| Form of studies |
Master |
| Title of the study programm |
Logistics and Supply Chain Management |
| Title in original language |
Pētījums par blokķēdes tehnoloģiju ietekmi uz piegādes ķēdes caurskatāmību Vācijas autobūves industrijā |
| Title in English |
A Study on the Impact of Blockchain Technology on Supply Chain Transparency in the Automotive Industry in Germany |
| Department |
Faculty Of Computer Science Information Tehnology And Energy |
| Scientific advisor |
Vitālijs Boļšakovs |
| Reviewer |
Antons Patļins |
| Abstract |
The master thesis research about Blockchain transparency for supply chain in Germany automotive industry and combines conceptual and related empirical evidence to a single conceptual framework. The research project addresses transparency aspects in various supply chain levels and elaborates how Blockchain-based traceability, decentralised data governance and information models with improved immutability influence transparency, trust and responsibility in multi-level relationships of automotive manufacturers, their suppliers, logistics and other business partners or controlling authorities. In the research project, a mix-method-approach with online survey, interviews and a case study has been applied. In the study, all information collected and conceptualised from the mentioned methods has been used to derive a common conceptual model.
The empirical findings from the survey conducted with 120 respondents show information asymmetries, data silos and transparency issues in various supply chain levels. It was observed that there is a lack of transparency between different supply chain levels and that suppliers of first and second level have a lower degree of digitalisation and are thus not as involved as the rest of the supply chain. On the other hand, the results showed that the more the respondents have used or adopted Blockchain, the higher the transparency rate is in the supply chain. Results of expert interviews indicate operational challenges for adoption such as technology integration and compatibility, supplier engagement and adoption readiness, data governance, privacy and security concerns, and compliance and regulatory requirements (especially regarding German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act LkSG). Observations from case studies have identified trends of emerging business models and demonstrate the role of Blockchain in real-world applications (product part traceability, sustainability certification, raw material traceability, and proof of audits) at the leading automotive manufacturers, such as Catena-X project partners.
The results have been applied to one single framework to show that Blockchain does have an impact on transparency in supply chain when combined with proper data models and architectures and inter-organisational governance, agreement and cooperation. The master thesis can be applied to related academic research to fill existing knowledge gaps in the mentioned topics and to companies in the automotive industry to consider factors that contribute to successful Blockchain adoption as well as limitations and best-practice recommendations for blockchain-based supply chain transparency. The study recommends increasing the supplier's involvement and support the onboard process to various Blockchain transparency solution providers, more alignment and coordination of cross-industry interoperability standardisation initiatives and to integrate Blockchain-based solutions as an integral part of Digitalisation and Industry 4.0 business transformation efforts.
The master thesis includes 166 pages along with 3 equations and 16 figures and 8 tables and provides two abstracts in both English and Latvian languages. |
| Keywords |
Blockchain, Supply Chain Transparency, Automotive Industry; Traceability, Data Governance, Germany, Distributed Ledger Technology. |
| Keywords in English |
blokķēde, piegādes ķēdes caurspīdīgums, automobiļu rūpniecība, izsekojamība, datu pārvaldība, Vācija, izkliedētās virsgrāmatas tehnoloģija. |
| Language |
eng |
| Year |
2025 |
| Date and time of uploading |
23.12.2025 00:05:18 |
