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2021/2022  KAN-CINTV3002U  The Robot Armada is Coming. What's Next, Manager?

English Title
The Robot Armada is Coming. What's Next, Manager?

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Max. participants 120
Study board
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Information Systems, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Kim Normann Andersen - Department of Digitalisation
Pending on number of enrolled students, there will be a teaching assistant to help giving feedback on the assignments.
Main academic disciplines
  • Information technology
  • Innovation
  • Management
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 08-02-2021

Relevant links
Learning objectives
  • Able to assess benefits of using robots and discuss strengths and weaknesses of robots
  • Can account for how productivity problems, capacity challenges, and lack of innovation can be solved by use of robots
  • Understand differences and able to exemplify industry, service, social, and software robots
  • Can give examples of and discuss management challenged when implementing robots in industrial settings
  • Can account for management perspectives on robots and are able to apply these to adoption of robots
  • Demonstrate the ability to reflect on your own activities and interactions throughout the course by identifying a portfolio of own contributions and arguing for their substantiveness and relevance for writing the project in the course.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 3
Compulsory home assignments
The course has five mandatory online assignments (max 3 pages).
The student has to get 3 out of the 5 assignments approved.
Each assignment can be solved in groups (max. 4 students in each group).

There will not be any extra attempts provided to the students before the ordinary exam.
If a student cannot participate due to documented illness, or if a student does not get the activity approved in spite of making a real attempt, then the student will be given one extra attempt before the re-exam.
Before the re-exam, there will be one home assignment which will cover 3 mandatory assignments (max 10 pages).
Examination
The Robot Armada is Coming. What's Next, Manager?:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Report
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The key ambition of this course is to bring awareness of the business potential of  robots and how managers can embrace and respond to the  robot armada (industry robots, social robots, service, and software robots)  introduced in the business landscape. 

 

Pursuing these objectives (awareness, embrace, and respond), we are exploring  scope, scale, and productivity gains and how to capitalize on these. We are using real-world examples where robots already are being deployed.

 

The course gives the students insight in how robots help furthering the automation of job functions  and operational tasks in a variety of businesses. The cases presented include transportation,  the food and restaurant business, health and home care, and the educational sector.

 

Please note that this course is a business-focused course and does not teach you how to program robots. 

 

 
Description of the teaching methods
This course has a blend of online learning and weekly gatherings.

In the online module there will be recorded lectures for each topic, links to supporting material and data, quizzes, and assignments support your learning in a self-paced mode. The online material will be released on a weekly basis.

In the weekly gatherings, we will support the learning progress in three modes: 1) guest lectures from companies that are using robots, 2) support to solve the assignments, and 3) ongoing feedback to the term paper.

The blended format allow students to have a flexible learning mode.

The consultation hours will be held weekly with physical walk-in or through zoom. Please check schedule for where and when the consultation hours are held.
Feedback during the teaching period
This is a blended learning course with ability to monitor own learning progress and ongoing feedback during the course.

The course has five mandatory online assignments. Three of the five assignments have to be passed to complete the course. There will be provided feedback for each of the assignments.

One of tjhe assignments focuses on feedback to the outline of the exam project. Feedback is provided on scope, structure, and content.

Feedback to the assignments will be given in writing to each group/ student.
Student workload
Preparation for and participate in online learning activities 76 hours
Mandatory assignments 40 hours
Attending workshops 30 hours
Exam project 60 hours
Total 206 hours
Further Information

We warmly welcome students from other Danish and international universities.

 

The course is open for enrollment for exchange students and as a single course for practitioners. For enrollment from practitioners, please contact studenthub at CBS or Department of Digitalization (bsp.digi@cbs.dk)
Expected literature

Please observe that this list of readings is indicative and subject to change. The final list of readings will be posted at Canvas (course plan / syllabus). We advice you not to buy any of the reading materials before the course plan is posted at Canvas:

 

 

Beane, M., and Orlikowski,W. (2015). “What Difference Does a Robot Make? The Material Enactment of Distributed Coordination.” Organization Science, 26 (6), 1553-1573. 

 

Breazeal et  al. (2013). Crowdsouring Human- Robot Interaction. Journal of Human-Robot Interaction, 2(1), 82-111. 

                                                                                                         

Breazeal, C. (2007). Sociable Robots. Journal of Robotics Society of Japan 24(5), 591-593.

 

Florida, Richard (2013). Robots Aren’t the Problem. It’s Us.  Harvard Business School Press.

 

Ford, Martin (2015). Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future. Basic Books. 

 

Lacity, M. C., & Willcocks, L. P. (2016). A New Approach to Automating Services. MIT Sloan Mgnt Review.

 

Mettler, T., Sprenger, M., & Winter, R. (2017). Service robots in hospitals: new perspectives on niche evolution and technology affordances. European Journal of Information Systems,  26,  451-468. 

 

Peppard, Ward & Daniel (2007). Managing the realization of IT benefits. MISQ http:/​/​www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/​som/​dinamic-content/​research/​documents/​peppardwarddaniel07.pdf

 

Susskind, Richard, & Susskind, Daniel (2015). The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts. Oxford University Press. (selected chapters)

 

Ward, John, & Daniel, Elizabeth (2010). Benefit Management: Delivering Value from IT and IT Investments. Wiley.

 

Young & Carmier (2014). Can Robots Be Managers Too? Harvard Business Review. http:/​/​blogs.hbr.org/​2014/​04/​can-robots-be-managers-too/​
Last updated on 08-02-2021