Socio-Technical Systems Engineering Perspectives Towards a South African Halaal Blockchain System

Abstract

Blockchain is an emerging technology and part of the fourth industrial revolution. Its ability to improve transparency and traceability has found many supply chain applications, including the Halaal supply chain (defining a Halaal blockchain system). The religious roots of the Halaal status makes the Halaal blockchain system inherently socio-technical. This chapter first conceptualises the Halaal blockchain system using a socio-technical systems framework, and then analyses the system in the South African context. The analysis discusses the interconnected relationships between people, culture, goals, infrastructure, technology, and processes within the external environment of stakeholders, regulatory frameworks, and financial/economic circumstances. Challenges towards implementing a Halaal blockchain system in South Africa are discussed along with potential impacts for the communities. The study concludes by identifying open research areas that require further investigation to realise a Halaal blockchain system implementation in South Africa.