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Web3 and Blockchain in Global Commerce SpecializationINSEAD

What you will learn

What blockchain is, how it works, and the ways it intersects with other technologies, industries, functions, and the broader Web3 ecosystem
Blockchain solutions for provenance, traceability, ethical sourcing, distributed manufacturing, digital twins, and asset life-cycle management
The importance of standards, interoperability, regulation, governance, consortia, and “coopetition” for advancing blockchain innovation and adoption
How to identify, review, and evaluate business opportunities and challenges related to blockchain in global commerce

About this Specialization

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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. Development of this Specialization was made possible thanks to the generous support of FedEx. All content for this Specialization has been written and/or reviewed by the Blockchain Research Institute and approved by INSEAD to ensure it is pedagogically sound, unbiased, and academically rigorous.

Applied Learning Project

In the final course, learners will synthesize their learning into a project deliverable called a Blockchain Opportunity Analysis. Here, learners will identify a specific need or problem in global commerce that could potentially be solved using blockchain or Web3 technologies. Learners will then investigate possible solutions to this problem, including the business model considerations required to bring this idea to fruition. As an outcome of this Specialization, learners will walk away with a consolidated, peer-reviewed Blockchain Opportunity Analysis, which can be used to pitch their idea to their organization or to potential investors.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 6 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 6 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

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

Try Coursera for Business

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How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 4 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Introduction to Blockchain for Global Commerce

This course discusses the limitations of the Internet for business and economic activity and explains how blockchain technology represents the way forward. After completing this course, you will be able to explain what blockchain is, how it works, and why it is revolutionary. You will learn key concepts such as mining, hashing, proof-of-work, public key cryptography, and the double-spend problem. You’ll be able to describe seven design principles for blockchain technology, and the challenges facing the people developing it. By the end of this course, you’ll learn how and why transacting on the blockchain can help us bring about a future that is faster, fairer, and more distributed than the world we inhabit today.

Course2

Course 2

Web3 and Blockchain Transformations in Global Supply Chains

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.

Course3

Course 3

Web3 and Blockchain Leadership for Transformation

For most of the last century, critical advances in technology were happening inside large, well-funded industrial R&D machines that dotted the Western world. Today’s landscape, however, is very different. Even the largest and most sophisticated corporate leaders can no longer dominate their fields or dictate the pace of development. With companies across sectors seeking to harness the transformative potential of blockchain technologies, the blockchain ecosystem is an exemplar of new models of industry collaboration.

In this course you will learn about various stakeholders in the blockchain ecosystem and the leadership roles they need to play in order to steward the blockchain revolution in global commerce. You will discuss various organizational models and best practices for industry consortia and will explore several examples of consortium projects that are at the forefront of the blockchain ecosystem. You will also explore the themes of standardization and interoperability—two major challenge areas concerning the scalability and throughput limitations inhibiting mainstream enterprise adoption of blockchain in global commerce. Development of this course was made possible thanks to the generous support of FedEx. Dale Chrystie, Business Fellow & Blockchain Strategist at FedEx, delivers three 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.

Course4

Course 4

Blockchain Opportunity Analysis for Global Commerce

In this fourth and final course of the specialization, you will synthesize your learning into a project deliverable called a Blockchain Opportunity Analysis. The goals of this course are twofold: One, it’s for you to identify a specific need or problem in Global Commerce that can potentially be solved using blockchain technology. Two, it’s for you to investigate possible solutions to this problem, including how these solutions might be executed. You will accomplish different project milestones each week, and will be introduced to several tools that entrepreneurs use to organize their findings. Throughout this process, you will hear from real-world practitioners who have hands-on experience in the blockchain ecosystem. Additionally, by participating in this course you will gain access to our Blockchain Case Commons—a crowdsourced collection of blockchain applications and use-cases spanning multiple industries. As an outcome of this course, you’ll walk away with a consolidated, peer-reviewed Blockchain Opportunity Analysis, which you can use to pitch your idea to your organization or even to potential investors.

Instructors

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.

Industry Partners

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
What is Web3?
Web3 is term that represents a collection of technologies, a decentralized network, the ability to digitize assets, and new multi-party business models. Blockchain is the foundation of Web3. On top of that foundation Web3 includes the prediction and decision support of AI, the measurements and actuation of IoT, and the spatial UX of AR/VR/Metaverse.
Previous foundational technologies such as railroads, electrical grids, telecommunication networks, and the internet have all defined eras. They have enabled new ways of conducting business and interacting with governments. Entirely new business and civil society models became possible. They have all been characterized by accelerated economic growth and significant improvements in the efficiency of the means of production. The era enabled by blockchain has been labeled the Web3 era.
The Web3 era will be characterized by smaller economic actors coordinating their activities to generate value with great efficiency. It will feature accelerated rates of innovation, a proliferation of new business models and configurations, and new ways of delivering public services.
What is blockchain?
A common authoritative record of transactions, and the data that describes those transactions, is fundamental to all business interactions. Traditionally the data, and the state of the data, has been maintained in databases and ledgers controlled by companies or governments who rely on auditors, trusted third parties and the legal enforceability of contracts to support confidence in transactional interactions and the related business velocity.
Blockchain makes data, transaction records, and the business logic that can manipulate the data a fundamental characteristic of a decentralized network. This is a revolutionary capability.
Blockchain is the foundational technology for the Web3 era. It is the database and operating system of the networked economy. As the world’s businesses and governments continue to digitize, their systems will run on blockchain.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
We recommend that you complete these courses in order, as each course builds upon the previous.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
No, there will not be any university credit awarded for completing this Specialization.

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Web3 and Blockchain in Global Commerce Specialization

What you will learn

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project