Life Cycle Extension Methods for Personal Computers

As a rich documentation of social and environmental impacts of computers during their utilisation already exists, the present work mainly deals with the question of how the technical life of a computer can be extended. Additionally the resulting environmental and economical benefits are being assessed. Different life cycle extension methods are critically reviewed and, subsequently, the acceptance of end-users regarding the use of computer systems, whose life cycle is prolonged, is evaluated. Furthermore, the economic impact on businesses using such computer systems is also measured. Two different questionnaires, one for individuals and another for computer experts, serve as the basis for a scoring and a system model. Based on these two models, the above issues are discussed and summarized.

Autorentext

studied Environmental Systems Sciences with a special focus on Business Administration at the Universities of Graz and Oklahoma. During his studies he specialized on industrial ecology, energy and innovation management. His master's thesis was written on the Institute for Systems Science, Innovation & Sustainability Research.