Public entities driven robotic innovation in urban areas

Cities present new challenges and needs to satisfy and improve lifestyle for their citizens under the concept “Smart City”. In order to achieve this goal in a global manner, new technologies are required as the robotic one. But Public entities unknown the possibilities offered by this technology to get solutions to their needs. In this paper the development of the Innovative Public Procurement instruments is explained, specifically the process PDTI (Public end Users Driven Technological Innovation) as a driving force of robotic research and development and offering a list of robotic urban challenges proposed by European cities that have participated in such a process. In the next phases of the procedure, this fact will provide novel robotic solutions addressed to public demand that are an example to be followed by other Smart Cities.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Implementing Pharmacy Informatics in College Curricula: The AACP Technology in Pharmacy Education and Learning Special Interest Group

Many professional organizations have initiatives to increase the awareness and use of informatics in the practice of pharmacy. Within education we must respond to these initiatives and make technology integral to all aspects of the curriculum, inculcating in students the importance of technology in practice. This document proposes 5 central domains for organizing planning related to informatics and technology within pharmacy education. The document is intended to encourage discussion of informatics within pharmacy education and the implications of informatics in future pharmacy practice, and to guide colleges of pharmacy in identifying and analyzing informatics topics to be taught and methods of instruction to be used within the doctor of pharmacy curriculum

Mobility on Demand in the United States

The growth of shared mobility services and enabling technologies, such as smartphone apps, is contributing to the commodification and aggregation of transportation services. This chapter reviews terms and definitions related to Mobility on Demand (MOD) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS), the mobility marketplace, stakeholders, and enablers. This chapter also reviews the U.S. Department of Transportation’s MOD Sandbox Program, including common opportunities and challenges, partnerships, and case studies for employing on-demand mobility pilots and programs. The chapter concludes with a discussion of vehicle automation and on-demand mobility including pilot projects and the potential transformative impacts of shared automated vehicles on parking, land use, and the built environment

The opportunities and threats resulting from robotic process automation in public service development

Objectives: This study aims to identify the opportunities and threats of automation and robotisation process automation in the development of public services. Research Design & Methods: In this study, the method of deduction was used as well as auxiliary methods and techniques such as logical analysis, analysis and study of literature, and classification and scientific description. The reasoning process was based on knowledge of management sciences and the existing findings with regard to digital transformation, in particular the robotic process automation of the public sector and services. Findings: The study revealed opportunities and threats related to the automation and robotisation of public services concerning three entities/groups: citizens, administration employees, and public organisations. Implications: The issues presented in the article might constitute the basis for practitioners, mainly public authorities and all other persons responsible for creating and implementing automated and robotic public services. Applications can be of particular interest to local government officials and management staff of various public institutions. Therefore, the robotisation and automation of services will gain in importance in the coming years, and many entities will be involved in their introduction and operation. This paper can also be useful for the economic and non-governmental sectors, whose recipients will be more aware of the opportunities and threats of service automation and robotisation. Contribution / Value Added: As a result of the analysis, the synthesis of the theoretical findings on the processes of automation and the robotisation of public services as well as certain consequences of these processes for further development of these public services were identified. They were then classified as opportunities or threats to the further automation and robotisation of public services, which may serve as a basis for the establishment of subsequent empirical studies

Towards Quantifying the Effects of Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the automation of rule-based routine processes to increase process efficiency and to reduce process costs. In practice, however, RPA is often applied without knowledge of the concrete effects its introduction will have on the automated process and the involved stakeholders. Accordingly, literature on the quantitative effects of RPA is scarce. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical insights into improvements and deteriorations of business processes achieved in twelve RPA projects in the automotive industry. The results indicate that the positive benefits promised in literature are not always achieved in practice. In particular, shorter case duration and better quality are not confirmed by the empirical data gathered in the considered RPA projects. These quantitative insights constitute a valuable contribution to the currently rather qualitative literature on RPA

Robotic process automation in Finnish financial administration

Abstract. Automation has been a part of the discussion regarding accounting already from the 1950’s (Keenoy 1958). Since then, the topic has evolved from physical automation to software-based solutions, often referred to as Robotic Process Automation, or RPA. Digitalization has laid the groundwork for companies to build automation on top of various processes. Companies are often seeing the most amount of data driven processes in their financial departments as argued by Kaarlejärvi & Salminen (2018). The vast amount of data has sparked a shift from old ways of working towards more smart processes through automation. The increase on the discussion around the topic of RPA in the context of financial administration has sparked an interest for this master’s thesis. This thesis aims to research the effects Finnish companies have encountered after implementing RPA in their financial processes. The thesis will explain, in detail, the state of the current level of academic research and why financial processes are potential for automation now, and in the future. The thesis uses qualitative research methodology in the form of three semi-structured interviews tolook at three subject companies varied in size and operations on how RPA has benefited the financial processes. The empirical data of the thesis was gathered through remote interviews held with relevant personnel who have experience of RPA implementation. Once the data was gathered, it was transcribed and further coded to find out the most significant impacts RPA has had on the financial processes of companies. The results of the thesis will look at the net benefits achieved by the subject companies to answer the research question as suggested by DeLone & McLean 2003 theory to measure IS success. As presented by the 2003 theory, RPA implementation is looked from different points of view, being quality, usability & use, and the net benefits achieved. The results of the study show how RPA can be used in different size companies to the advantage of accountants and other financial employees. The net benefits achieved through RPA are found positive, yet this study provides further considerations for RPA implementation in financial administration. The benefits of RPA can be found through in-house development of RPA as well as outsourcing software capable of running automated tasks. The key findings of this thesis are in line with existing studies, suggesting RPA is found to be most beneficial in the most routinized and laborious tasks. The results also pursue the importance of employee participation in the development process of RPA and the importance of change management by company manager’s when ramping up RPA usage. Ultimately, the thesis finds RPA implementation is net positive for both the organization and the individual the RPA influences

How to Measure RPA\u27s Benefits? A Review on Metrics, Indicators, and Evaluation Methods of RPA Benefit Assessment

RPA is a new approach to automating processes that has gained momentum in recent years. Research and vendors highlight potential benefits of RPA, such as increased efficiency, quality, cost reduction, and higher customer and employee satisfaction. However, as interest in RPA grows, so does the need to demonstrate its benefits, which in turn requires a suitable toolbox of metrics, indicators, and evaluation methods. To the best of our knowledge, an overview of RPA benefit assessment possibilities is lacking. In this paper, we identify 62 distinct metrics/indicators and ten evaluation methods used for assessing RPA benefits. Our results show that efficiency- and cost-related performance indicators prevail in the scientific literature. In terms of evaluation methods, most contributions do not mention any specific method for RPA benefit assessment. Our findings serve practitioners and researchers with an overview of the current possibilities for a realistic RPA benefit assessment and a corresponding research agenda

What really matters? A qualitative analysis on the adoption of innovations in agriculture

The agricultural industry is confronted with the need of increasing the production to feed a growing population, and contemporarily to manage the decreased availability of natural resources. This major challenge boosts agriculture sector to adopt new approaches and technical innovations; anyway, the adoption of innovations in agriculture is not immediate, due to the interaction of many drivers that impact on individuals and enterprises’ decisions. This paper aims at providing a list of drivers for the adoption of technological innovations in agriculture, on the basis of the outcomes of in-depth interviews and focus groups performed in three European countries (Italy, Greece, Turkey). With specific reference to innovations, ease of use, effectiveness, usefulness, resource savings, and compatibility were mentioned as relevant features for an innovation to be adopted. Trials, demonstrations, experience and knowledge sharing, and support from qualified third parties were included among the facilitating factors for conveying and promoting innovations. Finally, public funding, agricultural policies and market conditions were identified as factors that may tip the balance in the process of innovations’ adoption

Robotic Automation of University Admission Processes

Kasvav konkurents sunnib organisatsioone olema üha tõhusamad ja kvaliteetsetele teenustele orienteeritud. Kestev digitaliseerimine ja äriprotsesside automatiseerimine pakuvad lahendusi, mis aitavad ettevõtetel need eesmärgid saavutada. Tarkvararobootika (RPA) on üks kiiremini arenevaid tööriistu. See on kombinatsioon riistvara ja tarkvara tehnoloogiatest, mille eesmärgiks on ülesannete automatiseerimine. Jätkuvalt peetakse tarkvararobootikat uueks tehnoloogiaks, mistõttu on olemas küllaltki vähe empiirilisi uuringuid ja uurimistöid akadeemilistes andmebaasides.Seetõttu on antud töö uuriv. Antud tööst selgub, et tarkvararobootika tehnoloogiad suudavad pakkuda kohest väärtust läbi korduvate ülesannete automatiseerimise, mille hulgas on näiteks aruannete loomine, meilide automatiseerimine ja andmete automaatne liikumine. Robotid ja tarkvararobootika tehnoloogiad on muutunud üheks oluliseks konkurentsieeliseks erinevatele organisatsioonidele üle maailma, mis tegelevad sellistes valdkondades nagu masinõpe, andmete analüüsimine, protsessikaeve, tehisintellekt jne. Antud töö on heaks näiteks tarkvararobootika tehnoloogia edukast juurutamisest organisatsioonides ja aitab saada ülevaate erinevatest tarkvararobootika võimalustest.Increasing competitiveness forces organizations to be more efficient and service-oriented. Continuous digitization and automation of the business processes are among those solutions which can help companies to achieve those goals. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a new emerging and one of the fastest developing tools. It is a combination of hardware and software technologies, dedicated to automating manual tasks and do things very simple. Still, it is considered that RPA is new technology and there are very few empirical studies and research papers in academic and research databases. Therefore, this study is exploratory. The study discovered that Robotic Process Automation technologies can bring immediate value by automating repetitive tasks including, report creation, mail automation and data migration. Robots and Robotic Process Automation technologies cannot just benefit organizations, but also are becoming one of the key competitive advantages for the organization across the globe, which stands with machine learning, data analytics, process mining, artificial intelligence etc. This paper will be a good example of successful implementation of this technology and will help to get an overall idea about RPA opportunities