Table 1. Obstacles/difficulties in... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1.

Obstacles/difficulties in implementing BCT in Procurement 4.0

Challenges	Description	Source
High initial cost: BTCP1	Specialized training is necessary for the implementation of technology. Accessing the data contributed to a blockchain can be expensive, as well as the expense of maintaining it, especially in major public procurement projects	(Dabić et al., 2020; (Khalfan et al., 2022); (Wang et al., 2021)
Immature legal acceptance/ regulatory policies: BTCP2	Blockchain-based currencies operate independently from national governments and are not considered a viable method of payment for vendors. To overcome legal and regulatory obstacles, certain policies and strategies are necessary. Additionally, it should be noted that smart contracts do not always have legal enforceability	(Govindan et al., 2024a); (Salcedo and Gupta, 2021)
Security issues BTCP3	Blockchain vendors face complex security issues, with companies concerned about data management, hacking, or loss	((Mohammed et al., 2023)
Lack of understanding and awareness: BTCP4	Limited awareness primarily in the case of slight national firms. Procurement professionals and stakeholders lack knowledge about BCT, leading to misconceptions about its feasibility and applicability. Education and awareness campaigns are needed to promote its potential value	(Aghaei et al., 2021)(Dabić et al., 2020)
Limited scalability: BTCP5	The issue pertains to latency, where a bigger blockchain leads to a longer synchronization time, resulting in a negative impact on performance. Additionally, the gas costs and efforts required to add new auction listings are too high	(Rožman et al., 2021)(Liu et al., 2021)(Martins et al., 2022)
Trust issues among various partners: BTCP6	Prior to integrating innovation in the domains of blockchain, the food security sectors should establish a sense of trust among their collaborating entities	(Tan and Saraniemi, 2023; Yavaprabhas et al., 2023)
Behavioural resistance: BTCP7	The concerns include a lack of confidence in handling digital information, the desire to keep information private, anxiety about losing control over sensitive data (such as purchasing prices and sources) within the organization, the perception of limited job prospects, and the perception that adopting new software is more of a burden than embracing new technology and philosophy	(Aghaei et al., 2021; Esmaeilian et al., 2020; Prakash and Ambekar, 2020)
Lack of Government support and regulation BTCP8	There are no special loans, subsidies, or tax breaks available for acquiring and implementing blockchain technologies in business operations. Additionally, there is a lack of effective oversight and enforcement mechanisms	(Khan et al., 2021)
Lack of skills and expertise: BTCP9	BCT, a complex technology, faces a shortage of qualified professionals due to a gap between demand and supply. More training programs are needed to equip procurement professionals and stakeholders with necessary skills	(Jegan Joseph Jerome et al., 2023)
Limited infrastructure: BTCP10	BCT deployment demands substantial computational resources and high-end protocol for ensuring safety measures. Any lack in contingency strategy leads to potential security breaches	(Esmaeilian et al., 2020; Govindan et al., 2024; Liu et al., 2021)
Complexity in usage: BTCP11	Proficiency in data skills necessitates exceptional proficiency in managing various ERP integrations, thorough training of personnel, and strong commitment from management	(Dabić et al., 2020)

Challenges	Description	Source
High initial cost: BTCP1	Specialized training is necessary for the implementation of technology. Accessing the data contributed to a blockchain can be expensive, as well as the expense of maintaining it, especially in major public procurement projects	(Dabić et al., 2020; (Khalfan et al., 2022); (Wang et al., 2021)
Immature legal acceptance/ regulatory policies: BTCP2	Blockchain-based currencies operate independently from national governments and are not considered a viable method of payment for vendors. To overcome legal and regulatory obstacles, certain policies and strategies are necessary. Additionally, it should be noted that smart contracts do not always have legal enforceability	(Govindan et al., 2024a); (Salcedo and Gupta, 2021)
Security issues BTCP3	Blockchain vendors face complex security issues, with companies concerned about data management, hacking, or loss	((Mohammed et al., 2023)
Lack of understanding and awareness: BTCP4	Limited awareness primarily in the case of slight national firms. Procurement professionals and stakeholders lack knowledge about BCT, leading to misconceptions about its feasibility and applicability. Education and awareness campaigns are needed to promote its potential value	(Aghaei et al., 2021)(Dabić et al., 2020)
Limited scalability: BTCP5	The issue pertains to latency, where a bigger blockchain leads to a longer synchronization time, resulting in a negative impact on performance. Additionally, the gas costs and efforts required to add new auction listings are too high	(Rožman et al., 2021)(Liu et al., 2021)(Martins et al., 2022)
Trust issues among various partners: BTCP6	Prior to integrating innovation in the domains of blockchain, the food security sectors should establish a sense of trust among their collaborating entities	(Tan and Saraniemi, 2023; Yavaprabhas et al., 2023)
Behavioural resistance: BTCP7	The concerns include a lack of confidence in handling digital information, the desire to keep information private, anxiety about losing control over sensitive data (such as purchasing prices and sources) within the organization, the perception of limited job prospects, and the perception that adopting new software is more of a burden than embracing new technology and philosophy	(Aghaei et al., 2021; Esmaeilian et al., 2020; Prakash and Ambekar, 2020)
Lack of Government support and regulation BTCP8	There are no special loans, subsidies, or tax breaks available for acquiring and implementing blockchain technologies in business operations. Additionally, there is a lack of effective oversight and enforcement mechanisms	(Khan et al., 2021)
Lack of skills and expertise: BTCP9	BCT, a complex technology, faces a shortage of qualified professionals due to a gap between demand and supply. More training programs are needed to equip procurement professionals and stakeholders with necessary skills	(Jegan Joseph Jerome et al., 2023)
Limited infrastructure: BTCP10	BCT deployment demands substantial computational resources and high-end protocol for ensuring safety measures. Any lack in contingency strategy leads to potential security breaches	(Esmaeilian et al., 2020; Govindan et al., 2024; Liu et al., 2021)
Complexity in usage: BTCP11	Proficiency in data skills necessitates exceptional proficiency in managing various ERP integrations, thorough training of personnel, and strong commitment from management	(Dabić et al., 2020)

Source(s): Authors’ own work