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2019/2020  MA-MMFUV2011U  Blockchain for Business

English Title
Blockchain for Business

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 3 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Part Time Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Min. participants 10
Max. participants 30
Study board
Study Board for Master i forretningsudvikling
Course coordinator
  • Michel Avital - Department of Digitalisation
Main academic disciplines
  • Innovation
  • Organisation
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 10-12-2019

Relevant links

Learning objectives
  • Identify and explain the concepts and theories that relate to blockchain, including key terminology, underlying assumptions, and how concepts and theories relate to one another.
  • Demonstrate how the concepts and theories that were presented in the course can be applied in the process of developing blockchain-based business innovation.
  • Evaluate blockchain-based solutions through theory-based critical assessment and discuss the results including how to mitigate the prevailing challenges as well as how to move ahead with the development of the underlying innovation.
Course prerequisites
No prerequisite knowledge of information technology is required. This course is designed for managers, business developers, digital officers, consultants, policymakers, and others who are involved in generating business value with digital technologies. Blockchain technology can be applied in any business sector
Examination
Blockchain for Business:
Exam ECTS 3
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 5 pages
Assignment type Essay
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

The student is expected to draw on the material assigned for the course to: 
1) Develop a blockchain-based use case that can generate value and potentially disrupt his/her company’s current business model  
2) Produce and discuss new and managerially relevant insights into his/her company’s approach to blockchain technology.

Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Blockchain, mostly known as the backbone technology behind Bitcoin, is one of the hottest and most intriguing technologies currently in the market. Blockchain is a technology that can change the deep structure of business organization and the human enterprise at large. Similar to the internet, the blockchain has the potential to disrupt multiple industries by making transactions and processes more efficient, more secure, more transparent, and more democratic. For example, Maersk aims to use blockchain to slash mounting administrative costs of shipping while increasing tracking accuracy; and SKAT aspires to use blockchain to provide a more efficient and secured motor vehicle registration and ownership transfer services. Global organizations and governments as well startup companies and investors have all identified blockchain as a revolutionary technology. Building on this nascent vision, we will explore the unique features and the underlying mechanisms of blockchain technology in order to figure out how it can drive a paradigm shift and change the fundamentals of core business at industries of interest. 


The course is designed to prepare highly valued professionals for taking part in blockchain projects and ventures in a wide array of industries, such as the financial sector, logistics, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and public administration. In the context of today's technology-intensive environment, business development is the vehicle of sustainable growth and competitive advantage. Overall, the course provides the tools for generating new blockchain-based business models that can be applied in legacy organizations as well as in new business ventures. The course provides not only a framework for understanding blockchain technology in the context of the digital age and organizational settings but also a language to communicate its dynamic characteristics and interdependencies.  
 

Description of the teaching methods
This course includes presentations on core topics by the instructor and invited external presenters as well as group work and workshops during which you evaluate the types of relevant insights that could be useful for future strategic decisions for your and others’ companies. Assigned reading material will prepare the participants for taking active part in class interaction
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback during class will be possible.
Written feedback will be given in connection with the examination.
Student workload
Preparation 70 hours
Teaching hours 20 hours
Exam 0,5 hours
Last updated on 10-12-2019