3 research outputs found
Assessing organisations' readiness to adopt green information technology : the case of a South African information technology services vendor
Green information technology (IT) adoption is an important topic in the fields of information systems, business sustainability, and corporate social responsibility. This case study applies the green IT adoption model (GITAM) to perform a systematic and qualitative readiness assessment at a major South African IT services vendor. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data collected from managers and specialist IT staff. The assessment revealed that the main organisational adoption readiness barriers were the lack of a formal green IT policy, an unclearly defined green IT governance framework, and a lack of green performance management. The main drivers of adoption were economic imperatives and regulatory and ethical requirements. Interestingly, a contextual variable – an exogenous shock caused by COVID-19 and the robustness of the organisation’s crisis response during the pandemic – rapidly increased the rate of green IT adoption at the firm.Aanneming van groen inligtingstegnologie (IT) is 'n belangrike onderwerp op die gebied van inligtingstelsels, besigheidsvolhoubaarheid en korporatiewe sosiale verantwoordelikheid. Hierdie gevallestudie pas die groen IT-aannemingsmodel (GITAM) toe om 'n sistematiese en kwalitatiewe gereedheidsbeoordeling by 'n groot Suid-Afrikaanse IT-diensverskafferorganisasie uit te voer. Tematiese data-analise is gebruik om die data wat van bestuurders en spesialis IT-personeel ingesamel is, te ontleed. Die assessering het aan die lig gebring dat die vernaamste hindernisse vir organisatoriese aanvaardingsgereedheid die gebrek aan 'n formele groen IT-beleid, 'n onduidelik gedefinieerde groen IT-bestuursraamwerk en 'n gebrek aan groen prestasiebestuur was. Die belangrikste dryfvere van aanneming was ekonomiese imperatiewe en regulatoriese en etiese vereistes. Interessant genoeg het 'n kontekstuele veranderlike - 'n eksogene skok veroorsaak deur COVID-19 en die robuustheid van die organisasie se krisisreaksie tydens die pandemie - die tempo van groen IT-aanneming by die firma vinnig laat toeneem.http://sajie.journals.ac.za/pubam2024InformaticsSDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructur
Exploring green ICT implementation at a large Information and Communication Technology company in South Africa
Dissertation (MIT (Information Systems))--University of Pretoria, 2023.Climate change is a global problem which has pushed world leaders and their respective
countries to take definitive measures to address the environmental crises. One of the areas
of attention is the information, communication technology (ICT) sector. ICT tools and
infrastructure have higher rates of carbon emissions. Therefore, in line with the global call
to address climate change, ICT organisations are increasingly becoming involved in the
climate change agenda by committing to responsible Information Systems (IS) agenda. The
aim of IS, is to ensure that organisational processes enhance the quality of life contribute,
while ensuring business sustainability. Green ICT emerged as a result of the IS agenda.
Green ICT is a call for ICT users and organisations to take necessary measures to reduce
the environmental impact of ICT while enhancing the positive impact by reforming and
allowing sustainable business practices. To ensure Green ICT implementation, it is
important for organisations to assess Green ICT capabilities and constraints in order to run
ICT in accordance with Green ICT best practices. This qualitative, exploratory study sought
to investigate the implementation of Green ICT at a large IT professional services company
in South Africa, Gauteng. The study employed the Green IT adoption model (GITAM) as a
theoretical framework to explore the organisation's current approach to Green ICT
implementation. The dimensions of the GITAM model that informed the study are Green IT
context, Green IT readiness, Green IT drivers, and the intention to adopt Green IT.
The study population were executive and senior management positions, including C-level
managers and operational IT specialists involved in decision-making or day-to-day
operations, such as user support and client system implementations in the large IT
professional services company. Qualitative data was gathered using semi-structured
interviews. The data was then analysed using thematic analysis and the emerging themes
were linked to the GITAM model.
The study’s findings revealed that cost reduction, operational efficiency improvement, and
corporate image initiatives to fulfil regulatory requirements, customer expectations, andii
industry standards drive Green ICT deployment. Green efforts are hampered by the lack of
a clear Green ICT strategy and governance concerns. This is due to a lack of environmental
responsibility and green metric monitoring. In addition, the findings revealed that the COVID-
19 emergency response had a catalytic effect on promoting the implementation of Green
ICT. Telecommuting practices were widely adopted and accelerated, assisting the
organisation in the implementation of Green ICT, and enhancing resilience to the economic
shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study extends the GITAM model by
proposing an interpretive framework for Green ICT implementation. In addition, the findings
from the literature review expand understanding on how Green ICT adoption can be a
sustainable business model innovation for sustainable recovery after a crisis. In addition to
the framework, the study recommends that management should prioritise a comprehensive
and principled design approach for Green ICT management. Furthermore, the study
interrogates the conflicts of sustainability goals concerning the different environments and
stakeholders, showing that addressing the sustainability goals of all relevant stakeholders
is complex and challenging. Management should articulate the problem, devise a solution,
and set responsibility, learning, and measurement systems for green practises and
sustainable projects. Future studies might, among other things, expand on this research and
use the G-Readiness Index as a tool to assess and compare the organisation's Green ICT
capabilities and limits with other organisations in the industry.InformaticsMIT (Information Systems)Unrestricte