Learning Blockchain: The Oxford Strategy Programme
While blockchain was first known for its financial applications through cryptocurrencies, it has extended now to a whole range of economic sectors, disrupting every single step throughout the business ladder. This buzzword distributed ledger, however, needs top-class technological understanding that not everyone possesses. To palliate the lack of competent workforce, the University of Oxford has launched a new strategy programme aiming towards entrepreneurs and business-man who are ready to introduce this technology into their business strategies.
And that’s so as we have seen in recent times how blockchain has disrupted sectors across many economic categories. From cryptocurrencies and hence the financial spectrum, to sharing economy (you can see how blockchain is reshaping digital platforms here) or energy, telecoms and health. In fact, the cryptocurrency boom last year was just a sort of blow on the table for an upcoming disruptive technology, making blockchain mainstream for new entrepreneurs.
The problem lies in literacy, though. These new entrepreneurs know how blockchain and its decentralized, trustless protocol and security traits can be of great help to leverage their projects. Although, specialized and qualified workforce is still far from been easy to recruit.
That is why programmes and courses such the one been released now by the Said Business School at the University of Oxford are of the most importance in this growing industry.
A Programme to “help you think out of the box”
Blockchain has got the attention of top-experts professors in the institution. The likes of Professor of Strategy at the University of Oxford, Teppo Felin who said that blockchain “is going to radically change the way we interact and the way we transact, the way we make contracts”
Likewise, Visiting Professor of Management Science at the University of Oxford, Professor Alex Pentland, also leveraged the potential that this technology has for the near future as “it’s evolving very quickly, lots of different types of blockchain, lots of different uses. What you need to do is get your arms around that, to understand how it’s going to impact your industry.”
The programme will be totally online, and from the comfort of home, applicants will have the chance to learn throughout six-weeks a foundational understanding of what blockchain is and how it works, as well as “insights into how it will affect the future of business and organisation; as well as the ability to make better strategic business decisions by utilising the Oxford Blockchain Strategic framework and Oxford Blockchain Regulation framework,” according to the institution.
They will also focus greatly on in a global network of like-minded, forward-thinking professionals and business innovators, opening up doors for collaboration and partnerships.
At the end of the programme, if everything goes well, applicants will obtain a blockchain certification in the form of a certificate of attendance from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford as validation of your blockchain training, newfound understanding and strategic knowledge.
Associate Fellow at the University of Oxford, David Shrier, pointed out that “through the Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme, you will acquire critical analysis skills around how to understand disruption and how to develop a strategic plan to respond to some disruptive technology. In addition, you will create your own blockchain strategy. You will work in a group, in a unique learning environment, to develop a response to blockchain in your industry or business.”
The University of Oxford joins up here to other courses already happening or about to from other prestigious universities around the world. The likes of Stanford, Princeton or California-Berkeley in the US already support newcomers with blockchain-based courses while others in Europe such Cumbria or Nicosia University started last year with similar options for students and entrepreneurs.
“This program will help you think out of the box and, in fact, plan for the future,” ended up with Professor Teppo Felin.
Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.
