Purpose: The deployment of blockchain technology (BT) throughout the supply chain is usually led by large firms that dominate the supply chain. Leading firms can encourage other resource-constrained partners to get on board by providing technical and financial support. However, due to the uncertain consequences of relying on leading firms, these partners may still be reluctant to adopt BT. Drawing on resource dependence theory, this study aims to investigate whether and when supply chain alignment can be used as a dependency coping strategy to increase the willingness of resource-constrained partners to adopt BT. Moreover, it aims to examine the motivators for supply chain alignment.Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a survey research design and collected data from 364 small and medium-sized enterprises in China.Findings: Supply chain alignment positively affects BT adoption. The effect of supply chain alignment on BT adoption is contingent on guanxi (a Chinese cultural tradition of interpersonal connections that facilitate a mutual exchange of favors). Relative advantage, technology complexity, organizational readiness and cost are motivators for supply chain alignment. Supply chain alignment mediates the effect of cost, technology complexity and relative advantage on BT adoption.Originality/value: This research addresses the problem of resource dependency in the context of BT adoption which has been overlooked by previous research. Moreover, this paper enriches the BT literature by identifying supply chain alignment as an important channel for technology–organization–environment factors to influence BT adoption.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project identify the Mediterranean as a strategic area for new maritime networks in the 21st century. This paper highlights current maritime strategies in the Mediterranean as well as their impact on the spatial configuration of logistics networks on the Asia-Europe maritime route. The results suggest that the position of China in the Mediterranean is reinforced because Beijing coordinates several operations in ports infrastructure. Our analysis shows that the flow of containers in a sample of ports located on the Asia-Europe maritime route is increasing as well as the Logistics Shipping Connectivity. To explore this issue, we focus on the port of Pierus considering the Chinese investments since 2008. The results suggest that ports connectivity is increasingly significant in the port located nearby the maritime route with an interest for Beijing. Le projet Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) initié par Beijing en 2013 identifie la Méditerranée comme axe stratégique de redéploiement de la Chine dans le cadre des routes de la Soie du XXIème siècle avec un intérêt particulier pour la route Asie-Europe. Ce papier analyse les implications du projet BRI sur les réseaux maritimes en Méditerranée et sur l’émergence de nouveaux hubs portuaires poussée par la montée en puissance des investissements chinois. La notion de connectivité est formalisée, puis illustrée à travers le cas du port du Pirée acquis par COSCO en 2008. Les résultats suggèrent que la présence chinoise en Méditerranée se renforce au fur et à mesure que Beijing coordonne des opérations de rachat et de prises de participation dans des infrastructures stratégiques dans le pourtour méditerranéen. Notre analyse montre également la croissance des flux de conteneurs captés par les ports situés sur la route maritime Asie-Europe et présentant un intérêt stratégique pour Beijing.

Modern food supply chain involves numerous stakeholders that are geographically dispersed. This scattered and complex structure impedes the free flow of information throughout the supply chain. Low transparency lays the groundwork for food fraud and delays the implementation of necessary countermeasures when a food contamination incident occurs. Moreover, customers nowadays are increasing demanding in terms of product provenance and sustainability. Under this circumstance, it is urgent to identify effective solutions that can mitigate the concerns of food safety, quality, and fraud. Blockchain has been identified as a promising technology for enabling end-to-end supply chain traceability. This study investigates the main challenges of agri-food supply chain and how blockchain attributes can address these challenges. We also propose an integrative framework of key factors that influence blockchain adoption in the food industry.