MMS 562F: Technology Driven Transformation of Business


 


Campbell R. Harvey
Professor, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Durham, NC USA

Fuqua Spring, 2021: Select Saturdays at 12:30pm, Geneen

Course Description

This is a new course that is part of the MMS-STEM track. The goals of the course are to detail several technological initiatives that both pose threats and present opportunities to new and current businesses. Course topics include: historical role of technology, globalization, how the internet works, cryptology, hashing algorithms, introduction to cyber security, decentralized finance or DeFi (blockchain, decentralized exchange protocols, stablecoins, lending protocols, tokenization, identity), introduction to machine learning, systematic investing, brain machine interface, and an introduction to quantum computing.

 

Who Am I?

To get to know me, go to my homepage and follow some of the links, for example my Media page or my most recent research papers. Follow me on Linkedin.

In addition to my job at Duke University, I am Partner and Senior Advisor at Research Affiliates, LLP, who overseas more than $180 billion in investment products and Investment Strategy Advisor to the Man Group, PLC. The Man Group is the largest listed hedge fund group in the world.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites.

Class Schedule

There are eight live Saturday meetings. Live attendance is required in only the first meeting and last meeting. All other meetings will be a hybrid (choice of live attendance, Fuqua recording, live Zoom or asynchronous Zoom). Meeting dates are: February 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, April 10, 17. Course material may be supplemented with my on-line course, Blockchain Business Models.

 

Deliverables

The course is CREDIT/NO CREDIT

The group size is four and ideally we draw students from diverse backgrounds. You will use the class Google sheet to form your groups (all members within your enrolled section). At the end of the term, group members score the contributions of each member to avoid free-riding.

Communication/Slack

E-mail me at cam.harvey@duke.edu. At odd hours, you can text me at 919-271-8156 (if I am not available, I simply set to DND, so don't hesitate to text) You can also call me. Again, when I am busy or sleeping, my phone is on do not disturb. During the Spring, I am focused on teaching. However, it is best to communicate via our Slack channel. Here is the Slack signup link.

NDAs and Other Legal

NDAs may be required for outside presentations.

Texts

There are no required texts in MMS 562F. However, I will draw extensively from my forthcoming book, DeFi and the Future of Finance There is an extensive recommended reading list below. I expect everyone to go through some of the introductory material before the first class.

Attendance

Live attendance is manditory for first and last class.

Electronics

You should bring a mobile device to class but it needs to be on mute. Certain classes may require you bringing a laptop. It needs to be closed during class. Laptop needs to have Chrome installed. We will be installing program called MetaMask on your mobile. Do not install until you get detailed instructions from me (in the preassignment). When laptops are required, the only programs, tabs, that should be open are the ones relevant to the class (e.g., Outlook should not be open).

Pre-Class Assignment

The pre-assignment is mandatory and will be available in Canvas.

You will set up a MetaMask account. Setting up this account does not require personal information. The preassignment will give you information on how to do this.

The preassignment is due February 12, 2021 at 11:59pm ET.

 

Guest Appearances

Given the nature of the course (on Saturday), it is difficult to get guests. Hence, the expectation is no guests.


Class Topics

See the class schedule tab. Important: the schedule is somewhat fluid in that I may spend longer on some topics and spillover to the next class. I prefer to not rush through a topic if there are a lots of questions. I might add or delete topics. I am also interested in your input for topics.

 

Interesting Reading

You will also have access to a shared Google sheet that has the lastest news that I have found relevant. You can also contribute to this sheet.

 

Crypto Resources

I have provided an extensive list of resources below. I have merged my list of resources along with the excellent resources of Jameson Lopp (who has helped me with the course since the beginning and is CTO as Casa - a startup founded by another Duke grad). There are now plenty of sites that have introductions to cryptocurrency and I have listed some useful videos. You should take the time to view at least one of these videos. You should also be checking the Reddit discussions. The course is very short and it is crucial that we get up to speed as quickly as possible. Also, the below list is heavily skewed towards bitcoin (which was the first major application of blockchain technology).

Getting Started


Video Presentations


On-Line Courses


Blockchain


Books-Blockchain/DeFi


Books-General Interest


News


Discussion Forums


Ethereum Resources


Personalities


Podcasts


Documentaries


Blogs


Twitter


The History of Bitcoin


Buying Cryptocurrency


Visualizations


Mining


Block Explorers


Developer Tools


Deep Dive Technical Resources


Security


Privacy


Running a Node


Merchant Adoption


Advanced Trading


Realtime Exchange Data


Miscellaneos Statistics


Transaction Fee Estimator


Tax Accounting


Lightning Network


Bitcoin Forks


Legal


Cryptography


Legal and Regulatory Resources

Duke Law has an excellent set of resources focused on Blockchain and Fintech. The resources include Twitter feeds, websites, blogs, podcasts, news articles, government/regulatory/legal documents, white papers, videos, and data.. The basic categories include: learning bitcoin/cryptocurrencies, blockchain, cybersecurity, data, fintech and the financial industry, initial coin offerings, marketplace lending/P2P lending, payments, RegTech, regulatory agencies and central banks, robo-advisers, smart contracts, and fintech groups.