Operations and Supply Chain Management Conference and 1st Symposium on Blockchain Research
Over three days in June, the Management School hosted the Operations and Supply Chain Management Conference and 1st Symposium on Blockchain Research.
Delegates were welcomed to the School from a range of international and educational backgrounds, including Baroness Uddin from the UK Parliament’s House of Lords.
Day one, organised by the Management School’s Centre for Supply Chain Research and Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) Subject Group, opened the conference with a series of presentations from journal editors and a panel discussion on how to successfully publish in leading academic journals in OSCM.
Delegates learnt expert tips and advice from editors-in-chief at world-leading journals across a number of research areas and were presented with the opportunity to explore future research collaborations.
This has allowed delegates to gain expert insights on publication tips from editors at leading journals and could continue to participate in the 1st Symposium on Blockchain Research within supply chain contexts.
The following two days, the 1st Symposium on Blockchain Research, focused on blockchain applications in the context of supply chain management and operations.
This 1st symposium on the potential of blockchain applications for supply chains provided a forum for international academics and policymakers, to showcase and discuss the latest blockchain research, issues and practices.
Blockchain applications provide the opportunity to create innovative business operational models, with enhanced data management through decentralisation and systems transparency. As a disruptive technology, using blockchain has the potential to revolutionise the way supply chains are operated.
To make the best use of blockchain, it requires careful planning and support from all stakeholders, including policymakers, supply chain members, and consumers. This was the ideal event for Operations Management and Information Systems researchers interested in the interplay between supply chain management and blockchain technologies.
The conference also included an evening dinner at the Victoria Gallery and Museum, where 40 of the delegates were welcomed by the hosts of the conference for a three-course meal and drinks.
Professor Andrew Lyons, head of the Operations and Supply Chain Management subject group, opened the dinner by sharing the history of the subject group at the University of Liverpool with guests.
As part of the conference, delegates were invited to submit poster presentations of their research that were presented during the conference, with the best being awarded certificates of achievement at the closing of the conference on the final day of the symposium.
Professor Andrew Lyons handed out the awards at the closing of the conference and also recognised the work of four student volunteers who assisted throughout the three days. The conference concluded with a handover to the 2024 host, Professor Yu Xiong from the University of Surrey and Surrey Business School, who will host the 2nd Symposium on Blockchain research in 2024.