Blockchain, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Accounting Information Systems (AIS): Research on e-Procurement and System Integration

TLDR

Accounting information systems are typically centralised, but blockchain and distributed ledger technology promise to alter their architecture by enhancing security and privacy, and researchers are increasingly exploring their use in management, accounting, and ERP contexts. This study reviews emerging literature to assess whether blockchain can be successfully integrated with AIS and ERP systems and to identify its potential benefits. The authors employ a case‑study methodology to analyse e‑procurement systems and operations, illustrating how blockchain can be incorporated into AIS and ERP workflows. The analysis shows that blockchain and related DLT, DeFi, and FinTech applications enable multi‑level integration, improve auditing compliance, and deliver gains in efficiency, productivity, and security.

Abstract

Accounting information systems (AISs), the core module of any enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, are usually designed as centralised systems. Nowadays, the continuous development and applications of blockchain, or more broadly—distributed ledger technology (DLT), can change the architecture, overcome and improve some limitations of centralised systems, most notably security and privacy. An increasing number of authors are suggesting the application of blockchain technologies in management, accounting and ERPs. This paper aims to examine the emerging literature on this field, and an immediate result is that blockchain applications can have significant benefits. The paper’s innovative contribution and considerable objective are to examine if blockchain can be successfully integrated with AIS and ERPs. We find that blockchain can facilitate integration at multiple levels and better serve various purposes as auditing compliance. To demonstrate that, we analyse e-procurement systems and operations using case study research methodology. The findings suggest that DLT, decentralised finance (DeFI), and financial technology (FinTech) applications can facilitate integrating AISs and ERP systems and yield significant benefits for efficiency, productivity and security.