Despite the claim that blockchain will revolutionise business and redefine logistics, existing research so far is limited concerning frameworks that categorise blockchain application potentials and their implications. In particular, academic literature in transport and logistics to date has not sufficiently distinguished between blockchain adoption ('what to adopt') and the identification of the right business opportunity ('where to start'). In response, this paper (1) uses Rogers¿ (2003) 'attributes of innovation framework' to identify potential blockchain applications and (2) presents a framework explicating four transformation phases to subsequently categorise the identified areas of application according to their effects on organisational structures and processes. Using academic and practitioner literature, we classify possible applications for adoption and provide a framework to identify blockchain opportunities in the logistics industry, thereby helping managers to systematically assess where to start building organisational capabilities in order to successfully adopt and deploy blockchain-based technology.

Innovation power is essential for long-term survival in the competitive environment of a corporate and can often only be increased through cooperation. It is therefore crucial for management and researchers to know the most important factors influencing the increase of this power and the effects of the form of cooperation on it. Especially in the field of digitization, many corporates still lack experience, especially in how to cooperate with start-up companies to achieve effective digital innovations. This thesis identifies digital-driven logistics innovation used by corporates and their most important impact factors as well as forms of cooperation between the start-ups who invented those and corporates who are using them for improvement of their own innovation power. Therefore, qualitative interviews were conducted at management level, with large established manufacturing companies and logistics service providers (LSPs) from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Switzerland. The empirical findings show that the influencing variables application area and purpose, logistics activity, size, industry, digital experience, and cooperation experience are the most important factors. They also reveal that within the context of digital-driven logistics innovation, the cooperation between start-ups and the applied form of cooperation could influence the innovation output. The type of innovation is influencing the innovation power and slightly influences the type of cooperation. The cooperation form influences the innovation output as well. However, different results may be obtained for individual cases and companies, especially in the comparison between manufacturing companies and LSPs. Managers of established corporate companies can use these results to identify the best possible form of cooperation with start-ups for future decisions on cooperation to achieve digital-driven logistics innovation.

Face à l’engouement de la presse professionnelle pour l’innovation logistique (IL) et à une profusion de solutions logistiques innovantes émanant du terrain, nous avons constaté une production scientifique limitée sur ce champ de recherche, des incertitudes demeurant sur la définition du concept d’IL et sur sa gestion. A partir de ces observations, nous avons tenté d’éclairer le concept d’IL à partir d’un état de l’art et de différentes méthodes qualitatives (analyse scientométrique et bibliométrique, enquête Delphi). Ensuite, nous avons analysé le processus d’adoption de l’IL sur la base de quatre études de cas. Le dispositif empirique offre une variété dans le choix des cas, avec des IL à dominante technologique ou organisationnelle adoptées dans des organisations issues de secteurs différents (prestataires de services logistiques, distributeur, industriel, clinique privée). Sur le concept de l’IL, nous avons proposé un bilan de la production scientifique actuelle ainsi qu’une définition et une caractérisation de l’IL. Sur le processus d’adoption de l’IL, il ressort du travail réalisé des facteurs déterminants liés à l’organisation adoptante, à l’IL adoptée, au management stratégique de l’organisation adoptante et au personnel adoptant ainsi que des obstacles. / Notwithstanding the enthusiasm of the professional press for logistics innovation (LI) and the number of innovative logistics solutions accessible to firms, we observe a limited scientific production on this field of research, leaving uncertainties as regards the definition of the concept of LI and its management. From these observations, we tried to clarify the concept of LI using a state of the art and different qualitative methods (scientometric and bibliometric analysis, Delphi survey). Then we analyzed the process of LI adoption on the basis of four case studies. The empirical setting offers variety in the selection of the cases with technological or organizational oriented LIs adopted in different organizations (logistics service providers, retailer, manufacturer, private hospital).As for the concept of LI, we proposed a review of the current scientific production and a definition and characterisation of LI. As for the process of LI adoption, the research resulted in the identification of determinants related to the adoptive organization, the adopted LI, the strategic management of the adopting organization and the adopting personnel, as well as obstacles.