## 3 Methodology and Implementation  
### Value Proposition and Improvements on Supply Chain Management Processes  
Blockchain technology offers numerous transformative advantages for supply chain management (SCM), primarily due to its utilization of public key cryptography. This cryptographic method enhances security, identity verification, and electronic signatures within the network. Public key cryptography relies on mathematical functions, such as Elliptic Curve Cryptography, ensuring the security of user wallets and transactions. Additionally, it provides quantum resilience, making it highly secure. This cryptographic approach strengthens the security of funds and data managed by supply chain participants and guarantees the authenticity of electronic signatures.  
Another critical aspect of blockchain technology is hash functions, which ensure data verification and validation. Each block in the blockchain contains a hash of the previous block, creating an immutable and tamper-proof transaction ledger, as can be seen in Figure 3.  
This feature eliminates the risk of data manipulation and fraud, making data stored on the blockchain highly secure and transparent.  
Furthermore, blockchain systems are decentralized and distributed, eliminating single points of failure (SPOF) and enhancing security. Decentralization ensures that all participants verify transactions and a consensus mechanism is employed to determine the correct blockchain ledger. This replication and consensus mechanism results in a secure and tamper-resistant system, making it challenging for malicious actors to disrupt the network.  
The transparency and traceability inherent in blockchain technology make it an ideal solution for supply chain management. All transactions in the blockchain are transparent and traceable, providing a clear history of goods and funds. This transparency enables stakeholders to track the status of products, ensuring accountability and trust among participants.  
By eliminating their effectiveness, blockchain technology safeguards supply chain participants from common cyberattacks, such as ransomware and crypto-lockers. The decentralized nature of blockchain ensures that participants are not solely responsible for securing their data, making it difficult for attackers to target individual participants.  
Moreover, blockchain transactions are known for their speed, typically taking seconds to minutes to complete. This quick transaction speed enables fast monetary transfers, even for international transactions. Additionally, the multi-cloud paradigm, or interoperability principle, enables applications to migrate between blockchains and communicate with other applications, increasing flexibility and removing infrastructure dependency. This interoperability is not only limited to technological interoperability; blockchain also enables multi-region complex applications and systems [31] to operate and exchange data seamlessly.  
Smart contracts play a vital role in supply chain management by automating various processes, including payments, delivery updates, and product status control. These self-executing digital agreements eliminate the need for trust between parties, ensuring that each party fulfills its obligations when predefined contract conditions are met.  
In summary, using blockchain technology and smart contracts in supply chain management offers many benefits, including enhanced security, transparency, traceability, and efficiency. These technologies revolutionize traditional supply chain processes and provide a robust foundation for secure and efficient operations.