# Blockchain-Based Information Management for Supply Chain Data-Platforms
## 5 Discussion
### Contextualized Outcomes from the Experts  
In this subsection, a set of seven elements are presented. (1) Blockchain-based SC is not yet a mature technology and the return on investment (ROI) for its deployment is unclear. Thus far, this technology has been implemented and tested in several areas, although SCs appear to be one of the most prominent fields of application for blockchain. Several use cases and companies have already tested the technology in this area; however, performances are still low and there are many concerns about privacy and competitive advantages. Sharing data on a public ledger does not seem to be an appealing feature for companies and consequently they would need to design permissioned blockchain solutions to protect data and businesses. **Statement 1:**_hybrid solutions are needed between permissioned and permissionless blockchains._  
(2) Blockchain has its origins in the financial sector with the Bitcoin protocol and it made several improvements regarding cryptocurrencies, payments, and new decentralized financial solutions. If we consider SC as a tiny/small financial system, it becomes clearer how the blockchain may benefit current industrial ecosystems, improving traceability and transparency for many parties involved. However, most of this technology deployment is used as a data platform rather than for its whole distributed potential. This opens new trajectories for data and information management, as blockchain allows for pre-setting the logic on data organization and real-time information, demonstrating a performing feature about sharing data on the blockchain data-platform. These data are validated by the network's nodes and added to the chain, respecting the timestamps of when processes are run. **Statement 2:**_information management is one of the drivers for blockchain in SCs._  
(3) Despite the low performances, the many barriers, risks, and security concerns related with its implementation, blockchain data sharing is a digital asset and may represent a value exchange in the stakeholders' network. Several technological gaps are wide open between research and industry, and it may be necessary to define a fair trade-off amongthem, with distinguishing features such as the decentralization level, scalability potential, and security clearance. In this context, applications such as accounting, financial statements, and tax obligations are consolidated duties in business management, and they might be automatized by blockchain-based solutions. Thus, by creating links between the blockchain-based information management platforms, all bookkeeping processes can be automatized and shared in a business ecosystem, for which governments can play the crucial role of due diligence compliance assessment. **Statement 3:**_blockchain-enabled autonomous audits and lean administrative procedures for financial statements._  
(4) Regarding operation management and optimization, smart contracts can be applied, designing a deterministic virtual machine. Application steps may be set by analyzing industrial operations, defining processes, identifying procedures, and assigning responsibilities about _\"who does what_\" in the whole SC. These aspects would lead a digital enhancement of SCM, directly addressing all the data in a one-source platform. Thus, the combination between smart contracts, IoT, and SC promise to afford a new level of corporate liability for industrial management. In a future trajectory, IoT systems will lead the automation of physical devices with data-coordination of real-world environments, whereas smart contracts will lead the automation and accountability of virtual environments. In this context, statement four is presented. **Statement 4:**_an appropriate technology mix can enable and leverage future blockchain implementations._  
(5) Blockchain technology finds its foundations in asymmetric cryptographic protocols and consensus algorithms.