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This study aims to identify blockchain-related innovation trends that can improve trust networks in a smart city's transport and supply chain networks. Trust networks are crucial in building and maintaining the trust of citizens in smart cities. By promoting transparency and accountability, facilitating collaboration and innovation, enhancing citizen participation and protecting privacy and security, trust networks can help to ensure that smart cities are developed and implemented in a responsible and sustainable way. A systematic literature review identifies 60 conceptual and empirical studies. This research focuses on the current problems and developing procurement and supply chain strategy and the potential benefits of using blockchain in these areas. It suggests ways for the smart city's transport and supply chain networks to utilise blockchain to improve operations and supply chain strategy and identifies innovation trends related to blockchain. The study also includes a systematic literature review and Blockchain Transformation and Influence model as the basis to enhance trust networks in the supply chain.

This study's purpose is to collate data on the existing Green Public Procurement (GPP) legal policies, frameworks and initiatives at the global level and, second, to identify the conditions required for implementing green procurement practices and programs in developing countries such as India. A structured literature review was conducted using the search terms ‘Green Public Procurement’, 'Policy’ and ‘India’. Reports, technical papers and articles in a language other than English were excluded from the search. Finally, 20 papers were shortlisted and reviewed. The study found that GPP has begun taking shape globally and necessitates capacity building at many levels, including knowledge sharing, sourcing resources, fiscal re-distribution and public awareness. National governments emerge as key players in facilitating sustainable procurement, while international bodies continue to develop prospective policy frameworks. However, GPP is at its nascency in India and will require significant pre-assessment and planning to standardize itself among big and medium enterprises. While GPP allows for environmental consciousness, its use in India also presents the potential for innovation and expanding the consumer market. Its establishment requires the government to implement a centralized body that directs GPP activity, incentivizes green technology and develops policies favouring multi-level collaboration. Further research can involve in-depth interviewing of key people in Public Procurement (PP) processes to gauge the preparedness and seriousness of the government to undertake green procurement and understand the inherent challenges in transitioning to more sustainable procurement modalities.

In the effort to procure solutions to emerging challenges faced in the construction industry, construction stakeholders implemented the use of several technologies in construction operations from the onset of project planning to completion. Cyber technology introduced into construction brought about the inclusion of wearable technology, mobile devices, apps, project management software, drones, 3D printers, robotics, etc. to enhance output as the industry tends towards that which is sustainable. This chapter identified benefits, barriers and other related cyber technology interactions within the scope of delivering projects that are of standard, budget and quality at the same time. The conclusion gave a summary of the whole chapter for further comprehension.

A quick search of the headlines of major newspapers reveals a treasure trove of technology procurement gone wrong. While the private sector seems to adopt and implement new technology seamlessly and quickly to deliver for customers, the government struggles to accomplish technology purchases and integrations with the same ease. As governments in the United States are looking to retain their current workforce and attract the next generation of workers, the technological capabilities and ethos of governments will be paramount. With nearly every industry being transformed by technology and Generation T being the first generation to have an ingrained “technology first” mindset, the ability of governments to attract these workers depends, in large part, on the ability to transform their government technology culture, policies, and practices.

In this chapter, the authors examine the administrative branch and observe two key components at the root of most technology failures: poor organizational structure in the bureaucracy and the lack of an empowered Chief Information/Technology Officer. Building upon case studies from Massachusetts and California, this chapter looks at the factors related to failure or success to understand the technology procurement culture. The chapter concludes by presenting four key “best practice” principles of public policy and administration that can be implemented by almost any governmental entity to improve their acquisition and implementation of technology.

The supply chain is undergoing a significant digital transformation to adapt to the increasingly digitalized and globalized business environment. To remain competitive in this evolving market, businesses must seamlessly integrate digital technologies throughout the supply chain, spanning all stages from procurement to distribution. This chapter delves into models and methodologies critical to digital supply chain (DSC) transformation, with a focus on advanced techniques such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and data analytics to boost the resilience and agility of supply chain operations. By leveraging practical examples and case studies, the chapter highlights the myriad enhancements digital transformation can introduce across diverse supply chain stages, including sourcing and after-sales service. Additionally, the chapter examines the complexities of cybersecurity, data integrity, and change management within the digital transformation framework, proposing strategies to address these challenges. The insights offered in this chapter will serve as a thorough guide for both practitioners and scholars in the supply chain field, equipping them to adeptly navigate the multifaceted arena of digital transformation.

This chapter analyzes the efficiency levels of a circular economy (CE) with an emphasis on transaction costs. It examines the governance aspect of CE activities in comparison to the predominant linear value creation. Extant CE research in business studies tends to be descriptive and lacks a theoretical foundation, particularly in understanding CE management. Transaction cost theory explains efficiency in economic organizing, lending itself to the study of arrangements that maximize resource efficiency at continued economic virtue. The conceptualization proposes that CE transaction costs are greater than those within the linear economy (LE), primarily due to the uncertainties about reciprocal dependencies, looping material complexities, exchanging novel information, and increased contracting efforts. Geographically bounded and institutionally homogeneous CE initiatives may curb these rising costs. By bringing efficiency concerns into CE analysis, the chapter demonstrates the applicability of transaction cost theory and highlights CE relevance to international business by pointing out spatial choice implications.

The author’s interest in studying this topic was inspired by new extraordinary external influences, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and war operations in Europe, which have a direct impact on economic entities and therefore on the economies of many countries in the surrounding area and beyond. The aforementioned external, unpredictable factors appeared unexpectedly. As soon as they appeared, they caused major disruptions in business operations and a crisis on the market, which could not be influenced beforehand, nor could its occurrence be prevented. The impact of external shocks on economies will vary depending on individual countries’ exposure to Russian energy sources, food security, as well as their own economic structure, geographic location, and the degree of flexibility of their public finances. Empirical findings show that there are relatively significant differences in the reactions to the resulting conditions, between large companies that still take into account the durability and publicity of development indicators and others, which are characterized by the absence of a long-term perspective and its reduction to a set of short-term goals that are sought to be achieved in the framework of the visible future. In addition to the standard theoretical analysis, the authors conducted research by surveying selected business entities in Serbia, which provided an insight into the current state of the company and indicated the necessary directions for changes both at the level of business entities and at the level of the entire economy. Based on the conducted research, the authors came to the knowledge that economic entities can solve economic instability by implementing one or more reorganization models.

The impact of COVID-19 on the lives of people and businesses across the globe was devastating. While governments across the world had undertaken a slew of measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus within their geography, many of these measures had long and unintended consequences. The restrictions imposed by the governments on the movement of people and goods across the world brought supply chains to a grinding halt. This study identifies the cascading effects of supply chain disruptions (SCDs) on the energy sector and thereby on the security of supply of energy from a European Union perspective. Since these systems are closely integrated and the impact of COVID-19 needs to be analysed at a much broader level, this study uses a systems-thinking approach to study the effect of SCDs on energy services. The study develops a causal loop model to gain further insight into how SCDs caused by COVID-19 affected the coping capabilities of society and how critical services were affected. Furthermore, the study puts forth certain policy recommendations for both businesses and governments to prepare for and protect against a similar situation in the future.