The Impetus and Catalytic Role of Green ICT for Business Benefit

The Impetus and Catalytic Role of Green ICT for Business Benefit

Keith Sherringham
Copyright: © 2011 |Pages: 11
DOI: 10.4018/jgc.2011010103
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Abstract

The monetized catalyst and impetus for the adoption of Green ICT by business are explored in this paper. For a business to significantly reduce its environmental footprint through the use of Green ICT, a strategic transformation of business is required. Such a transformation includes changes to business models, a redefinition of business processes, a realignment of information exchange, and integration of unified communication. Without the right impetuses and catalysts, a strategic transformation of a business may take a long time or, at worst, may not occur because of incumbency, cost, and risk. Like other strategic changes, the implementation of Green ICT is likely to be achieved through a series of tactical changes aligned to an overall strategy. However, such an incremental tactical approach requires consistency and persistency in taking advantage of many small business opportunities to implement Green ICT. Such an adoption of Green ICT is only likely to occur because of the business benefits achieved. Any catalyst and impetus for the adoption of Green ICT must provide tangible (monetized) benefits to a business, as well as prevent adverse outcomes.
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2. Business Drivers

The Significant adoption of Green ICT by business is a strategic business transformation requiring a redefinition of business processes, a realignment of information exchange, and integration of unified communication (Murugesan, 2011). The strategic transformation of a business to align with evolving business trends and market opportunities requires incumbency to be overcome, requiring catalysts and impetuses for change.

Everyday business activities provide businesses with many opportunities to implement Green ICT because Green ICT is good for business and achieve environmental outcomes in the process (Esty, 2006). Although these opportunities exist, the need to both sustain business and to concurrently support change means that special circumstances are required for a business to take advantage of the opportunities. Rather than using fortuitous circumstances, business can use the incremental approach of replacement of end-of-life equipment, depreciated assets, and new equipment purchases with Green ICT. Whilst such a tactical changes are of benefit to business, this approach is unlikely to drive the enterprise wide reengineering and the large scale adoption of Green ICT.

For an enterprise wide adoption of Green ICT, a business needs to have the capacity and capability to undertake a strategic transformation (Benson, 2004). This change requires the right strategy, process change, management of risk from external factors, and an alignment of people, ICT and data (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Cause and effect – factors influencing the adoption of Green ICT

jgc.2011010103.f01

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