In this dissertation the established and internationally recognized standards of internal auditing (IA) are applied to the context of newly popping up blockchain-based Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) that operate on a series of smart contracts. While DAO-enthusiasts imply that the immutable nature of the blockchain, the recognized consensus mechanism, and strong preventive and automated controls will make internal auditing obsolete, this research sheds light on whether there are conceptual obstacles for IA in DAOs regarding compliance with internationally recognized internal auditing standards and therefore question the overall legality of this type of organization in a context where setting up an IA function is mandatory. Each IA standard is reviewed for obstacles, benefits, and challenges regarding the respective compliance in a DAO context utilizing an exploratory research method. Because it appears that there may be governance and operational collisions with regard to the strict standards of the IIA on the one hand and the conceptual unique setup of blockchain-based DAOs on the other, we evaluate the hypothesis by which standard compliance is impossible. In addition, we analyze whether and how the use of a DAO can benefit and/or complicate standard compliance. This foundational research dissertation may offer guidance on what safeguards DAOs need to implement to comply with certain laws and standards but also addresses policy and standard makers with the assignment to update their rules and offer guidance for implementation. The dissertation may also offer guidance for the mandatory external and internal quality assessments of IA functions in DAOs. Overall, it presents additional insights to related professions like accountants, compliance officers, external auditors, anti-fraud professionals, IT auditors and others while offering a glimpse into what the role of an internal auditor of the future might realistically look like.

This book presents a collection of original research papers focusing on emerging issues regarding the role of information and communication technologies in organizations, inter-organizational systems, and society. It adopts an inter-disciplinary approach, allowing for the integration of contributions from various disciplines such as information systems, organizational studies, marketing, accounting, and social sciences. This book offers valuable insights not only for scholars, but also for practitioners, managers, and policy makers. The book is a compilation of the best research papers – originally double blind, peer-reviewed contributions – presented at the ICTO 2015 conference held in Paris.

“Blockchains will matter crucially; this book, beautifully and clearly written for a wide audience, powerfully demonstrates how.” —Lawrence Lessig “Attempts to do for blockchain what the likes of Lawrence Lessig and Tim Wu did for the Internet and cyberspace—explain how a new technology will upend the current legal and social order... Blockchain and the Law is not just a theoretical guide. It’s also a moral one.” —Fortune Bitcoin has been hailed as an Internet marvel and decried as the preferred transaction vehicle for criminals. It has left nearly everyone without a computer science degree confused: how do you “mine” money from ones and zeros? The answer lies in a technology called blockchain. A general-purpose tool for creating secure, decentralized, peer-to-peer applications, blockchain technology has been compared to the Internet in both form and impact. Blockchains are being used to create “smart contracts,” to expedite payments, to make financial instruments, to organize the exchange of data and information, and to facilitate interactions between humans and machines. But by cutting out the middlemen, they run the risk of undermining governmental authorities’ ability to supervise activities in banking, commerce, and the law. As this essential book makes clear, the technology cannot be harnessed productively without new rules and new approaches to legal thinking. “If you...don’t ‘get’ crypto, this is the book-length treatment for you.” —Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution “De Filippi and Wright stress that because blockchain is essentially autonomous, it is inflexible, which leaves it vulnerable, once it has been set in motion, to the sort of unforeseen consequences that laws and regulations are best able to address.” —James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review

The Organisation of Tomorrow presents a new model of doing business and explains how big data analytics, blockchain and artificial intelligence force us to rethink existing business models and develop organisations that will be ready for human-machine interactions. It also asks us to consider the impacts of these emerging information technologies on people and society. Big data analytics empowers consumers and employees. This can result in an open strategy and a better understanding of the changing environment. Blockchain enables peer-to-peer collaboration and trustless interactions governed by cryptography and smart contracts. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence allows for new and different levels of intensity and involvement among human and artificial actors. With that, new modes of organising are emerging: where technology facilitates collaboration between stakeholders; and where human-to-human interactions are increasingly replaced with human-to-machine and even machine-to-machine interactions. This book offers dozens of examples of industry leaders such as Walmart, Telstra, Alibaba, Microsoft and T-Mobile, before presenting the D2 + A2 model – a new model to help organisations datafy their business, distribute their data, analyse it for insights and automate processes and customer touchpoints to be ready for the data-driven and exponentially-changing society that is upon us This book offers governments, professional services, manufacturing, finance, retail and other industries a clear approach for how to develop products and services that are ready for the twenty-first century. It is a must-read for every organisation that wants to remain competitive in our fast-changing world.

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Trade has always been shaped by technological innovation. In recent times, a new technology, Blockchain, has been greeted by many as the next big game-changer. Can Blockchain revolutionize international trade? This publication seeks to demystify the Blockchain phenomenon by providing a basic explanation of the technology. It analyses the relevance of this technology for international trade by reviewing how it is currently used or can be used in the various areas covered by WTO rules. In doing so, it provides an insight into the extent to which this technology could affect cross-border trade in goods and services, and intellectual property rights. It discusses the potential of Blockchain for reducing trade costs and enhancing supply chain transparency as well as the opportunities it provides for small-scale producers and companies. Finally, it reviews various challenges that must be addressed before the technology can be used on a wide scale and have a significant impact on international trade.

This report offers an analytical framework that allows for more systemic assessments of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and its applications. It examines the evolution and typology of the emergent technology, its existing and projected applications, and regulatory and policy issues that they entail. This report highlights the trends, concerns, and potential opportunities of DLTs, especially for Asian markets. It also identifies the benefits and risks to using DLT and offers a functional and proportional approach to these issues.