EMPIRICALLY DERIVED DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR A BLOCKCHAIN-BASED ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SECURITY FRAMEWORK: EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED WATER AND SANITATION COMPANIES IN KENYA

Dennis Boera Onchwari; Lamek Ronoh; James Abila

Authors

Dennis Boera Onchwari Rongo University https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6987-9863
Lamek Ronoh Rongo University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0385-280X
James Abila Rongo University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0805-214X

Keywords:

Enterprise Resource Planning; Blockchain technology; Design Science Research; ERP security; Distributed Ledger Technology; Design requirements

Abstract

Requirements engineering plays an important role in Design Science Research (DSR) as it is a process that makes organizational problems into implementable design artefacts. Previous research on blockchain-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) security is mostly concerned with technology architecture, adoption and implementation obstacles, and less with systematic mapping of empirical evidence into traceable engineering specifications and design requirements. The current study suggests a requirements engineering based approach to the development of the ERP security framework in the DSR context using evidence. In two public water and sanitation companies (PWSC) in Kenya, a pragmatic philosophy was employed and a mixed-methods approach and descriptive research design used. The data were collected using a census of 43 ERP users, and 39 valid questionnaire responses (90.7%) were attained, plus semi-structured interviews, document reviews and system observations. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher's Exact Test were used for analyzing quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data which were further integrated through triangulation procedure. The results showed significant issues with transaction integrity, auditability, identity and access control, interoperability, and governance. Blockchain platform readiness was significantly related to cross module consistency (χ² = 12.042, p = .001) and other tested relationships were less significant. A structured requirement engineering process was used to systematically transform empirical findings to the requirements of stakeholders, engineering specifications and design requirements. The study is a step towards DSR as it provides evidence-based path to move organizational problems to design requirements of blockchain-based ERP security.

References

Agresti, A. (2019). An introduction to categorical data analysis (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Baker, J. (2012). The technology–organization–environment framework. In Y. K. Dwivedi, M. R. Wade, & S. L. Schneberger (Eds.), Information systems theory: Explaining and predicting our digital society (Vol. 1, pp. 231–245). Springer.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.

Casino, F., Dasaklis, T. K., & Patsakis, C. (2019). A systematic literature review of blockchain-based applications: Current status, classification and open issues. Telematics and Informatics, 36, 55–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.11.006

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555

Hevner, A. R., March, S. T., Park, J., & Ram, S. (2004). Design science in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 28(1), 75–105. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148625

International Organization for Standardization. (2022a). ISO 23257:2022: Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies—Reference architecture. ISO.

International Organization for Standardization. (2022b). ISO/IEC 27001:2022: Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection—Information security management systems—Requirements. ISO.

Isbaih, S., Al Noman, H., Aljarwan, A., Al Owais, I., Yosry, A., & Bahroun, Z. (2024). Blockchain in enterprise resource planning systems: A comprehensive review of emerging trends, challenges, and future perspectives. Management Systems in Production Engineering, 32(4), 571–586. https://doi.org/10.2478/mspe-2024-0055

Jacobs, F. R., & Weston, F. C. (2007). Enterprise resource planning (ERP)—A brief history. Journal of Operations Management, 25(2), 357–363.

Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques (2nd ed.). New Age International Publishers.

Kumar, V., Gupta, S., & Singh, R. (2023). Enterprise resource planning systems and digital transformation: Emerging trends and future directions. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 36(6), 1705–1728. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-12-2021-0498

Mugenda, O. M., & Mugenda, A. G. (2003). Research methods: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. ACTS Press.

National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2024). The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0. U.S. Department of Commerce. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.CSWP.29

Onapsis. (2021, July 2). It’s time to take the ransomware threat to business-critical SAP applications more seriously. https://onapsis.com/blog/its-time-take-ransomware-threat-business-critical-sap-applications-more-seriously/

Peffers, K., Tuunanen, T., Rothenberger, M. A., & Chatterjee, S. (2007). A design science research methodology for information systems research. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(3), 45–77. https://doi.org/10.2753/MIS0742-1222240302

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2023). Research methods for business students (9th ed.). Pearson.

Sommerville, I. (2016). Software engineering (10th ed.). Pearson.

Sunmola, F., & Lawrence, G. L. (2024). Key success factors for integration of blockchain and ERP systems: A systematic literature review. Procedia Computer Science, 232, 775–782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2024.01.077

Taber, K. S. (2018). The use of Cronbach's alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education. Research in Science Education, 48(6), 1273–1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2

Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2021). The SAGE handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Tornatzky, L. G., & Fleischer, M. (1990). The processes of technological innovation. Lexington Books.

Wiegers, K., & Beatty, J. (2013). Software requirements (3rd ed.). Microsoft Press.

Yue, X., Ren, H., Zhang, Y., Shu, R., & Wang, J. (2022). Blockchain consensus mechanisms: A survey and classification. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 202, 103353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnca.2022.103353

Zheng, Z., Xie, S., Dai, H., Chen, X., & Wang, H. (2017). An overview of blockchain technology: Architecture, consensus, and future trends. In 2017 IEEE International Congress on Big Data (BigData Congress) (pp. 557–564). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/BigDataCongress.2017.85

EMPIRICALLY DERIVED DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR A BLOCKCHAIN-BASED ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SECURITY FRAMEWORK

EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED WATER AND SANITATION COMPANIES IN KENYA

Authors

Keywords:

Abstract

References

Downloads

Published

How to Cite

Issue

Section

License

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Current Issue

Make a Submission

Information

Browse

Developed By