---
_id: '60031'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Reputation systems to rate companies’ performances remain largely unexplored
    in research and are scarcely used in business-to-business (B2B) practice. Such
    systems are essential for businesses seeking trustworthy partners, as they help
    reduce information asymmetry, lower buyers' transaction risks, and allow high-quality
    service providers to justify premium pricing. Unlike traditional review-based
    systems in the business-to-consumer (B2C) context, we propose a B2B reputation
    mechanism in which buyers commit to a rating payment before a transaction. Once
    the buyer finalizes the rating, this payment is executed and recorded on a blockchain
    as an immutable, secure ledger. Our system mimics natural trust-building mechanisms
    with ratings that are (1) monetary-based, (2) stake-based, (3) non-aggregated,
    (4) involve counter-ratings, (5) selectively sellable, (6) individually comparable,
    (7) stored on a blockchain, (8) and monitored by a third instance. This system
    provides a novel approach to fostering trust in B2B transactions by reducing information
    asymmetry and transaction risk. We illustrate the mechanism’s application in the
    consulting sector. Our analysis has identified 23 institutional trust and distrust
    dimensions that promote establishing institutional trust through the proposed
    mechanism. Qualitative interviews suggest that, while complex and challenging
    to apply, this mechanism can foster trust in B2B transactions. Given the low maturity
    in the application domain—rating professional business services with business
    reputation systems—and solution domain—using monetary stakes for ratings, this
    system stands as a potential invention.
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Simon
  full_name: Hemmrich, Simon
  last_name: Hemmrich
- first_name: Volker
  full_name: Nissen, Volker
  last_name: Nissen
- first_name: Daniel
  full_name: Beverugen, Daniel
  last_name: Beverugen
- first_name: Josias Daniel Miño
  full_name: Pauls, Josias Daniel Miño
  last_name: Pauls
citation:
  ama: 'Hemmrich S, Nissen V, Beverugen D, Pauls JDM. Blockchain-based reputation
    systems for business-to-business services: designing a reputation mechanism to
    reduce information asymmetry in professional consulting. <i>Information Systems
    and e-Business Management</i>. Published online 2025. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9">10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9</a>'
  apa: 'Hemmrich, S., Nissen, V., Beverugen, D., &#38; Pauls, J. D. M. (2025). Blockchain-based
    reputation systems for business-to-business services: designing a reputation mechanism
    to reduce information asymmetry in professional consulting. <i>Information Systems
    and E-Business Management</i>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Hemmrich_Nissen_Beverugen_Pauls_2025, title={Blockchain-based
    reputation systems for business-to-business services: designing a reputation mechanism
    to reduce information asymmetry in professional consulting}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9">10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9</a>},
    journal={Information Systems and e-Business Management}, publisher={Springer Science
    and Business Media LLC}, author={Hemmrich, Simon and Nissen, Volker and Beverugen,
    Daniel and Pauls, Josias Daniel Miño}, year={2025} }'
  chicago: 'Hemmrich, Simon, Volker Nissen, Daniel Beverugen, and Josias Daniel Miño
    Pauls. “Blockchain-Based Reputation Systems for Business-to-Business Services:
    Designing a Reputation Mechanism to Reduce Information Asymmetry in Professional
    Consulting.” <i>Information Systems and E-Business Management</i>, 2025. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9</a>.'
  ieee: 'S. Hemmrich, V. Nissen, D. Beverugen, and J. D. M. Pauls, “Blockchain-based
    reputation systems for business-to-business services: designing a reputation mechanism
    to reduce information asymmetry in professional consulting,” <i>Information Systems
    and e-Business Management</i>, 2025, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9">10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9</a>.'
  mla: 'Hemmrich, Simon, et al. “Blockchain-Based Reputation Systems for Business-to-Business
    Services: Designing a Reputation Mechanism to Reduce Information Asymmetry in
    Professional Consulting.” <i>Information Systems and E-Business Management</i>,
    Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2025, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9">10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9</a>.'
  short: S. Hemmrich, V. Nissen, D. Beverugen, J.D.M. Pauls, Information Systems and
    E-Business Management (2025).
date_created: 2025-05-25T10:06:23Z
date_updated: 2025-05-25T10:12:00Z
ddc:
- '000'
department:
- _id: '195'
doi: 10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9
file:
- access_level: closed
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: dabe
  date_created: 2025-05-25T10:09:43Z
  date_updated: 2025-05-25T10:09:43Z
  file_id: '60032'
  file_name: ISeB - Blockchain-Based Reputation Systems.pdf
  file_size: 1440251
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2025-05-25T10:09:43Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10257-025-00702-9?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20250523&utm_content=10.1007%2Fs10257-025-00702-9
oa: '1'
publication: Information Systems and e-Business Management
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 1617-9846
  - 1617-9854
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
quality_controlled: '1'
status: public
title: 'Blockchain-based reputation systems for business-to-business services: designing
  a reputation mechanism to reduce information asymmetry in professional consulting'
type: journal_article
user_id: '59677'
year: '2025'
...