Exploring Smart Contracts and Trade Credit in Modern Supply Chain Finance: Assessing Risk Appetite and Operational Efficiency with Data Imaging and Interaction Systems

Abstract

Trade credit terms and the use of smart contracts have become essential tools in the age of digital transformation, helping to shape contemporary company practices. Businesses are using technology and financial tactics more and more to improve operational effectiveness and manage risk. The way these methods play out is influenced by the complimentary roles that data imaging, information systems, and interaction systems play. The aim of this study was to thoroughly examine the complex interactions that exist between the use of smart contracts, trade credit terms, data imaging, information systems, interaction systems, operational effectiveness, and risk tolerance. The study aimed to offer a cohesive viewpoint on the ways in which these elements interact in modern corporate environments by taking mediation and moderation effects into consideration. A sample size of 438 organizations was chosen at random to facilitate quantitative analysis. The data was gathered using an online questionnaire. SPSS and Process were used for data analysis. Implementations of smart contracts and both operational efficiency and risk appetite were found to have strong and favorable connections. Operational effectiveness and risk tolerance were positively impacted by favorable trade credit conditions. In these relationships, data imaging became a mediator, while information systems and interaction systems functioned as moderators, affecting the type and strength of the links. This research contributes a holistic understanding of how smart contract implementations and trade credit terms impact operational efficiency and risk appetite. The mediation and moderation effects reveal the nuanced dynamics, enhancing knowledge for both academia and industry practitioners.