--- tags: Football --- # Future Football This research proposal focusses on factors addressing the issue of trust and mutual recognition in electronic communication environment, compared to paper-based transaction environment. We explore this issue using a comparative study around the manufacture of a single product with a complex supply chain - the manufacture of footballs in the city of Sialkot Pakistan. Electronic systems — of late, especially blockchain based systems — offer relevant advantages regarding data security and trust, particularly for cross-border trade, where enforcement is costly and unsure. However, until now, the complexity of the technology merely shifted the burden of trust onto the often anonymous developers of such IT systems, while legal and cross-cultural regulatory issues were routinely overlooked (Sung Heun Ha 2020). The propsoed research directly addresses these issues, with concrete results that could immediately be deployed to improve adoption. > Electronic systems, notably blockchain based systems offer notable technical advantages regarding data security and trust spanning international borders. However the complex nature of the technology involved merely shifts the burden of trust onto the developers of the system while legal and cross cultural regulatory issues are rarely addressed (Sung Heun Ha 2020). The propsoed research directly addresses these issues with implications regarding adoption. > The research will evaluate the practical value of computational law, using a novel type of “human readable” smart contracts that are both legally enforceable contracts and blockchain programs, to enable greater transparency and significantly more trust between multiple parties engaged in cross-border supply chain trade. The research will evaluate the use of computational law, that is the use of human readable contracts that are both legally valid contracts and machine readable smart contracts, in establishing greater transparency and trust across multiple parties involved involved in cross-border supply chain trade. The study methodology will focus on qualitative research, with a single manufacturer of footballs in Pakistan, together with a number of suppliers across the Asia Pacific region. We will run and document legal workshops in which stakeholders establish mutual agreements that are legally binding in the respective jurisdictions, and capable of automation and occasional enforcement using blockchain technology. The research will examine, cost savings, and innovation life-cycle improvements across the supply chain, and explore the implications with regard to the affordances that computational law can provide as a foundation for future social and environmental impact assessment across international borders. The starting point of the research will be the implementation of an electronic certificate of origin, involving two suppliers in different jurisdictions in the football manufacturing supply chain. The involvement of of civil society organisations (SDG Academy of Pakistan) in the certification process and the implications for consumer trust will also be studied in the pilots focus group studies. Participation with local regulatory authorities, and trade bodies will enable us to explore quantitive evaluation of existing paper-based an electronic trade in the region (city of Sialkot?). The wider implications of using computational law in order to increase trust and speed up innovation across supply chains will be explored using focus groups across diverse industry sectors, where we compare existing arrangements with video based documentation of the use of the computational law based platform. ## Methdology (Jawad please detail?) 1. We research existing Pakistan / Sialkot based supply chain contracting - how much paper - how much paperless? 1. We review literature regarding trust and confidence in paperless and blockchain based pilots 1. We test Lexon based contacts in Football manufacture supply chain 1. We do qualitative research with suppliers asking them how much they trust new proposed system (note we don’t have to implement and rollout system - just explain to them how it works / show them the actual code / smart contacts The study will include a single case study including a single manufacturer of footballs in Pakistan, together with a number of its supply chain members. The data collection will be carried out in the period may to September. Data collection will be a mixed-method and consist of a survey combined semistructured interviews. ## Partners Ammar Jaffri, Center of Information Technology ( CIT ), Pakistan https://www.linkedin.com/in/ammar-jaffri-3510217/ Pakistan Sadaf Kahlid SDGs Academy Pakistan https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadaf-khalid-a30b0072/ Hafiz Jawal Sohail Norwegian Partners **Team dedicated to Circular Economy, LCA, Logistics**: Ingrid Uthaug, https://www.himolde.no/english/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingrid-uthaug-01a0a941/ Inger-Mette Stenseth, SMB in fashion- and sport retail, and entrepeneur in Circular Economy, freelance at University-College Molde. https://www.linkedin.com/in/inger-mette-stenseth/ David Bovill https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbovill/ **Advisors from Molde Universty-College**, https://www.himolde.no/english/ Oskar Solenes, PhD from Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH) since 2009 Hallgeir Gammelsæter, The Sport Management research group (SpM) within the sport context. Solveig Straume, Research interests and supervision: Sport for Development and Peace, Sport and inclusion, Sport policy and politics, Gender issues in sport, Sport history Nina Pereira Kvadsheim, Phd. Sustainable logistics and Circular Economy as her specialty. She has previously worked in Malawi with various UN organizations (UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF) as a research assistant, and in Norway with Molde municipality as a subject teacher at Kleive School. ## Chamber of Commerce in Sialkot Stakeholder coordination in Sialkot in partnership with SDGs Academy of Pakistan: Sheikh Muhammad Ali Syed Wajid Alli Naqvi Arshud Butt International trading experince in Sport since 1987 Founding Director of Child and Social Program in Sialkot, 2001 - 2002 https://www.linkedin.com/in/arshud-butt-96a7733/ ## Retail and end user: Norwegian sport retailers in the city of Molde