The emerging blockchain technology is believed to be a disruptive innovation in the fields of both supply chain management and financial management. Yet, little is known on the interaction of the two domains. In this paper, we conducted a thematic literature review in the novel field of blockchain and supply chain finance (SCF), which is based on 52 papers published from 2017 to 2021 in academic journals, proceedings and books. Based on thematic analysis, the current status of this field is concluded and presented in this research, including the challenges in traditional SCF, factors influencing blockchain adoption in SCF, blockchain-based SCF solutions, and the blockchain adoption mechanism and system design in SCF. Furthermore, a conceptual framework of blockchain adoption in SCF is developed, which combines the emerged themes. Finally, three future research directions are proposed for further research, including cost optimization of blockchain adoption in SCF, risk management of blockchain operations in SCF, and blockchain and sustainable SCF. This research presents a timely and useful summary on existing research and points out the future research directions on blockchain and SCF.

The aim of this research is to identify and explore the UK electric vehicle (EV) battery industry’s supply chain strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) by taking a leading UK EV battery company as an exploratory case study. Our research addresses the gap in knowledge surrounding the UK EV battery supply chain, as the current literature is limited whilst demands for EVs are surging. There are significant opportunities awaiting the EV battery industry, though it is crucial that companies are aware of the threats facing them. To address the gap, this research followed an exploratory qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with experienced interviewees in the industry. By applying the SWOT analysis framework and the theory lens of Resource Based View (RBV), we suggest that the UK EV battery industry should diversify its supply base into multiple regions such as India, Africa, and the US, which would reduce the reliance on sourcing from China whilst maintaining good supplier relationships and continuous innovation.

Plastics are an important basic material for national economic development. In the post-COVID-19 stage, green supply chain management has attracted widespread attention. In order to achieve carbon neutrality in the plastics industry, we explored the drivers of supply chain decarbonization in the plastics industry from a microlevel corporate supply chain perspective. Four primary factors and 21 subfactors were identified from the existing literature, and after validation by 12 experts, the causal relationships between the factors were analyzed using the Gray-DEMATEL method. The Gray-DEMATEL method was applied to analyze the causal relationships between the factors. The findings show that joint promotion by stakeholders is the most significant cause driver and market impact is the most prominent driver in the first-level indicator, both of which have a significant impact on low-carbon production. “Process optimization”, “Top-management support”, “Government regulations and support”, and “Information disclosure” are the most significant cause secondary drivers under the corresponding Tier 1 indicator factors, respectively, to provide realistic guidance for companies engaged in the plastics industry to continue to develop a low-carbon circular economy to achieve net-zero emissions under the challenges of COVID-19. Therefore, companies need to focus on the drivers of most importance in this work and understand the interplay between factors.