The concept of the circular economy has been introduced to China and encouraged to be implemented in manufacturing industries by the government in recent years. The implementation of a circular economy in the mobile phone product system can potentially serve as a solution to reducing a significant amount of waste mobile phones. However, the development of a circular economy in China is still at the beginning phase. To help with the promotion of a circular economy, this thesis was proposed. The aim is to explore the possibility to promote a circular economy in the mobile phone product system in China and the main target group is mobile phone producers. The main methodology of this thesis was system dynamics modeling. A system dynamic model was developed to analyze the potential sustainability profits and economic profits. A questionnaire and a literature review were conducted to collect relevant data for the model. The study proposed three strategies (old-for-new, eco-design, and product service system) for producers to promote a circular economy. The profitability of the three scenarios was evaluated and then a sensitivity analysis of the parameters in the model was conducted. According to the model results, the old-for-new strategy was the most profitable and the strategy of the product- service system could not bring additional profit to producers if only economic profits were considered. The general suggestion for producers on maximizing the profitability was propagandizing the significance of mobile phone collection and recycling to increase consumers’ awareness.

Water scarcity is a growing problem on Earth. One of the goals in Agenda 2030, whichall of the UN members adapted is to make clean water accessible by everyone and ensuresustainable water withdrawals. In order to take a step towards the solution, a companynamed Quandify has developed smart water meters to measure households’ water consumptionwhich can be installed by anyone.In this bachelor’s thesis, the author collaborates with Quandify to develop a proofof concept (POC) to investigate if it was possible to create a mobile phone applicationthat could help residents reduce their water consumption. The author uses state of artsuggestions in persuasive technology literature and usability heuristics for user interactiondesign and implements it into the application to increase the chance of user behaviourchange towards water consumption.The result is a mobile phone application where the users get inspiration and tips onhow to reduce their water consumption and lets the users see their water consumptionin real-time. The report also includes a small POC user study to rate the mobile phoneapplication with respect to usability heuristics.

I den här kvantitativa studien undersöks skillnaden i effektivitet och användarupplevelse mellan mobiltelefoner och datorer. Frågan är om effektiviteten och/eller användarens upplevelse kommer att påverkas om besökaren använder en mobiltelefon eller en dator för att utföra uppgifter på en e-handelswebbplats. I jakt på svar granskas tidigare forskning och teorier kring ämnena användbarhet, användarupplevelse och effektivitet. En jämförande forskningsdesign används där två olika webbshoppar studeras. För att undersöka effektivitet, studeras tid och använda klick, som behövs för att användaren ska kunna utföra sina uppgifter. Effektiviteten mäts genom strukturerade observationer. För att studera skillnaden i användarupplevelse genomförs strukturerade intervjuer. T-tester och värmekartor analyseras för att dra följande slutsatser. Effektiviteten påverkas inte av valet av enhetstyp men resultaten visar också att användarupplevelsen påverkas av valet av enhet. / In this quantitative study the difference in efficiency and user experience between mobile phones and computers are examined. The question is whether efficiency and/or the user's experience will be affected if the visitor uses a mobile phone or a computer to complete tasks on an e-commerce website. In search of answers, previous research and theories on the topics of usability, user experience and efficiency are reviewed. Acomparative research design is used where two different webshops are studied. To examine efficiency, time spent and clicks used, needed for the user to achieve their tasks is measured in structured observations. To study the difference in user experience, structured interviews are conducted. T-tests and heatmaps are analyzed to draw the following conclusions. Efficiency is not affected by the choice of device type but results also show that the user experience is affected by the choice of device.

Obesity and mobile phone usage have simultaneously spread worldwide. Radio frequency-modulated electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by mobile phones are largely absorbed by the head of the user, influence cerebral glucose metabolism, and modulate neuronal excitability. Body weight adjustment, in turn, is one of the main brain functions as food intake behavior and appetite perception underlie hypothalamic regulation. Against this background, we questioned if mobile phone radiation and food intake may be related. In a single-blind, sham-controlled, randomized crossover comparison, 15 normal-weight young men (23.47 ± 0.68 years) were exposed to 25 min of RF-EMFs emitted by two different mobile phone types vs. sham radiation under fasting conditions. Spontaneous food intake was assessed by an ad libitum standard buffet test and cerebral energy homeostasis was monitored by 31phosphorus-magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements. Exposure to both mobile phones strikingly increased overall caloric intake by 22–27% compared with the sham condition. Differential analyses of macronutrient ingestion revealed that higher calorie consumption was mainly due to enhanced carbohydrate intake. Measurements of the cerebral energy content, i.e., adenosine triphosphate and phosphocreatine ratios to inorganic phosphate, displayed an increase upon mobile phone radiation. Our results identify RF-EMFs as a potential contributing factor to overeating, which underlies the obesity epidemic. Beyond that, the observed RF-EMFs-induced alterations of the brain energy homeostasis may put our data into a broader context because a balanced brain energy homeostasis is of fundamental importance for all brain functions. Potential disturbances by electromagnetic fields may therefore exert some generalized neurobiological effects, which are not yet foreseeable.

Studien undersöker nomofobi, en förkortning av ‘no mobile phobia’, där individer upplever negativa känslor eller tankar då de finner sig utan sin mobiltelefon. Med mätinstrumentet Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) som underlag utvecklades den svenska versionen NMP-Q-SE, som består av 19 påståenden. Explorativ faktoranalys visade att 64% av variansen i svaren förklarades av tre bakomliggande faktorer som namngavs; (1) att förlora tillgång till kommunikation, (2) att förlora tillhörighet och (3) att förlora tillgång till information och bekvämlighet med Cronbach’s α=.939, vilket gjorde instrumentet lämpligt för undersökning av nomofobi med hänsyn till validitet och reliabilitet. Statistisk analys av medelvärdet för de 220 deltagarna motsvarade en måttlig grad av nomofobi enligt klassificeringen, M=64.47, SD=24.267. Signifikanta skillnader mellan kön fanns i faktor 1, där kvinnor (M=30.75, SD=10.38) hade högre poäng än män (M=25.91, SD= 12.40), t(76.67)=2.573, p=0.012. Variansanalys visade att respondenter med högre utbildningsnivå (M=66.50, SD=23.59) uppvisade signifikant högre poäng än dem med lägre utbildningsnivå (M=57.89, SD=23.83) för totalpoäng samt faktor 2 och 3, p=0.02. Deltagarna med en högre daglig skärmtid uppvisade även signifikant högre totalpoäng NMP-Q-SE (M=70.28, SD=25.88) än de med lägre daglig användningstid av mobiltelefon (M=59.30, SD=21.41), t(218)=-3.439, p=0.01, vilket tyder på ett samband mellan ökad användningstid av mobiltelefon och försvårad nomofobi som bör undersökas vidare. / This study explores nomophobia, shortened for no mobile phobia, where an individual experiences negative thoughts or emotions in situations without limited or no access to their mobile phone. Based on the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), a Swedish version NMP- Q-SE was designed consisting of 19 items. Exploratory factor analysis identified three underlying factors of nomophobia explaining 64% of variance which were named; (1) losing access to communication. (2) losing connectedness and (3) losing access to information and convenience, with Cronbach's α=.939, thus proving the NMP-Q-SE an adequate instrument for exploring nomophobia with validity and reliability. Statistical analysis showed a mean NMP-Q-SE score for the 220 participants reflecting a moderate degree of nomophobia according to the classification, M=64.47, SD=24.267. Significant differences between sexes were found for factor 1, where women (M=30.75, SD=10.38) scored higher than men (M=25.91, SD= 12.40), t(76.67)=2.573, p=0.012. ANOVA results showed that participants with a higher level education (M=66.50, SD=23.59) scored significantly higher than their lower-level education counterparts (M=57.89, SD=23.83) in total scores and factors 2 and 3, p=0.02. There were significant differences in NMP-Q-SE total and factor scores between participants averaging a lower screen time (M=59.30, SD=21.41) and those higher (M=70.28, SD=25.88), t(218)=-3.439, p=0.01, indicating a relationship between extended phone usage time and more severe nomophobia which should be further examined.

Reliable forecasting models are needed to achieve the climate related goals in the face of increasing transport demand. Such models can predict the long-term behavioural response to policy interventions, including infrastructure investments, and thus provide valuable pre-dictions for decision makers. Contemporary forecasting models are mainly based on national travel surveys. Unfortunately, the response rates of such surveys have steadily declined, implying that the respondents become less representative of the whole population. A particular weakness is that it is likely that respondents with a high valuation of time are less willing to respond to surveys (because they have less time available for such), and therefore there is a high chance that they are underrepresented among the respondents. The valuation of time plays an important role for the cost benefit analyses of public policies including transport investments, and there is no reliable way of controlling for this uneven sampling of time preferences. Fortunately, there is simultaneously an increase in the number of signals sent between mobile phones and network antennae, and research has now reached the point where it is possible to determine not only the travel destination but also the travel mode based on mobile phone network antennae connections. The aim of this thesis is to investigate if and how mobile phone network data can be used to estimate transportation mode choice demand models that can be used for forecasting and planning. Key challenges with using this data source in the context of mode choice models are identified and met. The identified challenges include uncertainty in the choice variable, the difficulty to distinguish car and bus trips, and the lack of information about the trip purpose. In the first paper we propose three possible model formulations and analyse how the uncertainty in the choice outcome variable would play a role in the different model formulations. We also conclude that it is indeed possible to estimate mode choice demand models based on mobile phone network data, with good results in terms of behavioural interpretability and significance. In the second paper we estimate models using a nested logit structure to account for the difficulty in separating bus and car, and a latent class model specification to meet the challenge of having an unknown trip purpose. / <p><strong>Funding agencies:</strong> The research in this thesis has mainly been funded by the research projects DEMOPAN and DEMOPAN-2 within the research program Transportekonomi at The Swedish Transport Administration.</p>

<p>  </p> <p>Over the past decades, adoption and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has become an area of interest. The advancement of information and communication technologies in rural areas of developing countries offered opportunities to disseminate timely and accurate for rural development. However, the adoption and use of agricultural market information services (AMIS) remained insignificant among smallholder farmers in the rural areas of developing countries. Therefore, a sound understanding on possible factors associated with the use of mobile phone-based services in support of agricultural supply chain is necessary. This study applied an extended diffusion of innovation model (DOI). The study relied on a convenient sample of 200 smallholder farmers in Bungoma County, Kenya. Data was analyzed using descriptive and multinomial logistic regression (MLR) statistics to identify possible factors associated with the adoption and use of mobile phone-based services in Bungoma County, Kenya. The backward selection analysis confirmed that innovativeness, social influence, and compatibility were statistically significant on the use of mobile phone-based services in the study context. Overall, the results confirmed a positive relationship between the final model and the use of mobile phone-based services (M-services). Therefore, the results of this study may contribute knowledge to the domain of ICT4D in the rural context of developing countries. Further, the findings of this study established knowledge that may be useful for practical implications among smallholder farmers and policy makers in the field of ICT4D. </p>

No / The probability density and exceedance probability functions of the induced currents in a screened cable connecting two enclosures, resulting from the close. presence of single and multiple mobile phones working at 900 MHz, are investigated. The analysis of the problem is undertaken using the Method of Moments, but due to weak coupling, the impedance matrix was modified to reduce the memory and time requirements for the problem, to enable it to be executed multiple times. The empirical probability distribution functions (PDFs) and exceedance probabilities for the induced currents are presented. The form of the PDFs is seen to be quite well approximated by a log-normal distribution for a single source and by a Weibull distribution for multiple sources

Yes / Given the potential benefits such as time and location-based advertisements, the scope of interactivity and customisation through one-to-one target marketing, SMS-based (Short Messaging Service) advertisement, is now being considered as an important alternative marketing channel. This has raised a real challenge for marketers to harness the potential of this alternative channel by overcoming several limiting issues such as security, privacy, authenticity, and irritation of unknown senders. The main objective of this study is to identify and review relevant research issues faced by wireless marketing (particularly via SMS-based advertisement) as an aide to identify potential research gaps and for developing future guiding principles. The review and analysis of literature suggest that there is scope of undertaking further research on issues related to different cultures reflecting ubiquitous traits of mobile phone, SMS advertisement, market segmentation, location and time sensitive delivery, content and context of advertisement, language and appropriate delivery.

This study focuses on the telecommunication industry, specifically the mobile phone market at the base of the pyramid (BOP). A supply vs. demand stance is taken whereby demographic data offer insight into the demand while the location of telecommunication retail stores constitutes supply. The study furthermore makes extensive use of a GIS (geographical information system) which offers deeper insight into data and different applications thereof. Given the extensive nature of the data used in assessing the national market, a dashboard was developed as part of this research to ease data interpretation. The online map (GIS) and dashboard form an integral part of this report. Literature supports the targeting of the BOP as a viable market given the high volume of people in this market segment. Unconventional methods are, however, required to sustainably cater to this market. The development of multiple channels to target potential consumers has resulted in a dilution of the market in the retail environment. The retail channel however remains important in any company’s strategy to target the BOP. Telecommunication companies can not only benefit from the BOP but also offer benefits to the BOP. The World Bank has reported figures that show a 0.8% increase in GDP for every 10% increase in mobile penetration. Different sources identify the BOP by different income ranges. It became evident, however, that internationally the average applied to identify the BOP is households earning less than USD 3,000 (ZAR 31,440 at an exchange rate of R10.48 / USD) per annum. Although somewhat higher than the international average, the available data dictated that South Africa’s BOP be identified as households earning less than R38,200 per annum for the purposes of this research. Data indicate that 89% of households in South Africa have a mobile phone. By comparing the ownership of existing household goods this research found that of the 11% of households not owning a mobile phone, 6% would be willing to adopt a mobile phone. A tiered approach is followed in assessing the telecommunication opportunity for mobile phones in the BOP. The first tier assesses the entire market (all households in South Africa) at a municipal level. By including the total market, the opportunity in the BOP is put into perspective. The result was that the total BOP market offers a potential market of R563 million per month through 13.7 simcards. At the other end of the economic pyramid, the ROP offers a market of R2416 million per month through 14.6 million simcards. Thus, even though the BOP offers 48% of the total volume in the market, the value is only 19% of the total market. From a coverage perspective, 42% of BOP households are not covered by a telecom retailer whilst only 27% of the ROP households are not covered. A market of R247 million (through 5.8 million simcards) has been estimated in the BOP opposed to a R379 million market (through 5.8 million simcards) in the ROP. The second tier makes use of a case study to determine the viability of targeting the BOP. Moruleng Mall’s catchment area was analysed within the Moses Kotane municipality that offered a high opportunity as determined in the first tier of analysis. This case study made use of gravity modelling and found that Rustenburg’s retail offering would have limited influence and as such telecom retailers would have to revisit their strategy for the area. A number of shopping centre developments in rural areas were highlighted. Effectively while these developments are taking retail closer to the BOP or rual population, the market is diluted. From a retailer perspective, this makes it difficult to target an entire area through presence in one specific retail node or town. The ultimate finding of this this research suggests that it is in fact possible to target the BOP – however, that it is the ROP located between the BOP households that makes this a viable market. This suggests that it is rather not a question of the viability in targeting the BOP specifically but targeting the more dense rural areas that offer opportunity. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014