Blockchain & Alternative Asset Trading

Each student writes a critical report on the application of blockchain in the area of her interest. You should identify an existing problem (of low efficiencies, not enough transparency, not enough security, etc) in a particular space on business. Hereto, you can start looking at a particular company, but then you need to
write the report from the perspective of the whole industry/process. You should take a perspective of a manager within an organization, or an external consultant hired to prepare a recommendation whether blockchain technology will be good to solve the identified problem. Alternatively, is the application of AI able to solve the problem better than the application of blockchain? Critical report means that you should make a thorough analysis and then take a side: either you recommend blockchain in this setting or not, and why. Specifically, in the report you should refer to (but is not limited to) the following areas:

• What is the blockchain innovation about (in place or  proposed) in this industry? (What is blockchain supposed to do/solve?)
• What are the characteristics of the blockchain in this specific case? (Public/private blockchain? etc.)
• Is it only about blockchain technology? Or maybe solutions at the intersection of blockchain and ML, Big Data are considered here? If you are arguing for yes, why other technologies (AI, etc) are not solving the problem. If you are arguing for no, what other technologies (AI, etc) are better to do the job, and why? (Think whether ML would be a good tool to solve the problem in your space, similarly to how you are assessing blockchain’s usability.)
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of blockchain application in this area?
• Conclusions: Take a side and develop recommendation based on your analysis.
  • If you argue for using blockchain technology, write what would  need  to  be  further developed (improved, changed) in order to make this application solve the still existing problems in the best possible way.
  • If you argue not for using blockchain technology, write what would be a better solution (decentralized ledger, or something completely different).

Logistics:

• The report is to be submitted to mycourses up to 2 weeks after the course (precise deadline in mycourses)
• The report is 1,000-1,200 words. Don’t go beyond the limit! Be concise, write only meaningful sentences
• The grading components include covering all parts of the report indicated above

USEFUL READING – Blockchain related articles:
• How to think about technologies: Fintech in Financial Reporting and Audit for Fraud Prevention
and Safeguarding Equity Investments:
o https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3679816
• The Blockchain Revolution
• https://magazine.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/spring-summer-2018/the-blockchain-
revolution/
• These 11 questions will help you decide if blockchain is right for your business
• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/questions-blockchain-toolkit-right-for-
business/
• The Difference Between Blockchains & Distributed Ledger Technology
• https://towardsdatascience.com/the-difference-between-blockchains-distributed-
ledger-technology-42715a0fa92
• Good reasons not to trust Blockchain
• https://www.wired.com/story/theres-no-good-reason-to-trust-blockchain-technology/

Some ideas for the areas of interest (you are not limited to this list!):
• Blockchain & Shareholders’ Voting

• Blockchain & Alternative Asset Trading

• Blockchain & Supply chain ?

• Blockchain & Digital Identity

• Blockchain & Intellectual Property

• Blockchain & Insurance

CITATION