February 2021

 
Call for Papers for Special Issue of the TIM Review:
Distributed Ledger Technologies for Smart Digital Economies
 
[P]articipants of the [DLT] system have more benefit working in favour of the system than against [it]. ... Blockchain is intended to design a system with participants who do not trust each other, but who rely on the system itself.
Jose Luis Calvo Salanova
 
Dates:
Abstract submission deadline: April 1st, 2021
Final submission of (reviewed & revised) manuscripts: June 1st, 2021
 
Overview
This call for papers aims to advance Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) (aka “blockchain”) research in the context of new companies (startups, international new ventures, “born globals”) that are committed to early and rapid scaling. The special issue seeks to build on the research progress of scholars focusing on the disruptive innovation potential of DLTs and asset tokenization in digital entrepreneurial ecosystems and business models. Following the October 2017 TIM Review edition on Blockchain, this special issue will further explore DLTs for “smarter” digital economies.
 
Motivation for the Special Issue
DLT (blockchain) technologies have become one of the most important post-internet technological developments for their socio-economic impact. DLTs and, more specifically, blockchain technologies have been defined, as “a decentralized, online record-keeping system, or ledger, maintained by a network of computers that verify and record transactions using established cryptographic techniques” (Orcutt, 2017). One of the open source industry leaders, Hyperledger, defines it this way: “A blockchain is a peer-to-peer distributed ledger forged by consensus, combined with a system for ‘smart contracts’ and other assistive technologies. Together these can be used to build a new generation of transactional applications that establishes trust, accountability and transparency at their core, while streamlining business processes and legal constraints” (https://www.hyperledger.org/about).
 
The current body of research emphasizes the great need for engagement among various actors who can collaboratively share resources in shaping new market offers based around DLTs. This special issue is motivated by the desire to fill a gap in the literature regarding the development of smart digital economies built with DLT-based platforms. Entrepreneurs and top management teams are now faced with thea challenge of scaling in emerging DLT-enabled ecosystems by developing, aligning, and shaping new value propositions for diverse actors involved in the value creation process. We invite contributions that could provide a better understanding of the relationship between DLTs and digital economies through emerging user-friendly smart technology.
 
Research Topics
This call for papers invites scholars and practitioners to address the challenges of new companies using DLTs on their path to scaling early, rapidly, and securely. Articles are expected to provide new conceptual, theoretical, and practical insights based on empirical data emerging from recent market activities. Use cases from demonstrably successful existing distributed ledger communities across a range of sectors are also welcome.
 
Research topics may include, but are not limited to:
Mapping out the field of DLTs regarding opportunities for startups, new ventures & “born global” companies
Theoretical contributions to our understanding of digital economies based on asset tokenization with a scalable path to value capture and company resource configuration
Frameworks, methods and tools to develop and align DLT projects for multiple parties with Peer-to-Peer (P2P) capabilities
Cybersecurity of distributed ledger communities, including permissioned, permissionless, and hybrid permissions, as well as exchange and non-exchange cases
Projects that combine DLTs with artificial intelligence (AI)
Aligning multiple stakeholders and consortium members in a distributed ledger-based community with shared ecosystem scaling objectives
Methods to systematically learn from DLT-oriented value propositions of companies that have scaled early, rapidly and securely that can be used to differentiate new companies
 
Key dates
April 1st, 2021: Abstract submissions
April 12th, 2021: Acceptance decision and feedback
April 28th, 2021: Submission of final draft manuscripts
May 15th, 2021: Feedback based on peer-review process
June 1st, 2021: Authors’ final submissions of revised manuscripts
 
Submission Guidelines
Abstracts = 400-550 words, including a description of the objective, relevance, method, expected results and contributions
Abstracts & Manuscripts should be submitted by e-mail to the Managing Editor: [email protected]
Manuscripts should follow the TIM Review Author guidelines: https://timreview.ca/authorguidelines
 
About the TIM Review  
The Technology Innovation Management Review (www.timreview.ca) offers a platform for research on emerging trends relevant to launching and growing new technology businesses. The TIM Review focuses on the theories, strategies, and tools that help small and large technology companies succeed. The TIM Review brings together diverse viewpoints – from academics, entrepreneurs, companies of all sizes, the public sector, the community sector, and others – to bridge the gap between theory and practice, with a particular focus on the topics of technology entrepreneurship and innovation management, in small and large companies.
 
References

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Keywords: artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, digital economy, distributed ledger technology, smartification

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