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The Value of Phones

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What is the cheapest phone that you can make?

 

Themes: social science, cell phone manufacturing, & economics

Background

 "What is the most powerful phone in the world?  The one in the hands of the world’s poorest women. In places where women’s freedom and opportunities are restricted, a mobile phone can change everything."
 

-Melinda Gates

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In many developing countries, access to both mobile and internet technology is substantially lower among women than men.

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Melinda Gates: A mobile phone can change a woman’s life - video (1:21)

 

Project 

Design the cheapest and most socially responsible phone that you can that will provide the essential functionality for the people you wish to help.

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Learning Objectives

  • Understand the advantage that cell phone ownership can give small business owners

  • Discover the materials and labor needed to manufacture cell phones 

  • Balance product cost with the environment and social cost of manufacturing

 

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