Blockchain and trust in supply chains: a bibliometric analysis and trust transfer perspective

Abstract

Existing studies into the roles of trust in blockchain applications within supply chains are fragmented. This paper seeks to address this issue by consolidating current knowledge and identifying various trustors and trust targets in blockchain applications in the supply chain literature. We conduct a bibliometric analysis of 192 relevant journal articles published between 2018 and 2022. We then identify 11 distinct clusters and analyse the trustors and trust targets within these clusters and leverage trust transfer theory to explain how a trustor's trust in one target can be transferred to another associated target in each cluster. We conclude by proposing two prospective research avenues focusing on trust transfer perspectives in blockchain applications in supply chain literature. The first avenue discusses the nuances in the trust transfer processes between voluntary and mandatory contexts of blockchain use. The second avenue highlights the underexplored trust transfer processes of various initial trust targets that can influence blockchain adoption.