Justifying LCD monitors

[TonyT]

Why LCD is better than CRT ? 1. Less power consumption. 2 Less glare good for your eyes. 3. Less space required 4. More ego added to your staff( feeling of importance translates to more productivity ). By the way, why not suggest a 3 year interest free employee loan for a CENTRINO notebook to your manager. It will save your company a ton of money.

[Guest.Visitor]

How can I justify the purchase of LCD monitors to a manager that only looks at it in terms of being more expensive than CRT monitors?

[bharder@nlrha.ab.ca]

I'm a convert to LCD technology and I was a skeptic previously (outside of laptops, PDA's, cell phones, etc.). Modern LCD screens seem to be pretty reliable, they are clear, and the contrast is excellent. We also find the cost differential is no longer a barrier. It's easy to overlook just how much space and weight is saved by these units. I've had to lug far too many monitors in my time, and the bigger they are the bigger the problem is. Many desks have proven to be too small for a substantial monitor (particularly those front office type desks with the shelving mounted at the outer edges). No more retrofitting, awkward positioning, ergonomic concerns. Your equipment will be more mobile and your staff will thank you too. The problem is that none of this may matter to your manager. I'm reading some meaning into your message, but it sounds to me like the problem is that this person is only interested in initial purchase price. It's not a new problem, organizationally speaking. If this is the case then you have a serious problem. Nothing will satisfy this individual except when LCD's become cheaper than CRT's. It's short sighted by definition, but there you have it. There are a few possibilities. You may be able to broaden the manager's perspective by calculating some lifecycle costs. You may be able to appeal to some hidden character trait in the person (LCD's are newer and have a much higher "cool" factor than big, bulky CRT's). You may be able to pressure this individual by suggesting that competitors are using this technology. I would suggest getting in a small number of LCD's as a test. The manager in question should be agreeable to this since the organizational costs and risks are neglible. You may even want to give the manager one of the test units. If you get your foot in the door, I suspect this person's thinking will change just due to the evidence in front of his/her own eyes. Also, you will probably find that other champions for this technology emerge in your organization, and you need allies in order to get movement on this issue. I actually believe that CRT's are a declining technology now. Most of them will be replaced in time with flat panel displays, just as dot matrix printers are now relegated to niche applications.