Technological advancements in the past few decades have played a critical role in enhancing supply chain management from varied dimensions. While advancements in information technology have significantly improved various facets of the supply chain, supply chain visibility still lags in tracking and tracing capabilities. The disruptive and emergent blockchain technology (BCT) presents enormous potential to address issues of supply chain sustainability. This paper seeks to evaluate the proximity of BCT to resolve provenance issues throughout the supply chain. The research considers the immaturity of BCT alongside limited success stories in supply chain management. It uses a content analysis methodology to examine recent literature about using BCT in supply chain sustainability and provenance. A conceptual model for using BCT to create an enabled, visible, and sustainable supply chain is provided to frame the investigation. Findings reveal that the benefits of BCT have mostly been conceptually demonstrated in the sustainable supply chain literature, but with few practical applications. Moreover, technically driven challenges including scalability and control are still prevalent. It reaffirms the fact that participants within a blockchain enabled supply chain network must be at the same level of knowledge regarding the technology and its functionality. The study also indicates evidence of a growing research interest in the niche, which will eventually bring about solutions to address ongoing challenges faced by BCT in its integration into supply chain management. These findings contribute to the literature about improving the security and utility of supply chain sustainability and provenance by using BCT.

Heightened interest in providing transparency and security within business systems and processes has triggered a multitude of studies on the adoption of emergent technologies. Blockchain technology (BCT) has emerged to address issues of transparency, efficiency, and security in manufacturing, supply chain, enterprise, and e-commerce systems. Given the enormous success of BCT in financial applications, there is keenness to explore other application areas. This research explores the integration of BCT in enterprise systems to enhance the engineering change management (ECM) process. Employing the technology acceptance model (TAM) to assess adoption intentions from the perspective of users, two concepts were examined: perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU). A quantitative survey method collected and analysed the perception data. The findings revealed a positive perception of both usefulness and ease of use from the users in adopting a blockchain-enabled enterprise platform to support the ECM process. More detailed findings uncovered the workflow management function as an area that may require further technical exploration. These findings provide valuable insights on the benefits of blockchain in optimizing business processes and contribute to the growing literature about perceptions of integrating BCT in enterprise platforms.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) possesses over 30 percent of the world's natural resources but accounts for only a small percentage of global trade. This discrepancy is significantly influenced by an over-reliance on exporting unprocessed commodities and persistent technological, logistical, political, and economic challenges. This study investigates the impact of inadequate supply chain digitalization on SSA's integration into global trade, emphasizing global economy implications, operational efficiency, and sustainability. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-method methodology, the research combines panel-data regression analysis with a systematic literature review (SLR) to evaluate how digitalization affects export performance, trade openness, and export diversification across SSA economies. Results indicate that while digital adoption is the primary driver of export performance, its impact is inconsistent, hindered by fragmented data, skill gaps, and poor institutional preparedness. The findings suggest that infrastructure-led digital initiatives fail without concurrent human capital development and governance reform. Academically, the research advances understanding of digital trade in developing contexts; for practitioners, it highlights the need for focused, rather than blanket, digital adoption; and for policymakers, it highlights the necessity of prioritizing institutional readiness over infrastructure alone to enhance competitiveness and economic diversification.