Sustainable Notebooks: Who Carries the Cost?

The portable computer or notebook has become an integral and even essential aspect of modern life. Year-in-year its price to the consumer falls while its performance grows, yet recent analysis suggest that pound-for-pound its environmental costs are amongst the highest of any product on the planet. In this paper we explore the market price of “sustainable” notebooks. Drawing on the framework of the ‘tragedy of the commons’ we postulate that as manufacturers shift costs away from the commons to comply with sustainability standards, the cost to the consumer will inevitably rise. We test our hypothesis by comparing the prices of EPEAT Gold certified notebooks with uncertified portable computers. The results are discussed, alternative hypotheses explored and further research outlined

Energy + Information \u3c Energy

There is sufficient scientific evidence to indicate that global warming is due to the rise of atmospheric CO2 resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (Pacala & Socolow, 2004)?. This is one of several significant environmental issues facing every human. We also need to address the degradation of the oceans (The Economist, 2008)?, biodiversity loss (Díaz, Fargione, Chapin, & Tilman, 2006)? , and declining fresh water sources (United Nations, 2006)?. Asteroid strikes have previously resulted in high levels of species extension because of the abrupt climate change created by atmospheric dust (Crowley & North, 1988)?. We could potentially have the same impact as an asteroid if we don’t develop sustainable practices at the individual, organizational, and societal level. We all need to adopt green practices. Scientists and engineers are investigating several solutions to these immense problems (e.g., electric cars, solar panels). Information systems, the greatest force for productivity improvement in the last half century, must play its part in this global problem. We have changed human behavior greatly in the last few decades (e.g., consider the Web, personal computers, and cell phones), and we have the potential to support the shift to a sustainable society. As well as using information systems to improve the efficiency of energy distribution and consuming systems, we can also think of using information systems to change human behavior in a green direction. This panel examines the potential of IS to promote green practices. In particular, we want to introduce the notion that by adding information to energy distribution and consumption systems we can reduce the amount of energy that such systems need to operate. Some new initatives to improve IS management practices in this area will also be described

The Multinational\u27s Nemesis: The Rise of ICT-Enabled Distributed Collective Intelligence?

The Multinational Corporation bestrode the 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries like the Colossus of Rhodes. Through their efficiency in organizing and effectiveness in achieving goals, multinationals have shaped the world in which we live perhaps even to a greater extent than governments and the people they purport to represent. Yet just as the Rhodes colossus was toppled from below, the rise of grass roots, virtual groups represents a similar seismic nemesis to the modern multinational. In this panel we will debate whether ICTenabled distributed collective intelligence organizations are truly a challenge to the multinational’s hegemony in three areas: 1) are these new organizational forms as efficient and effective as traditional multinationals at enabling coordinated action, 2) are these new organizational forms superior to multinationals in providing social community, and 3) are these new organizational forms qualitatively more effective than multinationals as drivers of social change. Is the hierarchical colossus about to meet its nemesis: the rhizomorphic virtual collective

Exploring the pleiotropic effects of technology on society or making social lemonade from technological lemons : six rules for marketers

Since the 1960’s the customer has been at the focal point of business and the marketer’s job has been one of “identifying and meeting human and social needs” to create and deliver value to the customer. The result is that the marketer straddles the interface between technology and society, serving as both mediator and manager. In this research, I build towards a singular research goal; helping marketers understand the relationship between technology and society in a manner that provides them with the insight they need to deal effectively with the unintended consequences of technology. I begin this thesis by building the theoretical foundation needed to situate the five studies underlying this research. Next I introduce these studies in turn, outlining the question, methodology and results of each. Finally, I use the findings from these studies to address my original research question. This research topic is challenging because the world of technology and the social world are conflated. The terms ‘social’ and ‘technical’ are abstractions of a convoluted whole – society is embedded in technology and technology is embedded in society. To meet this challenge, I introduce and apply a new methodological approach for analyzing sociotechnical systems in the marketing domain. This approach has allowed me to answer the original research question on two levels ways. First, I developed a formal set of propositions to guide marketing researchers exploring the relationship between technology and society, and second I present marketing practitioners with six rules for dealing with the unexpected effects of socio-technical interactions, or more simply: six rules for making social lemonade from technological lemons. As this research shows, the inevitable unintended pleotropic consequences of technology’s impact on society and of society’s impact on technology create a constant flux of opportunity and risk and therefore represents a major challenge for marketers.Godkänd; 2011; 20111005 (phides); DISPUTATION Ämnesområde: Industriell marknadsföring Opponent: Professor Douglas West, University of London, Clore Management, UK Ordförande: Professor Esmail Salehi-Sangari, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Torsdag den 15 december 2011, kl. 14.30 Plats: A109), Luleå tekniska universitet</p

UGIS: Understanding the nature of user-generated information systems

People from around the world are bringing together a variety of information technologies--devices, services, applications, networks, and information--to create personal information systems. This emerging phenomenon is enabled by a convergence of inexpensive, powerful, and ubiquitous devices and applications connected through global networks, motivated by an open ideology and enacted by 'prosuming' users. This article examines the phenomenon of the user-generated information system (UGIS) to better understand its origins and thereby describe its nature. A formal definition of UGIS is developed, and its components described. A model of the ideological and technical forces that contribute to the changing role of the user as information system creator, and to the emergence of this capability and issues, is introduced. Implications for managers are discussed.UGIS User-generated information systems Bricolage Web 2.0 End-user development Composability Prosumer

Rising to the challenge : A model of contest performance

Contests are a ubiquitous form of promotion widely adopted by financial services advertisers, yet, paradoxically, academic research on them is conspicuous in its absence. This work addresses this gap by developing a model of contest engagement and performance. Using motivation theory, factors that drive participant engagement are modeled, and engagement's effect on experience and marketing success of the contest specified. Measures of contest performance, in-contest engagement and post-contest enduring interest are included. From the model, propositions are developed. Overall, the model provides financial service marketers with a theory-based foundation for designing and operating successful contests.This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Journal of Financial Services Marketing. The definitive publisher-authenticated version: Journal of Financial Services Marketing (2011) 16, 263–274, is available online at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/fsm/journal/v16/n3/abs/fsm201118a.htmlQC 2012011

The impact of country connectedness and cultural values on the equity of a country’s workforce

The impact of country connectedness and cultural values on the equity of a country’s workforce: A cross-country investigatio

The Multinational's Nemesis: The Rise of ICT-Enabled Distributed Collective Intelligence?

The Multinational Corporation bestrode the 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries like the Colossus of Rhodes. Through their efficiency in organizing and effectiveness in achieving goals, multinationals have shaped the world in which we live perhaps even to a greater extent than governments and the people they purport to represent. Yet just as the Rhodes colossus was toppled from below, the rise of grass roots, virtual groups represents a similar seismic nemesis to the modern multinational. In this panel we will debate whether ICTenabled distributed collective intelligence organizations are truly a challenge to the multinational’s hegemony in three areas: 1) are these new organizational forms as efficient and effective as traditional multinationals at enabling coordinated action, 2) are these new organizational forms superior to multinationals in providing social community, and 3) are these new organizational forms qualitatively more effective than multinationals as drivers of social change. Is the hierarchical colossus about to meet its nemesis: the rhizomorphic virtual collective