# A Guidance for Blockchain-Based Digital Transition in Supply Chains
## 4 Findings
### Digital Transition  
After collecting the statements provided by interviewees, a possible framework of analysis for blockchain digital transition--as an emerging technology--may be designed to compare the capacity to transform a single operation with the number of systems involved in that specific procedure. Additionally, to understand future technology/business directions, it is essential to discover the critical performances that can be exploited with a broader blockchain deployment. Interviewees agreed that blockchain may support digital transition for SCs and that it creates incremental changes and innovations to existing systems. The digitalization and harmonization within other technologies may generate improvements, sustainability, and effective growth for new practices in SCs. Interviewees remarked that blockchain may represent a driver of digital transformation in businesses. In this instance, the growth rate might be explained as a technology-push but shaped by the market. Conversely, regarding marketing strategies, interviewees pointed out that there are also several market-driven approaches for asset digitalization. Thus, blockchain may become a digital strategy in which new business models will emerge to compete in digital spaces. This may represent a value exchange in virtual environments, where exchanging value in a trustable way is a key feature. In SCs, stakeholders must communicate and share information in real time in an efficient and effective manner. Interviewees highlighted that blockchain systems may enhance communication and information management in SCs; however, other software technologies must be used or connected to it. Interviewees underscored that blockchain platforms have remarkable functional approaches to frame information and data, given that blockchain allows for the organization of the logic of what data are collected in distributed databases. This enables the blockchain data platform to become an optimization tool for business operations and to support the value chain in managing data. Thus, a blockchain platform provides a new service for data optimization. As an example, interviewees pointed out SC event management (SCEM) systems as existing solutions for data sharing in SCs. Although an SCEM system solves the same prob lem as a blockchain, it is quite complex and has some limitations. In contrast, blockchain adds layers to existing technologies and seems easier to deploy with higher flexibility. In this instance, the blockchain adds layers for traceability and transparency by designing incremental features upon existing systems. Therefore, the interviewees remarked that blockchain systems bring incremental changes for SC applications, which result in performance improvements. Additionally, interviewees identified the identity issue as one of the potential digital enablers that address blockchain in SCs. Digital identity may represent a technological feature where assets, such as people, companies, public entities, machines, means of transport, and objects moving along an SC, can be linked to blockchain systems. Interviewees stated that this aspect could also solve ethical issues running inside international/illegal SCs. Digital identity may be deployed in SCs to prevent fraudulent and illegal SCs, such as those related to trading of wood from illicit deforestation, criminal and slavery mining for minerals, counterfeit food products, and several other contexts of human rights violations and environmental abuses. However, the digital issues--for these above-mentioned contexts--are related to information entry-point gateways and the way in which to set up a safer and secure way to digitalize assets that are entering the chain. In this instance, interviewees remarked that there are several barriers and risks in assuring trust for these kinds of products, and it is extremely difficult to assure product provenance and ethical management for environmental and human rights.