Abstract
Pervasive mobile services are part of almost all business processes. These services are provided irrespective of location, time and place using devices such as mobile phones, smartphones and laptops. This boost in mobile services has also resulted in numerous environmental challenges ranging from design and manufacturing of the mobile device through to mobile service providers and corresponding network infrastructure. This chapter outlines the use of mobile services to increase customer base. In addition, it also provides a better view on opting mobile wireless services over wired services. Environmental challenges around the use of mobile services are described as part of the chapter. Finally some suggestions to reduce carbon emissions and to be energy efficient are provided. In short the chapter goes in line with sentence “Going green is no longer optional from business vantage point” (Brenner, 2008).
TopEnvironmental Challenges Of Mobile Services
There are three categories of environmental challenges faced by organizations involved in supply chain of mobile service life cycle. These challenges could be understood as follows:
Key Terms in this Chapter
Virtualization: Virtualization refers to the way of hiding the physical characteristics of the computing resources in a way in which other applications or systems interact with those resources.
RFID: RFID is a technology that incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal or person.
Mobile Phone Recycling: Mobile Phone Recycling refers to reuse of used mobile handsets as well as donating the used devices to some individuals or organizations that can make use of device parts again.
Sustainability: Sustainability refers to the capacity to bear or suffer. It refers to the concept of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Bundled Mobile Plans: Bundled mobile plans refers to bundled services in which all the mobile services are offered. It acts as a roof or package for all the mobile services.
ERBS (Environmentally Responsible Business Strategies): ERBS refers to business strategies for sustainable business development. These strategies include the activities that meet the needs of an enterprise and stakeholders while protecting natural resources.
Green House Gases: Green house gases include methane, chloroflurocarbons and CO2 which act as a shield that traps heat in earth’s atmosphere and thus contribute to global warming.