Methodology

The research methodology of the electronics project combines a variety of techniques to reflect the needs of different research activities. It includes desktop research and analysis (the internet, academic journals, trade press etc), semi-structured interviews (face to face and telephone), ongoing consultation with stakeholders and businesses, engagement with a number of initiatives and programmes concerning the sector, and an in company placement.

As an example, fieldwork in the USA investigating the e-waste issue targeted a range of stakeholders relating to defined framework conditions, as identified as part of the theoretical development of the research. These stakeholders included representatives with responsibility for e-waste management at each level of governance, including federal, state and local levels, and a range of associated regulatory agencies, together with a variety of industry and NGO stakeholders, and the research aimed to gain their views on a wide variety of topics relating to emergent problems and responses facing the electronics sector. Fieldwork in the US focused on three states; California, Oregon and Massachusetts, as these represented some of the different types of responses apparent. It became apparent, however, that the majority of the findings would be applicable to the US as a whole.

• Aims and Objectives
• Methodology
• Outputs
• Links
• References