Postgraduate Course: Blockchain, Governance and Policy (CMSE11440)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | The course will provide students with the necessary skills to understand the strategic potential and limitations of Blockchain technology to transform contemporary business models, markets and institutions. It requires no background knowledge and is specifically tailored to the novice's needs. Anyone with an interest in technology will greatly benefit from following this course.
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| Course description |
This course aims to introduce students from the MSc in Finance, Technology and Policy into the strategic potential and limitations of Blockchain technology to shape contemporary business models, markets and institutions. Despite the widespread interest and hype, Blockchain is still a nascent technology and a clear strategy for its successful implementation has not yet materialised. Without a critical understanding of the potential value Blockchain can generate and the feasibility of applying it, organisations will not generate benefits from its potential. Against this background, this course explores the following questions: how can organisations develop a strategic business case that justifies major investments in Blockchain technology? What are the risks that have to be taken into account in this process? What are potential future developments in the industry and in relation to policy-making? The course explores these concerns with a focus on the potential strategic importance of Blockchain for specific sectors within the economy and society, and it draws from specific use-cases to assess what approaches are likely to generate value. The course will also offer broader reflections on the role of tech innovations in reshaping contemporary institutions and values within an increasingly digitised society. While participants will develop a strong understanding of the underlying concepts and driving forces of these questions, the course does not strictly focus on a granular and tech-focused exploration of Blockchain. Instead it develops the necessary skills of students to become competent decision-makers and analysts to guide strategy and policy.
Outline Content
The course is built out of the following topics:
- An introduction to Blockchain technology, its evolution and its key building blocks and concepts.
- Blockchain as a disruptor of existing business models, institutions and values
- Limitations and frontiers of Blockchain
- Critically developing a strategic business case for Blockchain
- The policy environment for the technological innovations like Blockchain
Student Learning Experience:
Tutorial/seminar hours represent the minimum total live hours - online or in-person - a student can expect to receive on this course. These hours may be delivered in tutorial/seminar, lecture, workshop or other interactive whole class or small group format. These live hours may be supplemented by pre-recorded lecture material for students to engage with asynchronously.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For MSc Finance, Technology and Policy students, or by permission of course organiser. Please contact the course secretary. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 45 |
| Course Start |
Block 3 (Sem 2) |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
88 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Seminar/Tutorial hrs are the min total live hrs, online or in-person, students can expect to receive
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% coursework (Individual) - assesses all course Learning Outcomes
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Develop a critical understanding on the key concepts and philosophy underlying Blockchain technology.
- Critically assess the extent to which Blockchain technology may disrupt existing business models in contemporary finance, business, government, institutions and social enterprise.
- Demonstrate an awareness of its limitations in specific economic and societal domains.
- Develop a strategic business plan for Blockchain, and to assess its risks.
- Understand the broader policy environment for tech innovations such as Blockchain.
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Reading List
Tapscott & Tapscott (2016) "Blockchain revolution: How the technology behind Bitcoin is changing money, business and the world."
Resource List:
https://eu01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/public/44UOE_INST/lists/26181561560002466?auth=SAML |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Knowledge and understanding:
- A critical understanding of the evolution, the history, the building blocks and the key concepts of Blockchain technology.
Practice: Applied knowledge, skills and understanding:
- Build a strategic business plan that assesses the value and feasibility of Blockchain to reshape existing business models in particular industry or in relation to existing societal problems.
- Analyse the policy environment for technological change and innovation
Communication skills:
- Communicate and present the findings and propositions from the research project to the wider audience from the course.
Autonomy, accountability and working with others:
- Learn to conduct research on specific industries and business models to assess the implication of Blockchain by drawing from numerous sources.
- Work and collaborate in a team during an extended research-based group project
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Taylor Spears
Tel: (0131 6)51 1057
Email: Taylor.Spears@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Kelly-Ann De Wet
Tel: (0131 6)50 8071
Email: K.deWet@ed.ac.uk |
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