<p dir="ltr">Amidst the rising popularity of digital marketplaces, addressing issues such as non-<br>payment/non-delivery crimes, centralization risks, hacking threats, and the complexity of<br>ownership transfers has become imperative. Many existing studies exploring blockchain<br>technology in digital marketplaces and asset management merely touch upon various application scenarios without establishing a unified platform that ensures trustworthiness and<br>efficiency across the product life cycle. In this thesis, we focus on designing a reliable and efficient e-commerce model to trade various assets. To enhance customer engagement through<br>consensus, we utilize the XGBoost algorithm to identify loyal nodes from the platform entities pool. Alongside appointed nodes, these loyal nodes actively participate in the consensus<br>process. The consensus algorithm guarantees that all involved nodes reach an agreement on<br>the blockchain’s current state. We introduce a novel consensus mechanism named Modified-<br>Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (M-PBFT), derived from the Practical Byzantine Fault<br>Tolerance (PBFT) protocol to minimize communication overhead and improve overall efficiency. The modifications primarily target the leader election process and the communication<br>protocols between leader and follower nodes within the PBFT consensus framework.</p><p dir="ltr"><br>In the domain of tangible assets, our primary objective is to elevate trust among various<br>stakeholders and bolster the reputation of sellers. As a result, we aim to validate secondhand<br>products and their descriptions provided by the sellers before the secondhand products are<br>exchanged. This validation process also holds various entities accountable for their actions.<br>We employ validators based on their location and qualifications to validate the products’<br>descriptions and generate validation certificates for the products, which are then securely<br>recorded on the blockchain. To incentivize the participation of validator nodes and up-<br>hold honest validation of product quality, we introduce an incentive mechanism leveraging<br>Stackelberg game theory.</p><p dir="ltr"><br>On the other hand, for optimizing intangible assets management, we employ Non-Fungible<br>Tokens (NFT) technology to tokenize these assets. This approach enhances traceability of<br>ownership, transactions, and historical data, while also automating processes like dividend<br>distributions, royalty payments, and ownership transfers through smart contracts. Initially,<br>sellers mint NFTs and utilize the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to store the files related<br>to NFTs, NFT metadata, or both since IPFS provides resilience and decentralized storage solutions to our network. The data stored in IPFS is encrypted for security purposes.<br>Further, to aid sellers in pricing their NFTs efficiently, we employ the Stackelberg mechanism. Furthermore, to achieve finer access control in NFTs containing sensitive data and<br>increase sellers’ profits, we propose a Popularity-based Adaptive NFT Management Scheme<br>(PANMS) utilizing Reinforcement Learning (RL). To facilitate prompt and effective asset<br>sales, we design a smart contract-powered auction mechanism.</p><p dir="ltr"><br>Also, to enhance data recording and event response efficiency, we introduce a weighted<br>L-H index algorithm and transaction prioritization features in the network. The weighted<br>L-H index algorithm determines efficient nodes to broadcast transactions. Transaction prior-<br>itization prioritizes certain transactions such as payments, verdicts during conflicts between<br>sellers and validators, and validation reports to improve the efficiency of the platform. Simulation experiments are conducted to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our proposed<br>schemes.<br></p>

Organic food traceability also presents several challenges, notably the lack of EU legal requirements for specifying organic origin data, issues with transparency, and mislabeling occurrences of ”organic products”. Considering the distinctions highlighted between farmers and processors, this thesis therefore aims to leverage insights from an extensive literature review, to identify specific areas within farmer and processor interactions where smart contracts should ensure food safety and improve the overall supply chain performance. The aim is to find out how smart contracts can manage interactions between processors and manufacturers in the food supply chain, I need to ask about their utilization and the types of data exchange and process automation they should facilitate, see the following research questions below. To be able to fulfill the research objective, an inductive approach is deemed most appropriate with the qualitative research as it approaches the research question with analyzing empirical data, through a literature review. This study represents a pivotal step towards the widespread adoption of blockchain technology and smart contracts in agricultural supply chain management. By providing actionable insights, addressing industry challenges, and contributing to academic discourse, this research sets the stage for a future where transparency, efficiency, and trust reign supreme in the global food supply chain. Practical implications entail integrating smart contracts with emerging technologies such as InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to enable secure and decentralized storage of critical data, including crop details, images, and transaction records. / Att spåra matprodukter möter flera utmaningar, särskilt avsaknaden av EU-rättsliga krav på att specificera ursprungsdata för ekologiska produkter, problem med transparens och förekomst av felmärkningar av "ekologiska produkter". Med tanke på de skillnader som framhävts mellan jordbrukare och processorer syftar denna avhandling därför till att dra nytta av insikter från en omfattande litteraturöversikt för att identifiera specifika områden inom interaktioner mellan jordbrukare och processorer där smarta kontrakt bör säkerställa livsmedelssäkerhet och förbättra den övergripande prestandan i leveranskedjan. Syftet är att ta reda på hur smarta kontrakt kan hantera interaktioner mellan processorer och tillverkare i livsmedelsleveranskedjan, jag behöver undersöka deras användning och vilken typ av datautbyte och processautomation de ska underlätta, se forskningsfrågorna nedan. För att kunna uppfylla forskningsmålet anses en induktiv ansats mest lämplig med kvalitativ forskning eftersom den närmar sig forskningsfrågan genom att analysera empiriska data, genom en litteraturöversikt. Denna studie representerar ett avgörande steg mot en bredare adoption av blockchain-teknologi och smarta kontrakt inom jordbrukets leveranskedjehantering. Genom att tillhandahålla handlingsbara insikter, ta itu med branschens utmaningar och bidra till akademisk diskurs, lägger denna forskning grunden för en framtid där transparens, effektivitet och förtroende råder i den globala livsmedelsleveranskedjan. Praktiska implikationer innefattar integration av smarta kontrakt med framväxande teknologier som InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) för att möjliggöra säker och decentraliserad lagring av kritiska data, inklusive gröddetaljer, bilder och transaktionsregister.

A smart contract is a recently emerging technology which enables agreement to be automatable by computers and enforceable by legal enforcement or tamper-proof execution of code. A majority of smart contracts are run on the blockchain which enables smart contract transactions without a central authority. Smart contract implementation contains several challenges which makes implementation more difficult. The problem is that organisations struggle to implement smart contracts due to the absence of documentation, standardisation, and guidelines making it difficult to know how a smart contract should be implemented. Additionally, it is unclear what capabilities and tools are required for smart contract implementation. Therefore, it is challenging for organisations to assess their own competence of smart contract implementation. This thesis aims to develop a Smart Contract Maturity Model (SCMM). The purpose of the model is to clarify the functionalities and capabilities required to implement a smart contract while also offering organisations the ability to assess the smart contract implementation competency. This improves the adoption of smart contracts. Through the help of the design science framework, the SCMM emerged from the thesis. Applying design science included explicating the problem, defining requirements, designing and developing the artefact, demonstrating and evaluating the artefact. A literature survey was used to explicate the problem and to define requirements for the maturity model. Furthermore, a case study including interviews were used to refine the requirements and to demonstrate and evaluate the SCMM. The SCMM includes maturity levels, generic goals and practices, specific goals, key processing areas and practices, tools, glossaries and smart contract examples. Inspired by the Capability Maturity model Model Integration for Development (CMMI-DEV), the maturity levels of the SCMM consisted of initial, foundation, managed, defined, quantitatively managed and optimising. The identified key processing areas were stakeholder capabilities, resources and tools, platform, contract implementation, standards, laws and terminology and security. Although there were several limitations, the SCMM contributed to the field of smart contracts by closing the gap of previous research and improving the adoption of smart contracts.

Syfte: Studiens syfte är att analysera huruvida korruption i biståndsprocesser bättre kan hanteras via de blockkedjebaserade lösningarna kryptovalutor, smarta kontrakt och tokens, jämfört med traditionellt biståndsgivande. Vidare ämnar studien applicera resultaten från fallstudien på generella avtalsprocesser exponerade mot opportunism, för att analysera huruvida de blockkedjebaserade lösningarna bättre kan hantera transaktionskostnader jämfört med traditionella avtalslösningar. Bakgrund: Informationsasymmetrier, begränsad rationalitet och strategiskt beteende resulterar i tillitsproblematik vid avtalsprocesser, vilket ökar transaktionskostnaderna (Williamson, 1974). Biståndsprocesser är extra exponerade mot opportunistiskt beteende i form av korruption, vilket leder till att en stor del av biståndet försvinner på vägen (Transparency International, 2017). Blockkedjebaserad teknik ger möjligheten att ingå avtal utan tillit till motparten, men  lösningen är inte optimal för alla typer av avtal. Det motiverar en analys om huruvida tekniken kan hantera transaktionskostnader i biståndsprocesser bättre än traditionellt biståndsgivande. Genomförande: Studiens primärdata inhämtades via semi-strukturerade intervjuer med två svenska biståndsorganisationer och två experter inom blockkedjetekniken. Utöver intervjuerna genomfördes även en litteraturstudie och den insamlade empirin analyserades utifrån ett transaktionskostnadsperspektiv. Slutsats: Blockkedjebaserade lösningar kan hantera transaktionskostnader bättre än traditionellt biståndsgivande när Greenspans (2015) fem kriterium är uppfyllda. Kontexten, avtalets karaktär och avtalsparternas preferenser är de avgörande faktorerna huruvida kriterierna uppfylls i såväl biståndsgivande som generella avtalsprocesser. En ökad transparens, öppenhet och censurresistens måste värderas högre vid implementering än de medföljande säkerhetsriskerna. / Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze whether corruption in aid processes better can be managed through the blockchain-based solutions cryptocurrencies, smart contracts and tokens, in comparison to traditional donation of aid. The study also aims to apply the results from the case study to general contractual processes exposed to opportunistic behavior, to analyze whether the blockchain-based solutions better can manage the transaction costs in comparison to traditional contractual solutions. Background: Asymmetric information, bounded rationality and strategic behavior result in trust issues in contractual processes, which increases transaction costs (Williamson, 1974). Aid processes are particularly exposed to opportunistic behavior in form of corruption, which leads to aid disappearing on the way (Transparency International, 2017). Blockchain-based technology enables contractual relationships without trusting the counterpart, but is not an optimal solution for all types of contracts. This provides incentives for a further analysis whether the technology can manage transaction costs in aid processes better than traditional donation of aid. Completion: The study´s primary data was obtained through semi-structed interviews with two Swedish aid organizations and two experts in blockchain technology. A literature review was made and the empirical data was analyzed from a transaction cost perspective. Conclusion: Blockchain-based solutions can manage transaction costs better than the traditional donation of aid when Greenspan´s (2015) five criteria is met. The context, the characteristics of the contract and the preferences of the contracting parties are the decisive factors whether the criteria are met in the aid donation process and in general contractual processes. Increased transparency, openness and censor resistance must be valued higher when implementing the technology than the following security risks. / <p>Bilagor är inkluderade</p>

No description available.

La technologie de la chaîne de blocs peut être résumée en un réseau décentralisé et distribué de registre de transactions numériques. Sa mise en oeuvre dans le marché des cryptomonnaies a été suivie par d’autres utilisations, comme les Organisations autonomes décentralisées (DAO) et les contrats intelligents. Ce mémoire s’attachera à examiner deux volets de la reconnaissance juridique des contrats intelligents : au regard des normes étatiques déjà existantes ou en cours d’élaboration au sein de différentes juridictions, y compris le Québec, et au regard du potentiel des normes alternatives. Le contexte de la globalisation, du pluralisme juridique et des mutations de la souveraineté étatique est pris en considération à cette fin. La première partie de cette étude se concentre sur les aspects technologiques, afin de présenter les fondements du fonctionnement des contrats intelligents. La seconde partie est consacrée à une analyse du panorama juridique. L’encadrement normatif du droit positif présente d’ores et déjà des normes applicables aux contrats intelligents, certaines générales et d’autres spécifiques. Il est également pris en considération que les normes alternatives peuvent être un moyen d’harmoniser un contexte globalisé. Une harmonisation dans cette direction serait importante visant à renforcer la réglementation des nouvelles relations issues de la démarche technologique. L’ensemble de ces faits rend l’utilisation des normes alternatives opportune, conjointement avec les normes étatiques, dans le cadre de la réglementation des nouvelles technologies afin, notamment, de surmonter l’incertitude juridique encore existante dans ce milieu. / The Blockchain technology is essentially a decentralized and distributed network of digital transactions records. Its implementation on the cryptocurrency market was followed by other applications, such as the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) and Smart Contracts. This thesis will focus precisely on the legal recognition of smart contracts in the light of the established positive law and the regulations currently being drafted in various jurisdictions, including Quebec, as well as in the light of the soft law. The context of globalization, legal pluralism and state sovereignty changes are taken into consideration. The first part of this study focuses on the technological aspects in order to present the foundations of the Smart Contracts operation. The second part is dedicated to analyzing the current juridical panorama. The normative framework of the positive law already provides applicable regulations to Smart Contracts, some general, others more specific. It is further understood that the soft law could be a way of harmonizing the current context. A harmonization in this direction would be relevant in order to enhance the essential regulatory framework of new relations coming from the technological development. Given all these facts, the soft law along with hard law seem to be appropriate to chart the legal framework for the new technologies, in order to overcome the many legal uncertainties existing in this field.

Crowdfunding challenges century long boundaries between the public, the industry andinnovation. In that respect the phenomenon holds the potential to decentralize and democratizethe way ventures are financed and realized. Crowdfunding has seen a lot of exitingdevelopments during the last few years, partly because of new crowdfunding platformsemerging on the internet, and partly because of new ground-breaking technology being used forfunding purposes. Meanwhile research has not quite catched up with the recent developments ofdifferent models for crowdfunding. This study’s aim is therefor to give an comprehensiveoverview of the different models of crowdfunding that are being utilized by crowdfundingplatforms on the internet today. A deductive content analysis has been made of 67 currentcrowdfunding platforms. The platforms have been analysed in order to determine what model ofcrowdfunding they utilize. The result has, apart from partly confirming prior studies, alsoproduced new exiting findings on what mechanisms constitute some of the crowdfundingmodels we see today. A new taxonomy of crowdfunding models is discussed and proposed. Theconclusion is that the need for a updated taxonomy, like the one this study provides, was wellneeded in order to understand the field. One important finding is that blockchain technology hasproduced a new form of crowdfunding through cryptocurrency: Initial coin offering. Thatparticular area will likely develop and continue to decentralize and democratise the economicalhuman interaction when it comes to financing.

Fastigheter identifieras av många som ett relativt illikvitt tillgångsslag vars information även ivissa avseenden kan anses vara opak för den öppna marknaden. Detta resulterar i långa ochkostsamma köp- och säljprocesser, där informationsasymmetrier mellan köpare och säljaremåste redas ut under en due diligence process. Fastighetsmarknaden präglas således av en delvisoönskad ineffektivitet orsakad av traditionella och konservativa processer. I en tid av storteknisk utveckling finner vi allt fler kreativa lösningar på problem vi tidigare inte mäktade medatt ta oss an. Blockchain har identifierats som en av de tekniker som potentiellt kan komma attförbättra såväl fastighetsmarknadens likviditet som transparens. Närmare bestämt diskuterarman en standardiserad informationshantering för fastigheter i form av digitala identiteter, menäven möjligheten att fragmentera ägandet och tillgängliggöra momentan handel viablockchainbaserade tokens. Dessa begrepp är ännu relativt outforskade och utgör såledesstudieämnet. Syftet med denna studie är därmed att redogöra för hur fastighetsmarknadenslikviditet- och transparensproblematik potentiellt kan avhjälpas genom ett fragmenterat ochtransparent fastighetsägande placerat på blockchain.Studiens akademiska förankring grundar sig i en omfattande litteraturstudie av begreppenlikviditet och transparens, men även bena ut betydelsen av due diligence och blockchain somhelhet. Resultatinsamlingen genomfördes via kvalitativa studier, där semistruktureradeintervjuer utgjorde mediet från vilken denna information insamlades. I studienidentifierades likviditet och transparens som två grundförutsättningar för en fungerande ocheffektiv marknadsplats. I fastighetsmarknaden finns det tydliga tecken på att problematiken gersig tillkänna i trögrörliga DD-processer och undanhållen informationen av hyresdata. Slutsatsenav studien kan sammanfattas som en brett överenskommen bild av potentialen hos såväl tokenssom digitala identiteter för att effektivisera marknaden och lösa dessa problem.Marknadsaktörerna menar dock att tekniken omges av för många orosmoln för att våga kastasig in med båda fötterna före. Med det sagt menar man inte att tekniken saknar framtid i branschen, snarare att fler tillämpade exempel samt ett tydligt ramverk för utförandet avtransaktioner i den nya marknadsmiljön måste bestämmas för att på så sätt etablera en trygghethos investerare. / Real estate is defined as a relatively illiquid asset, with a rather opaque and inaccessible flowof information. The result is long and costly acquisition and divestment processes, in whichinformational asymmetries is to be erased during the due diligence process. Real estate is thuscharacterized by a partially unwanted inefficiency caused by traditional and conservativeprocesses. However, in a time of rapid and extensive technological change, we seem to find anever-increasing amount of creative solutions to problems we previously could not manage.Among these alleged solutions we find blockchain, which by many has been identified as meanto improve both liquidity and transparency in real estate as an asset class. More specifically, thetopics of discussions have been digital identities and tokenization of real estate. Two termspossessing the potential to create standardized information management and fragmentedownership, which would enable instantaneous trade. These terms remain rather unchartedterritory and hence constitutes the subject of this study. The aim of this study is therefore todepict how the liquidity and transparency problems may be redressed by a fragmented andtransparent ownership structure placed on blockchain.The academic anchoring of the study is grounded in an extensive literature study aimed to definethe terms liquidity and transparency, but also define the meaning of due diligence andblockchain technology as a whole. The results were gathered through qualitative studies, inwhich semi-structured interviews constituted the instrument from which the information wascollected. The study identified liquidity and transparency as two cornerstones of a functioningand effective market. The evident problems related to liquidity and transparency in real estate,are to a great extent expressed via slow paced due diligence processes and non-disclosed rentalinformation. The study may be concluded as a broadly agreed upon view on the potential ofboth tokenization of real estate, as well as digital identities as effective means to enhanceliquidity and transparency. The respondents did however emphasize the current uncertaintyregarding blockchain as a severe hindrance for having enough confidence to whole-heartedly embrace the technology as a key element of the real estate market. With this being said, theydo not doubt its potential, rather inquiring an increased number of applied and successful usecases accompanied by a distinct regulatory framework for the conducting a transaction in thenew market environment. This would be an essential factor to instill the level of trust intransacting that investors require.

The real estate industry is one of the global sectors that have a strong relation to economic growth, where the commercial real estate (CRE) market has a significant impact in financial stability. Commercial real estate has several unique features that characterize the asset. Some of these are the stable cash flow, the stable demand and the low volatility, which contributes to the underlying value. However, the industry is considered to be illiquid due to the lack of transparency in its transactions, such as in commercial leasing, where trust in the commercial leasing processes and between an CRE owner and their tenants has been lacking. Nowadays, there are an increased number of actors involved in these processes, both from the tenant side and the owner side, to decrease the information asymmetries between both sides. This has complicated the market, leading to information loss in the communication pathways. Blockchain is viewed to be a disruptive innovative technology that will revolutionize the real estate industry with several applications, such as tokenization, smart contracts and digital identities. In previous research, blockchain has been studied as a financial approach and how it relates to real estate as a legal instrument and as an application on the transaction market to increase transparency and liquidity. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how blockchain can be applied in the commercial real estate leasing market from an CRE owner perspective. In order to answer the research questions and the research aim, the study took form of a qualitative research, with an inductive approach. The collected data was collected through a literature review and through semi-structured interviews with relevant actors for the research aim. The results illustrate that blockchain can be applied in the leasing processes for commercial real estate owners through tokenization, smart contracts and digital identities. In particular, the ability to store and validate information has been the major argument for implementing the technology as the market is in an acclimatizing position, where traditional analog business processes are shifting towards being increasingly digital. / Fastighetsbranschen är en av de globala sektorerna som har en stark korrelation till ekonomisk tillväxt, där den kommersiella fastighetsmarknaden har en betydande inverkan för finansiell stabilitet. Kommersiella fastigheter har flera unika egenskaper som kännetecknar tillgången. Några av dessa är det stabila kassaflödet, den stabila efterfrågan och den låga volatiliteten, vilket bidrar till det underliggande värdet. Dock anses branschen vara illikvid på grund av bristande transparens i dess transaktioner, exempelvis inom kommersiella uthyrningar, där förtroendet för de kommersiella uthyrningsprocesserna och mellan fastighetsägare samt deras hyresgäster har varit bristande. Nuförtiden finns det ett ökat antal aktörer involverade i dessa processer, både från hyresgästen och från hyresvärden, för att minska på informationsasymmetrin mellan båda sidor. Detta har komplicerat marknaden, vilket har lett till att information försvinner via kommunikationsvägarna. Blockkedjan anses vara en innovativ teknik som kommer att revolutionera fastighetsbranschen med dess applikationer, där tokenisering, smarta kontrakt och digitala identiteter utgör några av dessa. I tidigare forskning har blockkedjan studerats som ett finansiellt verktyg och hur tekniken relaterar till fastigheter som ett rättsligt instrument, men även som en applicering på transaktionsmarknaden, i syfte att öka transparensen samt likviditeten. Syftet med denna avhandling är att undersöka hur blockkedjan kan tillämpas på den kommersiella uthyrningsmarknaden ur ett ägarperspektiv. För att kunna besvara forskningsfrågorna och syftet har avhandlingen strukturerats som en kvalitativ studie, med ett induktivt tillvägagångsätt. Empirin samlades in från en litteraturstudie samt genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer med relevanta aktörer i marknaden. Resultatet visar att blockkedjan kan appliceras i de kommersiella uthyrningsprocesserna ur ett ägarperspektiv genom tokenisering, smarta kontrakt och digitala identiteter. I synnerhet har teknikens egenskap att kunna lagra och validera information på ett säkert och förtroendegivande sätt varit det viktigaste skälet till att implementera tekniken då marknaden befinner sig i en acklimatiserande fas, där traditionella analoga affärsprocesser skiftar till att bli alltmer digitala.

This thesis investigates how Large Language Models can be used to repair Solidity Smart Contracts automatically through the main contribution of this thesis, the Transformative Repair Tool. The Transformative Repair Tool achieves similar results to current state-of-the-art tools on the Smartbugs Curated Dataset and is the first published tool that uses Large Language Models to repair Solidity Smart Contracts. Moreover, the thesis explores different prompt strategies to repair Smart Contracts and assess their performance. / Detta masterexamensarbete undersöker hur stora språkmodeller kan användas för att automatisk laga solidity smarta kontrakt genom verktyget Transformative Repair Tool, som är detta masterexamensarbete huvudsakliga bidrag. Transformative Repair Tool presterar liknande som dagens bästa verktyg inom automatisk lagning av smarta kontrakt på Smartbugs Curated datasettet och är det första publicerade verktyget som just använder stora språkmodeller för att reparera solidity smarta kontrakt. Dessutom så utforskar denna rapport olika textprompts och dess prestanda för att laga smarta kontrakt