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2023/2024  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 50
Study board
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Information Systems, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Kim Normann Andersen - Department of Digitalisation (DIGI)
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 08-02-2023

Relevant links
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade of 12, students should meet the following learning objectives only with no or minor mistakes or errors. By the end of the course the students will be able to:
  • Able to assess business 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 between 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 management perspectives in the context of robots
  • Understand the risks and benefits associated with robots in business practice
Course prerequisites
This course is relevant for students who would like to explore more about the variety of robots in companies. There is no requirement of programming skills.
Examination
The Robot Armada is Coming. What's Next, Manager?:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance, see also the rules about examination forms in the programme regulations.
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Report
Release of assignment An assigned subject is released in class
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
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
Description of the exam procedure

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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 different kinds of robots that have been introduced in the business landscape.

 

Software robots such as ChatGPT has caught media attention and a likely scenario is that ChatGPT-alikes will be one of the key  ways to automate parts of the writing process.

 

We have the ambition to shed lights on robots  in industry and the service sector. Mainstream business school education is lagging understanding the managerial implications and how business school graduates can be active part of the adoption and exploitation of robots.  The ambition of this course is to help close this gap.

 

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 (i.e., manufactoring, transportation,  the food and restaurant business, health and home care, finance,  and the educational sector).

 

In course there will be robot presentations from companies using robots. Also, students are welcome to visit the BITLAB at Howitzvej and try out for example the cobot and  sanbot.  We encourage students to write their term paper on robots in a company or industry segment of students own choice.

 

The course is linked to the RAIOT research theme at DIGI and part of an international network collaboration with leading business school faculty from the US.  The RAIOT research theme investigates how Robots, AI, and IOT are re-shaping management in companies and how we qualify for future jobs.
Description of the teaching methods
In the weekly gathering, we will support the learning progress in three modes: 1) lectures, 2) guest lectures from companies using robots (i.e., the DaVinci robot, Spot, Double Robotics, MIR, and Universal Robots) that are using robots, and 3) development and feedback to the term paper.

The term paper has to address managerial challenges and can be empirical focused (primary or secondary data) or a theoretical/ literature review paper.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback will be given during weekly workshops and consultation hours.

During the workshops feedback will be given through participation in small-scale experiments with management aspects of robots and class discussions of readings and guest lectures.

In the consultation hours feedback is focused on questions regarding class readings and questions related to the term paper. The consultation hours will be held weekly. Please check Canvas for details on the consultation hours.

In the course students will be given the opportunity to present and get feedback to the outline of the term paper. Feedback is provided on scope, structure, and content of your outline for the term paper.
Student workload
Course readings and preparation for class 56 hours
Mandatory assignments 40 hours
Attending workshops 30 hours
Exam project 60 hours
Preparing for oral exam and participation in oral exam 20 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.  Chronicle of Higher Education, March 13.

 

Ford, Martin (2021). Rule of the Robots: How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Everything. Hachette UK,

 

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. 

 

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 08-02-2023