Using extended complexity theory to test SMEs' adoption of Blockchain-based loan system.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Sun W
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7864469 | biostudies-literature | 2021
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Using extended complexity theory to test SMEs' adoption of Blockchain-based loan system.
Sun Wei W Dedahanov Alisher Tohirovich AT Shin Ho Young HY Li Wei Ping WP
PloS one 20210205 2
Blockchain-based loan system can be summed up as: information exchange between various government departments; information exchange between enterprises and various financial institutions; detection of the actual use of loans in the form of encrypted currency. This technology is supposed to reduce a lot of financing costs for SMEs on average. Therefore, this research extends complexity theory to discover the factors that affect the use of Blockchain loan systems by SMEs. Complexity, perceived ris ...[more]
Similar Datasets
Project description:This article present data concerning the factors influencing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) intention to use/adopt CloudERP system in Jordan. Generalized Linear Modeling (GLM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) modeling techniques in R version 1.0.136 were used to analyze data obtained from 394 SMEs. Computer self-efficacy, organizational support, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, facilitating conditions, security and relative advantage have significant influence on the intention to use/adoption CloudERP systems. The survey data-set is made publicly available to amplify further inquiry.
| S-EPMC6139002 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study aims to review current issues regarding the application of blockchain technology in health care. We illustrated the various ways in which blockchain can solve current health care issues in three main arenas: data exchange, contracts, and supply chain management. This paper presents several current and projected uses of blockchain technology in the health care industry. We predicted which of these applications are likely to be adopted quickly and provided a supply chain example of tracking the transportation of organs for transplantation.
| S-EPMC7530694 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study explores the factors influencing the intention to adopt blockchain technology and the alignment between respondents' work characteristics and blockchain technology. It addresses the lack of attention from previous literature on these factors in the context of blockchain adoption, especially amidst the recent blockchain hype. By integrating Task-Technology Fit (TTF) and a modified version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study employs a questionnaire survey. The results demonstrate that the alignment between blockchain and work characteristics significantly impacts performance expectations and the recognition of opportunities, thereby influencing the intention to adopt blockchain. Furthermore, factors such as effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and perceived policy uncertainty influence adoption intention by identifying opportunities. Exposure to blockchain-related knowledge reinforces the relationships mentioned above. Additionally, digital natives display greater confidence in blockchain's potential to enhance work performance than digital immigrants. These study findings offer valuable insights and strategies for blockchain technology providers and provide a comprehensive survey for individuals and professionals interested in embracing or understanding the dynamics of blockchain adoption.
| S-EPMC10682616 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn the collaborative business environment, blockchain coupled with smart contract removes the reliance on a central system and offers data integrity which is crucial when the transacting parties rely on the shared data. The acceptance of such blockchain-based systems is necessary for the continued use of the services. Despite many extensive studies evaluating the performance of blockchain-based systems, few have focused on users' acceptance of real-life applications.ObjectiveThe main objective of this research is to evaluate the user acceptance of a real-life blockchain-based system (BBS) by observing various latent variables affecting the development of users' attitudes and intention to use the system. It also aims to uncover the dimensions and role of trust, security and privacy alongside the primary Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)-based predictors and their causal relationship with the users' behavior to adopt such BBS.MethodsWe tested the augmented TAM with Trust Model on a BBS that comprises two subsystems: a Shopping Cart System (SCS), a system oriented towards end-users and a Data Sharing System (DSS), a system oriented towards system administrators. We set research questions and hypotheses, and conducted online surveys by requesting each participant to respond to the questionnaire after using the respective system. The main study comprises two separate sub-studies: the first study was performed on SCS and the second on DSS. Furthermore, each study data comprises initial pre-test and post-test data scores. We analyzed the research model with partial least square structural equation modelling.ResultsThe empirical study validates our research model and supports most of the research hypotheses. Based on our findings, we deduce that TAM-based predictors and trust constructs cannot be applied uniformly to BBS. Depending on the specifics of the BBS, the relationships between perceived trust antecedents and attitudes towards the system might change. For SCS, trust is the strongest determinant of attitudes towards system, while DSS has perceived privacy as the strongest determinant of attitudes towards system. Quality of system shows the strongest total effect on intention to use SCS, while perceived usefulness has the strongest total effect on intention to use DSS. Trust has a positive significant effect on users' attitudes towards both BSS, while security does not have any significant effect on users' attitudes toward BBS. In SCS, privacy positively affects trust, but security has no significant effect on trust, whereas, in DSS, both privacy and security have significant effects on trust. In both BBS, trust has a moderating effect on privacy that correlates with attitudes towards BBS, whereas security does not have any mediating role between privacy and attitudes towards BBS. Hence, we recommend that while developing BBS, particular attention should be paid to increasing user trust and perceived privacy.
| S-EPMC8157082 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The depletion of natural resources as a byproduct of widespread, global economic growth has urged entrepreneurs to think about the environment when starting or conducting business. However, several of these smaller-sized firms struggle with implementing environmentally conscious business practices, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which represent more than 95% of all private sector firms. This study uses a survey method to assess and better comprehend the key drivers and barriers of green business practices by SMEs in the State of Ohio (USA). Results from our study show that a majority of respondents reported that they have implemented green practices, broadly defined, within their business. The two main drivers for deciding to engage in such practices are internal motivations and the opportunity to obtain a better public image. However, respondents also noted a lack of capital as the central barrier to implementing green business practices. We also observe that smaller firms, and firms located in urban areas, are more familiar with green business practices than larger firms and firms that are located in rural areas. Our results can be used by government and business actors alike, especially in states comparable to Ohio, as a benchmark to consider better strategies, programs, and policies for implementing green business techniques. Overall, this research helps to better discern best practices and ways to develop more prosperous SMEs without undermining the quality of the environment.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10669-021-09821-3.
| S-EPMC8208768 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The rise of digital platforms intensifies the price competition among agents. Agents often use low price strategies to attract consumers. However, the low-price strategy is often filled with false information and consumers perceive the non-truthfulness of the price information. Then, consumers' trust in agents gradually decreases, which inhibits the growth of online shopping. Blockchain is seen as a solution to the trust crisis between agents and consumers. Our research is based on two competing agents selling the same type of goods on the same platform. We discuss agents' blockchain technology application strategies in three scenarios, which are defined by whether agents choose to apply blockchain technology to improve consumer trust. The results show that the application of blockchain technology is beneficial to agents only when consumer trust is low. Furthermore, the YN strategy is regarded as a possible equilibrium strategy, which depends on the blockchain application cost and consumer trust. Some extended cases are discussed for post-blockchain consumer welfare, cost-sharing contracts, dishonesty penalties, and variable blockchain costs, and the results show that the analysis in this manuscript is robust. Our findings have important practical significance for promoting the application of blockchain technology and alleviating the problem of price information asymmetry in platform shopping.
| S-EPMC9615551 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The modern competition is moving quickly toward incorporating cutting-edge technological improvements to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in enhancing their business models. Making decisions regarding implementing new technologies in SMEs is a challenging process driven by the continuous new advances in the technology industry. Important operational process decisions, such as organizational investment costs, technology acquisition, maintenance, customer experience, employee training for the proper use of each technology, reliability requirements, and security needs, must be made very carefully for such adoptions. In this research, a novel multi-criteria decision-making process model is presented to help SME decision-makers choose the optimal technology from a list of desirable choices. The proposed approach makes use of a weighted multi-criteria decision model to rank parameters by combining many criteria that are crucial in choosing the best-suited technology. A literature review and expert opinion are utilized to pinpoint key decision-makers for the adoption of technological innovation. Specialists had reviewed the proposal in the field, and early findings suggest that it might be helpful to SME decision-makers in promoting customer value and firm performance.
| S-EPMC9748816 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The new generation of whole genome sequencing platforms offers great possibilities and challenges for dissecting the genetic basis of complex traits. With a very high number of sequence variants, a naïve multiple hypothesis threshold correction hinders the identification of reliable associations by the overreduction of statistical power. In this report, we examine 2 alternative approaches to improve the statistical power of a whole genome association study to detect reliable genetic associations. The approaches were tested using the Genetic Analysis Workshop 19 (GAW19) whole genome sequencing data. The first tested method estimates the real number of effective independent tests actually being performed in whole genome association project by the use of an extreme value distribution and a set of phenotype simulations. Given the familiar nature of the GAW19 data and the finite number of pedigree founders in the sample, the number of correlations between genotypes is greater than in a set of unrelated samples. Using our procedure, we estimate that the effective number represents only 15 % of the total number of independent tests performed. However, even using this corrected significance threshold, no genome-wide significant association could be detected for systolic and diastolic blood pressure traits. The second approach implements a biological relevance-driven hypothesis tested by exploiting prior computational predictions on the effect of nonsynonymous genetic variants detected in a whole genome sequencing association study. This guided testing approach was able to identify 2 promising single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 1 for each trait, targeting biologically relevant genes that could help shed light on the genesis of the human hypertension. The first gene, PFH14, associated with systolic blood pressure, interacts directly with genes involved in calcium-channel formation and the second gene, MAP4, encodes a microtubule-associated protein and had already been detected by previous genome-wide association study experiments conducted in an Asian population. Our results highlight the necessity of the development of alternative approached to improve the efficiency on the detection of reasonable candidate associations in whole genome sequencing studies.
| S-EPMC5133519 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 is an ongoing global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. As of June 2021, 5 emergency vaccines were available for COVID-19 prevention, and with the improvement of vaccination rates and the resumption of activities in each country, verification of vaccination has become an important issue. Currently, in most areas, vaccination and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results are certified and validated on paper. This leads to the problem of counterfeit documents. Therefore, a global vaccination record is needed.ObjectiveThe main objective of this study is to design a vaccine passport (VP) validation system based on a general blockchain architecture for international use in a simulated environment. With decentralized characteristics, the system is expected to have the advantages of low cost, high interoperability, effectiveness, security, and verifiability through blockchain architecture.MethodsThe blockchain decentralized mechanism was used to build an open and anticounterfeiting information platform for VPs. The contents of a vaccination card are recorded according to international Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) standards, and blockchain smart contracts (SCs) are used for authorization and authentication to achieve hierarchical management of various international hospitals and people receiving injections. The blockchain stores an encrypted vaccination path managed by the user who manages the private key. The blockchain uses the proof-of-authority (PoA) public chain and can access all information through the specified chain. This will achieve the goal of keeping development costs low and streamlining vaccine transit management so that countries in different economies can use them.ResultsThe openness of the blockchain helps to create transparency and data accuracy. This blockchain architecture contains a total of 3 entities. All approvals are published on Open Ledger. Smart certificates enable authorization and authentication, and encryption and decryption mechanisms guarantee data protection. This proof of concept demonstrates the design of blockchain architecture, which can achieve accurate global VP verification at an affordable price. In this study, an actual VP case was established and demonstrated. An open blockchain, an individually approved certification mechanism, and an international standard vaccination record were introduced.ConclusionsBlockchain architecture can be used to build a viable international VP authentication process with the advantages of low cost, high interoperability, effectiveness, security, and verifiability.
| S-EPMC9045485 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In recent decades researchers in a variety of disciplines have developed a new "urban science," the central goal of which is to build general theory regarding the social processes underlying urbanization. Much work in urban science is animated by the notion that cities are complex systems. What does it mean to make this claim? Here we adopt the view that complex systems entail both variation and structure, and that their properties vary with system size and with respect to where and how they are measured. Given this, a general framework regarding the social processes behind urbanization needs to account for empirical regularities that are common to both contemporary cities and past settlements known through archaeology and history. Only by adopting an explicitly historical perspective can such fundamental structure be revealed. The identification of shared properties in past and present systems has been facilitated by research traditions that define cities (and settlements more broadly) as networks of social interaction embedded in physical space. Settlement Scaling Theory (SST) builds from these insights to generate predictions regarding how measurable properties of cities and settlements are related to their population size. Here, we focus on relationships between population and area across past settlement systems and present-day world cities. We show that both patterns and variations in these measures are explicable in terms of SST, and that the framework identifies baseline infrastructural area as an important system-level property of urban systems that warrants further study. We also show that predictive theory is helpful even in cases where the data do not conform to model predictions.
| S-EPMC7723246 | biostudies-literature