About the Book
Timely and invigorating, this book explores how blockchain technology is disrupting economies and transforming societies. It offers detailed insights into the synergistic and complementary effects of blockchain and other new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, satellite imagery and digital twins.
The Rise of Blockchains highlights how the developments of ecosystems around blockchain are helping to realize the potential of this technology to act as a ‘trust machine’ across more contexts and settings. Multidisciplinary in both scope and perspectives, the book looks at blockchain’s potential for impacting challenges in supply chain management, security, privacy and compliancy issues, and transforming payment and settlement systems. It further provides insights into the opportunities, barriers, and enablers of blockchain adoption by organizations.
With a focus on both theoretical and practical knowledge related to blockchain, this will be an important read for business and management scholars, particularly those focusing on organization studies, information systems, and supply chain management. It will also be a useful book for economics students and economists working with cryptocurrencies.
Table of Contents:
Contents: PART I BLOCKCHAIN AND ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION 1. Blockchain basic: Definitions, key concepts and characteristics 2. Impacts on organizational forms, business models and strategies 3. Combining with other technologies to amplify blockchain’s value creation 4. Supply chain management 5. Security, privacy and compliance 6. Payment and settlement systems PART II OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, IMPLICATIONS AND THE WAY FORWARD 7. Opportunities, barriers, and enablers of blockchain adoption in organizations 8. Discussion, conclusion, and recommendations Index
About the Author :
Nir Kshetri, Professor of Management, Department of Management, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, US
Review :
‘This book is both a fantastic introduction to the fundamental concepts of blockchains and a unique discussion of the business models impacted by the blockchain. Kshetri provides an excellent sketch of the debate over using distributed ledgers to demonstrate business trustworthiness. The business cases Kshetri provides perfectly demonstrate the value offered by technology that uses strong cryptographic tools. One of the book’s best and most unique contributions is in its chapter on the synergies between artificial intelligence and the blockchain. The case studies from health care and other data-intensive industries offer invaluable details on data ownership management, privacy, data lineage management, and shared governance for users of blockchain and AI technologies. Kshetri also discusses emerging disruptive technologies, like the Metaverse, Web 3.0, and the Internet of Things. This is one of the best books on the subject and an excellent guide for readers of all levels.’
‘Kshetri’s The Rise of Blockchains is a timely, to-the-point, and detailed book on a relatively new and still obscure topic of blockchain technology. The book focuses on this all-new phenomenon deeply impacting, sometimes disrupting, and transforming our societies, policy-making, and the global economy today. And as a matter of fact, it also does a good job focusing on this new technology that has both introduced cryptocurrencies and transformed the supply chain, payments, privacy, and security systems.’
‘Professor Nir Kshetri’s exciting new text The Rise of Blockchains: Disrupting Economies and Transforming Societies is a must read for those interested in how distributed ledgers are impacting the political, economic, and social landscapes of societies, both developed and underdeveloped. Economists, politicians, and anyone else involved in finance should add this text to their reading list.’
‘This book covers several key topics in blockchain, ranging from payment and settlement to cybersecurity and the supply chain. The book is well written and flows logically. It would be a great textbook for a blockchain course and a nice reference for researchers working in this field.’
‘Professor Kshetri has delivered a very timely, well-written, and well-documented treatment of a topic that many people find difficult and sometimes opaque. I believe the content is accessible for both advanced undergrads and graduate students. I plan to adopt this book for my own blockchain course.’
‘In 2018, Ginni Rometty, the retired CEO of IBM, caused a stir when she said presciently: “Blockchain will do for transactions what the Internet did for information.” This compendium by Professor Nir Kshetri attempts to explain why and how such a transformation is taking place. The comprehensive book is framed by business organisations and market opportunities. It addresses the essentials of how Blockchains work, and their synergies with decentralized, autonomous organisations as well as complementary technologies such as AI. It also provides up-to-date coverage of hot-button issues such as use-cases in supply chain management with traceability-as-a-service. It shows how such ubiquitous use-cases will allow Blockchain to cross the chasm. Two enabling technologies – security as an integral aspect of mainstream platforms and Blockchain-enabled payments which may counter the centralizing features of proposed CBDC initiatives – will bring confidence in such a trust-free environment. The book closes with a realistic assessment of emerging opportunities, barriers, trends and policy implications. It is commendable that Professor Kshetri, acknowledged as one of the most impactful researchers on Blockchain, has taken it upon himself to make translational his deep insights and understanding on the topic. I recommend this book highly to any business executive or specialist student interested in exploiting the value of Blockchains.’
