This course is part of the Web3 and Blockchain in Global Commerce Specialization

Don Tapscott +1 more instructor

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Web3 and Blockchain in Global Commerce SpecializationINSEAD

About this Course

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The global supply chain is a $50 trillion industry and is the foundation of our global economy. While information technology has improved the flow of goods globally over the last few decades, as the COVID-19 crisis revealed there is still critical work to do.  Today’s supply chains are complex, with parties conducting their transactions through a Byzantine network of computer systems with disparate applications like e-mail, phone, and fax. There are invoices, letters of credit, bank guarantees, bills of lading, tax forms, receipts, and other paperwork moving through this complex labyrinth. Payments are made through a hodgepodge of intermediaries, and consumers and supply chain players alike struggle to get accurate information. 
Enter blockchain—the Internet of Value. For the first time in human history, individuals and organizations can manage and trade their assets digitally peer to peer. These assets can be digital like money, identity, and private information; or they can be physical assets represented by digital tokens. Parties to a transaction achieve trust not necessarily through an intermediary, but through cryptography and clever code. In this course, you will learn how blockchain can improve global supply chains by streamlining processes, reducing costs and fraud, improving supply-chain visibility, authenticating assets and their origins, and ultimately fuelling product innovation.

Development of this course was made possible thanks to the generous support of FedEx. Dale Chrystie, Business Fellow & Blockchain Strategist at FedEx, appears in several of the course videos, bringing a real-world industry perspective to the course.  The scripts for these videos have been written and/or reviewed by the Blockchain Research Institute and approved by INSEAD to ensure that this content is pedagogically sound, unbiased, and academically rigorous.

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Course 2 of 4 in the

Web3 and Blockchain in Global Commerce Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

The roles of key participants in the global trade network and where the needs of each participant align with the value characteristics of blockchain
What it means to "tokenize" an asset, and approaches to securing the physical-digital interface
Examples of sensor-based logistics, and IoT challenge areas that show promise for blockchain-based solutions
Blockchain solutions for provenance, traceability, ethical sourcing, and asset life-cycle management

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 2 of 4 in the

Web3 and Blockchain in Global Commerce Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Don Tapscott

Adjunct Professor

104,446 Learners

16 Courses

Alisa Acosta

Director of Research and Education

Blockchain Research Institute

829 Learners

2 Courses

Offered by

INSEAD

As one of the world's leading and largest graduate business schools, INSEAD brings together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Blockchain in Global Trade

Global trade has grown in complexity and magnitude over millennia, but its processes remain relatively unchanged. This module explores how blockchain can help modernize global trade and link together other capabilities for the twenty-first century. In this module, you will learn how various participants in the global trade network stand to derive unique value from blockchain technology—including banks and financiers, corporations, freight forwarders and carriers, customs and port authorities, regulatory bodies, and insurance providers. You will explore the ways that blockchain serves to link together organizations, industries, and technologies, and fosters an approach to collaboration that will drive new efficiencies.

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 43 min), 4 readings, 4 quizzes

8 videos

Course Introduction6mCourse Welcome from FedEx1mInstructor Introduction4mModule 1 Overview2mGlobal Trade: Timeless Concept, Tired Processes8mThe Global Trade Network: Part 16mThe Global Trade Network: Part 28mJourney to a Future State / Recap of Module 13m

4 readings

Accessing Readings from the BRI Research Library10mBlockchain in Global Trade10mThe Global Trade Network10mBlockchain in Global Trade10m

4 practice exercises

Blockchain in Global Trade10mThe Global Trade Network: Part 110mThe Global Trade Network: Part 210mBlockchain in Global Trade30m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Reducing Supply Chain Complexity

Most supply chains today still rely heavily on opaque, time-consuming, and costly processes. Documentation is largely paper-based and handled manually. Approvals from multiple parties at each checkpoint often cause delays and are susceptible to fraud on cross-border orders. Catching mistakes in compliance and quality control is difficult. In this module, you will learn how blockchain can help mitigate the complexity of global supply chains by building trustable digital relationships among partners, goods, and customers.

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 46 min), 5 readings, 5 quizzes

9 videos

Module 2 Overview2mThe Digital Representation of Physical Assets5mSafeguarding the Physical-Digital Interface4mThe Benefits of Blockchain-Enabled Supply Chains4mCustoms, Borders, and Blockchain: Problems to be Solved7mHow Customs and Border Agencies Can Use Blockchain6mNext Generation Border Clearance Through Disruptive Technologies4mChallenges to Implementing Blockchain Solutions6mRecap of Module 23m

5 readings

The Digital Representation of Physical Assets10mSafeguarding the Physical-Digital Interface10mCustoms, Borders, and Blockchain10mChallenges to Implementing Blockchain Solutions10mReducing Supply Chain Complexity10m

5 practice exercises

The Digital Representation of Physical Assets10mThe Move Towards Digitization10mCustoms, Borders, and Blockchain10mChallenges to Implementing Blockchain Solutions10mReducing Supply Chain Complexity30m

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Blockchain, IoT, and Sensor-Based Logistics

The Internet of Things (IoT) revolves around connectivity, identification, sensing, remote monitoring, and actuation of physical objects. In the context of global supply chains, the application of IoT to sensor-based logistics enables cargo data—such as location, temperature, humidity, pressure, shock, and light exposure—to be captured and transmitted to multiple parties, allowing them to improve overall visibility and respond to unexpected deviations. In this module, you will learn how blockchain can help achieve autonomous and contract-based communication between physical things, providing an auditable record for products in transit.

2 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 36 min), 4 readings, 4 quizzes

8 videos

Module 3 Overview3mWhat is the IoT?6mTypical Architecture of an IoT Deployment4mBlockchain and the IoT4mCase Study: Modum's Solution for Cold-Chain Logistics5mCase Study: SenseAware ID3mRecommendations for Blockchain + IoT4mModule 3 Recap3m

4 readings

The Internet of Things (IoT)10mBlockchain and the IoT10mSensor-Based Logistics10mBlockchain, IoT, and Sensor-Based Logistics10m

4 practice exercises

The Internet of Things (IoT)10mBlockchain and the IoT10mSensor-Based Logistics10mBlockchain, IoT, and Sensor-Based Logistics30m

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Provenance and Traceability

Provenance and traceability are vexing challenges for a wide range of companies and their supply chains. A supply chain represents all links between parties involved in creating and distributing goods, starting with suppliers of unprocessed raw materials and ending with the delivery of a finished product to the consumer. The application of blockchain for provenance in supply chains aims at providing deep-tier visibility into the origins of a product. In this module, you will learn how blockchain has the potential to provide unprecedented supply-chain visibility in near real time, serving to combat counterfeit goods, enable ethically-sourced materials, track food safety from farm to fork, and increase buyer trust.

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 39 min), 4 readings, 3 quizzes

7 videos

The Authenticity of Assets / Module 4 Overview3mIs Our Food Safe?5mBlockchain Promise and Potential8mCase Study: Walmart's Pork and Mango Pilot5mCobalt and the Future of Battery Supply Chains5mThe Diamond Supply Chain and the Problem of Conflict Stones7mModule 4 Recap3m

4 readings

The Authenticity of Assets10mFood Safety and Traceability10mCobalt and the Future of Battery Supply Chains10mThe Diamond Supply Chain and the Problem of Conflict Stones10m

3 practice exercises

Food Safety and Traceability10mEthically-Sourced Materials10mProvenance and Traceability30m

Week5

Week 5

3 hours to complete

Reshaping Global Commerce

Globalization and volatility in demand require an increasing degree of flexibility in the production of goods and equipment. Blockchain has the potential to redefine economic structures and value flows that underpin supply-chain decision-making. This module explores three opportunities for blockchain in reshaping—or perhaps reversing—-global trade. First, you will learn how blockchain enables new models for distributed manufacturing, facilitating interactions between buyers and manufacturers to streamline production processes. Second, you will explore blockchain’s role in securing end-to-end additive manufacturing (AM) processes, with smart contracts serving as a security layer underpinning AM transactions. Third, you will learn how blockchain facilitates asset life-cycle management, providing a shared and immutable product memory and trail of actionable data over an asset’s life cycle between multiple parties. The module concludes with a discussion of the enabling considerations for blockchain in global trade, including business considerations (e.g. governance, standards, regulations) and technology considerations (e.g. scalability, interoperability, and integration with legacy systems).

3 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 58 min), 3 readings, 5 quizzes

10 videos

Module 5 Overview3mDistributed Manufacturing7mAdditive Manufacturing5mCase Study: COVID-19 Ventilators8mAsset Life-Cycle Management6mCase Study: Reducing Drug Waste in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain5mBusiness Considerations7mTechnology Considerations6mModule 5 Recap3mCourse Close4m

3 readings

Distributed Manufacturing and Digital Distribution10mAsset Life-Cycle Management10mEnabling Considerations for Blockchain in Global Commerce10m

5 practice exercises

Distributed Manufacturing10mAdditive Manufacturing and COVID-19 Ventilators10mAsset Life-Cycle Management10mEnabling Considerations for Blockchain in Global Commerce10mReshaping Global Commerce30m

About the Web3 and Blockchain in Global Commerce Specialization

Global commerce has grown in complexity and magnitude over millennia, but its processes remain relatively unchanged. Enter blockchain—the Internet of Value. For the first time in human history, individuals and organizations can manage and trade their assets digitally, peer to peer. This four-course Specialization introduces you to the world of blockchain technology for global commerce—explaining what blockchain is, how it works, and why it is revolutionary. You will learn about various categories of digital assets and the ways they can be transacted on a blockchain. You will learn how blockchain is disrupting global supply chains, including how it will transform the practices of operations, logistics, procurement and purchasing, transportation, customs and border control, trade finance and insurance, manufacturing, and inventory management—making the whole network more adaptable and responsive to demand fluctuations and crisis. You will also learn about industry consortia and the idea of coopetition—a strategy of cooperating with competitors for defined purposes to cultivate a new economic ecosystem that benefits all participants.

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Web3 and Blockchain Transformations in Global Supply Chains

About this Course

What you will learn