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Authors
Wong, Helen Shun Mun
Chan, Ricky Y. K.
Sum, Carmen Ka Man
Wong, Tony
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Article History
Received: 24 June 2025
Accepted: 21 May 2026
First Online: 29 May 2026
Competing interests
: Prof. Ricky Y. K. Chan, the second author, is an Editorial Board Member of Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
: This research was approved by the CPCE Research Committee (Ref. RC/ETH/H/0034) and conducted in adherence to the Declaration of Helsinki. The approval, dated December 21, 2021, permitted the study which involved interviews with adult participants in Hong Kong. Written informed consent was obtained from SME representatives who voluntarily participated in the study prior to their participation. The dataset access was restricted to authorized personnel, where the data was encrypted to ensure adequate privacy and confidentiality.
: Written informed consent was obtained between January 9 and March 6, 2023, from all participants who were SME representatives and voluntarily participated in the study. Participants were invited through the Hong Kong General Chamber of Small and Medium Business (HKGCSMB) and signed hard-copy consent forms prior to the interviews. Consent covered participation in interviews, audio recording, data use for research purposes, and publication of anonymized quotes. Participants were assured of confidentiality, with pseudonyms used to protect their identity and company details. The research aimed to explore how SMEs could adopt blockchain technology to build a smart Hong Kong. Interviews lasted 1 to 1.5 hours, were audio-recorded, and the data was anonymized for analysis. Data was kept confidential, with no disclosure of names or company details in transcripts, reports, or publications. Data may be shared with the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme of the HKSAR Government for validation if required, and will be deleted after project completion. Participants received ten supermarket cash coupons worth HKD$1,000 upon completing the interview. The study received ethical approval from the CPCE Research Committee (RE Ref No.: RC/ETH/H/0034). Participation was voluntary, with the right to withdraw at any time without consequences. Participants could ask questions and were provided with contact details for further inquiries.
