Blockchain adoption in the food and beverage industry from a behavioral reasoning perspective: moderating roles of supply chain partnerships

Purpose: Blockchains provide significant benefits for business operations due to its transparency, traceability and information sharing. However, application to the food and beverage (F&B) industry was scarce. The purpose of this study is to explore how to form F&B managers’ blockchain adoption by applying behavioral reasoning theory (BRT). Additionally, supply chain partnerships (SCPs) were tested for the potential moderating roles within BRT. This study’s findings expand existing knowledge by providing novel information for F&B management. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from F&B managers by using an online survey method. A structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis were performed to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings: Findings revealed that the positive effects of “reasons for” on “attitudes,” and “adoption intentions” while “reasons against” did not show such effects. Environmental benefits of blockchains were found to lead more positive attitudes while traditional barriers were the greatest constraints for adopting blockchains. This study supports the significant moderating roles of SCPs within the context of F&B blockchain adoption. Originality/value: This study contributes to the technology literature in the foodservice context by applying BRT as a theoretical lens. The importance of developing SCPs for F&B blockchain adoption and exploitation is highlighted.