Inhalt

[ 480AMSGCE1K17 ] KS Circular Economy 1: Innovation, Design and Quality Perspectives

Versionsauswahl
Workload Education level Study areas Responsible person Hours per week Coordinating university
3 ECTS M2 - Master's programme 2. year Economics Erik Hansen 2 hpw Johannes Kepler University Linz
Detailed information
Original study plan Master's programme Management in Polymer Technologies (MPT) 2022W
Objectives The Circular Economy (CE) is a new vision covering the multiple levels of economies, organizations and individuals (as well as the societies they are embedded in) by addressing several of today's challenges. Such challenges include resource scarceness (e.g. critical materials), environmental pollution and degradation (e.g. climate change, loss of biodiversity, unhealthy products) and the increasing dependency on ever increasing production quantities (and related resource usage) for safeguarding (national) employment levels. The CE proposes a value creation architecture based on material flows circulating either in biological cycles (e.g. biodegradable products) or technical cycles (e.g. reuse, refurbishing, repairing, recycling of products and materials) ultimately aiming at higher resource efficiency, decreased dependency on external inputs and significant increase of regional job opportunities in the service sector (e.g. repair, refurbishing). Furthermore, product sharing (e.g. carsharing) is considered an additional strategy for using existing resources more intensively.

Against this background, this seminar will look at the implications of the CE for product and service development strategies (e.g. design-for-circularity, product take-back strategies), quality design and management (e.g. quality criteria for cycled materials and products) and firm's business models (e.g. transformation from product sales to product-service-systems approach).

Subject
  • Circular product design concepts (e.g. cradle to cradle)
  • Product take-back strategies
  • Quality criteria for cycled materials and products
  • Circular business model strategies
Criteria for evaluation Exam or class assignments and active participation
Methods Research-based seminar in which students work alone or in groups on selected circular economy topics.

Initial literature is provided by the instructor is used to enter the scientific field. This allows students to get an in-depth insight into the current scientific discourse.

Manifold practical insights into diverse industries through practical examples or case-based teaching.

Language English
Study material To be announced
Changing subject? No
On-site course
Maximum number of participants -
Assignment procedure Assignment according to priority