It is necessary to identify what factors affect distributed trust and validate their effect on distributed trust and user satisfaction in an area of the food supply chain for sustainable business. The purpose of the present study is to examine determinants of distributed trust in the blockchain-based food supply chain and test seven hypotheses derived from the structural equation model integrating distributed trust, its three determinants, and user satisfaction. Transparency, traceability, and security are suggested as three determinants of distributed trust along the blockchain-based food supply chain. Data were collected from users of Chinese firms employing blockchain-based food supply chains to validate the research model and test the seven hypotheses. The present study contributes to clarifying the significance of distributed trust and suggesting evidence of its role in the food supply chain. The present study discussed trust-free systems based on blockchain technology related to sustainability through the findings.

Do people feel psychological ownership toward a third place other than homes as the first place and workplaces as the second place? The present study proposes a research model integrating three characteristics of the third place including customer participation, place attachment, and psychological ownership, and tests six hypotheses derived from the research model, which is based on social identity theory and attachment theory. Communication, concentration, and self-expressiveness as characteristics of the third place have a positive influence on customer participation. Customer participation has a direct positive influence on psychological ownership as well as indirectly through place attachment.

There are existing studies that successfully show the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firms’ financial performance. However, limited attention is paid to its impact on the business ecosystem. CSR could be seen as an investment for building a sustainable business ecosystem, which enhances the competitiveness of this system’s members. In that context, this study apprehends and captures the virtuous cycle of firm competitiveness. On analyzing data from interviews with seven firms, the study offers four propositions identifying the structure of the virtuous cycle linking CSR activities to firm competitiveness through the accumulation of social capital within business ecosystems. Based on those propositions, the study offers new insights into CSR research for academics and strategic planning guidelines for managers that integrate social and economic values for a sustainable business ecosystem and firm competitiveness.