The goal of this paper is to research and present the current developments and future prospects of the blockchain technology throughout economy. Since it was introduced within the Bitcoin, blockchain became a buzzword repeated everywhere, often a proposition of panacea for the global problems. However, in the meantime the world of cryptocurrencies experienced a typical boom-bust cycle which many left wandering if blockchain technology was anything more than a hype. This paper aims to establish a brief overview of the possible implementations of distributed ledger (blockchain) technology in the context of the fast growing information society: blockchain may be the essential tool in the economy based upon Internet-of-things, new mobile connectivity standards and big(ger) data.
The European Commission proposes eight scenarios for the application of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in an educational context, based on the current state of technology development and deployment. According to their recent report, the blockchain technology may disrupt institutional norms in the field of education and empower learners in line with the needs of Industry 4.0. The article looks into the theoretical and practical aspects of the “OS.UNIVERSITY”, a project announced in 2016 as one of the "Top 10 Social Innovation Ideas" by Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s “Living Progress Challenge”. By following a pre-defined set of critical success factors (CSF) for managing the end-to-end project, OS.UNIVERSITY aims to create a distributed platform on the blockchain that turns the potentially disruptive scenarios into real-life opportunities for modernization of Academia, enablement of businesses, and empowerment of students, employees, life-long learners.
