Preface

It's hard to read a business or professional publication without running into an article about blockchain. But, what is blockchain? Is it a cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin or Ethereum ? Is it an application, like IBM's high profile Food Trust (see: https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/solutions/ food-trust). The answer of course is yes, it is both and much more. Blockchain is both a concept and a technology with which to make it possible; and it is having a major impact in business. In their 2019 global blockchain survey of 1,386 senior executives of large companies worldwide, Deloitte reports that 53% say that blockchain technology has become a critical strategic priority in their organization and 83% see compelling use cases for blockchain (Pawczuk, et. al., 2019).

In professional accounting and financial services, EY states that "Blockchains will do for networks of enterprises and business ecosystems what enterprise resource planning (ERP) did for the single company" (EY, Blockchain). In a joint paper, the Chartered Professional Accounts of Canada and the American Institute of CPA's, state that " … blockchain technology has the potential to impact all recordkeeping processes, including the way transactions are initiated, processed, authorized, recorded and reported" and "CPAs may need to broaden their skill sets and knowledge to meet the anticipated demands of the business world as blockchain technology is more widely adopted" (CPAC, et. al., 2017).

The first edition of The Guide & Workbook for Understanding Blockchain in Business contains a discussion of blockchain as a concept and its enabling technology. As you will come to understand, the concepts on which blockchain is based include collaboration, sharing, validation, security, and digital transaction processes. Since everyone has heard of Bitcoin, the Workbook starts with an explanation of the permissionless cryptocurrency Bitcoin blockchain and its enabling technology and compares it to a variety of permissioned business blockchains. It goes on to explain in detail the concepts and the enabling technologies in business.

I have researched, published educational articles, taught professional workshops and seminars, and built blockchain into my MIS systems analysis and design course and into a capstone course in accounting information systems at the University of Delaware. The Workbook reflects how I teach blockchain at U of D and in professional seminars and workshops to accounting and business professionals. As an academic, I have the good fortune to interact with and benefit from numerous other academics and professionals; including: Professor Graham Gal, University of Massachusetts: Professor Uday Murthy, University of South Florida; Professor Daniel O’Leary, Southern California University; Professor Theo Stratopoulus, University of Waterloo; Professor Glen Gray, California State University, Northridge; and Eric Cohen, Cohen Consulting.