Students

ACCG2065 – Blockchain for Business

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ali Amrollahi
ali.amrollahi@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Masoud Talebian
masoud.talebian@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
50cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Blockchain is an emerging technology that has many applications other than cryptocurrencies in business and the accounting profession.   This unit is designed for students to gain an understanding of Blockchain from a business, accounting and technical perspective.  The primary objective of this unit is for students to be able to evaluate Blockchain by understanding the benefits and challenges as well as the legal, ethical and governance issues.  The unit will examine how Blockchain can assist an organisation to achieve competitive advantage and take advantage of future trends.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Formulate a strategy for integrating Blockchain in the supply chain, internet of things, insurance, finance, accounting and government.
  • ULO2: Critically assess the applications of Blockchain including smart contracts, financing, privacy and security, crypto currencies and how Blockchain can help an organisation achieve competitive advantage.
  • ULO3: Explain the legal, ethical and governance issues relating to Blockchain. 
  • ULO4: Investigate future trends in Blockchain and associated technologies. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Professional Practice: Applications of Blockchain 40% No Week 7
Skills Development: Pitch your Blockchain Solution 20% No Week 12
Professional Practice: Develop your Blockchain Solution 40% No Week 13

Professional Practice: Applications of Blockchain

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 40%

 

The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop a foundational understanding of how blockchain technology is currently being applied across various industries and to communicate these insights clearly and critically.

You will research and evaluate a range of existing blockchain applications and produce an informative individual report that outlines their functions, benefits, and relevance to business contexts.

Skills in focus:

  • Communication
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Discipline knowledge

Deliverable: Written Report (2000 words)

Individual assessment

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Formulate a strategy for integrating Blockchain in the supply chain, internet of things, insurance, finance, accounting and government.
  • Critically assess the applications of Blockchain including smart contracts, financing, privacy and security, crypto currencies and how Blockchain can help an organisation achieve competitive advantage.
  • Explain the legal, ethical and governance issues relating to Blockchain. 

Skills Development: Pitch your Blockchain Solution

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 23 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 20%

 

The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop innovative communication and presentation skills by introducing a real-world application of blockchain technology to a target audience.

You will research and prepare an individual presentation that explains how blockchain is applied in a specific business or industry context. Your presentation should be tailored to a professional audience and demonstrate clarity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Skills in focus:

  • Communication
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Discipline knowledge

Deliverable: Presentation (5 mins)

Individual assessment

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Formulate a strategy for integrating Blockchain in the supply chain, internet of things, insurance, finance, accounting and government.
  • Explain the legal, ethical and governance issues relating to Blockchain. 

Professional Practice: Develop your Blockchain Solution

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%

 

The purpose of this assessment is for you to assess potential applications of blockchain technology for business and come up with their own solution.

You will research current and future uses of blockchain, critically evaluate its relevance in a business context, and develop an analytical report outlining your proposed solution, including implications, benefits, and anticipated trends.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Work readiness

Deliverable: Written Report (2000 words)

Individual assessment

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Formulate a strategy for integrating Blockchain in the supply chain, internet of things, insurance, finance, accounting and government.
  • Investigate future trends in Blockchain and associated technologies. 

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Required Text
Delivery Format and Other Details:

Face to face

This unit will be taught in the form of weekly lectures and tutorials. Students are required to enrol in one lecture and one tutorial for this unit. The teaching strategies are outlined below:

Lectures

A one-hour lecture will be completed every week. It is expected that students complete their prescribed reading for the week prior to attending the lecture.

Tutorial attendance

Each student must register for a tutorial and must attend the tutorial that they have registered for. There will be a two-hour tutorial each week from weeks 2 to 13. Students must finalise their tutorial enrolment by the end of Week 2. Tutorial changes can ONLY be made through eStudent. Students wishing to change tutorial times should log onto eStudent and enrol in a class where there is a vacancy.

If you attend the tutorial that you are not enrolled in, it will not be counted toward the attendance record, with an exception of tutorials held on the week of public holidays. It will also not count towards your assessed coursework. No exception for tutorial attendances and late assignments will be granted for students who are enrolled late in this subject.

Your attendance may not be marked if you arrive more than 15 minutes late to your tutorials unless there is an appropriate reason provided to your tutors.
Recommended Readings:

Jai Singh Arun, Cuomo, J., Nitin Gaur and Tapscott, D. (2019). Blockchain for business. Boston: Addison-Wesley.

Bambara, J.J. and Allen, P.R. (2018). Blockchain : a practical guide to developing business, law, and technology solutions. New York: Mcgraw-Hill Education.

Burniske, C. and Tatar, J. (2018). Cryptoassets : the innovative investor’s guide to bitcoin and beyond. New York: Mcgraw-Hill Education.
:

Welfare, A. (2019). Commercializing blockchain : strategic applications in the real world. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wi

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

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Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

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Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2025.04 of the Handbook