doctors to adopt the knowledge sharing driven blockchain technology in government hospitals. The study is based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2, with the addition of trust as an independent variable and knowledge sharing as a mediating variable between trust and behavioural intention.

The data for the study was collected through a correlation and cross-sectional study using a survey, with a sample of 322 responses being used for the final analysis. The initial analysis of the data was conducted using SPSS v.26, followed by a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis using SmartPLS v.3.9 to test the validity and reliability of the measures and to examine the hypothesized relationships.

The results supported the proposed framework. The results of PLS-SEM indicate that all proposed pathways support the model. In particular, the results of the study reveal that performance expectation, effort expectation, social influence, facilitation conditions and trust are drivers of blockchain adoption and have a significant impact on the behavioural intention of clinicians in hospitals. Furthermore, the study found that knowledge sharing mediated the relationship between trust and behavioural intention.

The present study sheds light on the challenges facing blockchain technology, such as privacy and trust concerns and proposes a more sustainable approach based on knowledge management to enhance the effectiveness of blockchain technology and overcome these challenges.

The significance of this paper lies in the limited literature examining the relationships between blockchain technology and knowledge management processes. Furthermore, a hypothetical framework that includes the knowledge sharing process as a mediating variable between trust and behavioural intention to adopt blockchain technology has not been presented or developed in any previous studies, particularly in the context of Iraq. Thus, this work is novel and unique in its approach.

This study aims to examine the feasibility of adopting blockchain technology in Jordan’s industrial sector and its intangible benefits. It also analyzes the influence of factors like technological, process, cultural and leadership readiness on the willingness of enterprises to adopt blockchain.

To gain insights into the potential adoption of blockchain technology and its intangible benefits for enterprises in the Jordanian industrial sector, this study gathered perspectives from a broad range of professionals, including financial managers, internal control staff, accounting departments, IT department managers and IS-related personnel. This was achieved through the administration of a comprehensive questionnaire designed to capture their opinions.

This study highlights the importance of technological and leadership readiness in adopting blockchain. It also shows that blockchain adoption can yield significant intangible benefits for enterprises. However, the study did not find a significant relationship between process readiness, cultural readiness and the intention to adopt blockchain.

The study’s outcomes underscore the importance of prioritizing technological and leadership readiness for enterprises and policymakers intending to adopt blockchain technology. By doing so, they can increase their willingness to adopt this technology and leverage its benefits.

This pioneering study investigates the adoption of blockchain technology and its intangible benefits for Jordanian businesses. It also examines the influence of factors like technological, process, cultural and leadership readiness on the decision to adopt blockchain in the industrial sector.