Green IT and Green IS: Definition of Constructs and Overview of Current Practices

In this paper, the evolution of environmentally sustainable information systems management, addressed through the terms Green IT and Green IS, is analyzed from an IS research perspective. The theoretical foundations of this research area are examined through a literature review and revised in the scope of a content analysis. The characteristics of Green IT and Green IS are contrasted, and impact areas are identified. Based on these findings, the concepts of Green IT and Green IS are thoroughly defined. Next, a wide range of prevalent Green IT practices is assigned to specific value creation processes of IT departments and presented in a catalogue of Green IT measures. Greens IS initiatives, which enable environmentally sustainable business processes and end products, are categorized and consolidated in a comprehensive list of relevant practices. This paper provides an overview of theoretical constructs and practice-oriented implementation measures, thus facilitating insights to both, academics and practitioners

Reference Model for Sustainable Information Systems Management: Establishing a Holistic Research Agenda

Green IT has become a well-known topic in academic journals and conferences of the IS research community. Recently, a shift from Green IT to Green IS could be observed. Green IS is a more far-reaching concept that comprises IT-enabled business and production processes as well as human skills and activities such as IT management. To proceed towards a holistic approach of sustainable IS management that addresses all dimensions of the triple bottom line, social aspects should be considered next to environmental issues. To do so, we propose a research agenda in the form of a matrix that reveals possible fields of action where a new triple bottom line thinking has to be integrated into prevalent business practices and decision-making processes. As a first step, we define the core processes of IT management as basis for our reference model: govern, source, make, and deliver. On the basis of the ten suggested fields of action, we identify a wide range of possible sustainability initiatives that allow for a more sustainable IT management in the context of an extensive literature review. The practice-oriented Reference Model for Sustainable Information Systems Management adds to the body of knowledge by consolidating and structuring established concepts. This is helpful for both practitioners and academics: practitioners get an overview of possible measures to make their organizations more sustainable and academics can draw on the classification system to identify and close research gaps in a systematic way

Towards a Typology of Green IS Strategies: Insights from Case Study Research

In this paper we develop a typology of Green IS strategies and address two research questions: 1) What different types of Green IS strategies can be identified in a real-life context? 2) How do firms with distinct Green IS strategies conceive the role of Green IS within their organization? We begin with the a priori definition of Green IS strategy and conduct an exploratory case study that examines multinational companies from different industries. Across these cases, four distinct Green IS strategies are identified as a result of a within-case analysis and the emerging patterns are more closely defined using a cross-case analysis. Insights are compared with extant literature and findings are consolidated in five propositions that outline characteristics of Green IS strategies. These propositions guide the conceptualization of a typology of Green IS strategies which illustrates four generic strategies: Green IS for Efficiency, for Innovation, for Transformation, and for Credibility

How Sustainable is COBIT 5? Insights from Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Survey Data

Increasing consideration of the concept of sustainability within information technology (IT) organizations and information systems (IS) management has lead to rising challenges regarding the application of existing, non- or partially sustainable IT process models. Although IT reference models exist within the scope of sustainable IS management, the integration of sustainability aspects into well-established IT reference models of IS management and IT governance still lacks theoretical foundation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the specificities of sustainability in the current COBIT 5 process reference model. Based on an argumentative-deductive analysis of COBIT 5, enriched with results of a survey, we examine the significance and specificities of sustainability in COBIT 5 from the user perspective. Our findings provide valuable insights referring to sustainability-related deficits of COBIT 5. Furthermore, this paper can serve as a theoretical basis for further research that eventually takes a sustainability-oriented adjustment of COBIT 5 into account

Aligning Green IT with Environmental Strategies: Development of a Conceptual Framework that Leverages Sustainability and Firm Competitiveness

Environmental technologies are becoming increasingly important for business firms to reduce environmental impacts anddifferentiate from competitors. In this paper, fundamental approaches of strategic management are presented and the strategicsignificance of sustainability initiatives and Green Information Technology (Green IT) is analyzed. Environmental strategiesare introduced and the importance of strategically aligning the business, sustainability, and IT domain is highlighted. Weargue that there is no consistent approach for aligning Green IT with sustainability goals and business objectives so far. Toclose this research gap, we integrate Green IT into the concept of IT strategy and develop the Strategic Green IT AlignmentFramework (SGITAF), which could prove meaningful for both practitioners and academics. The SGITAF differentiatesbetween an internal and an external perspective and comprises the domains Green IT and environmental sustainability. Fourdistinct Green IT alignment perspectives, which vary according to their competitive focus and their competitive advantage,are suggested

Building an Optical Free-Electron Laser in the Traveling-Wave Thomson-Scattering Geometry

We show how optical free-electron lasers and enhanced incoherent Thomson scattering radiation sources can be realized with Traveling-Wave Thomson-Scattering (TWTS) today. Emphasis is put on the realization of optical free-electron lasers (OFELs) with existing state-of-the-art technology for laser systems and electron accelerators. The conceptual design of optical setups for the preparation of laser pulses suitable for TWTS OFELs and enhanced Thomson sources is presented. We further provide expressions to estimate the acceptable alignment tolerances of optical components for TWTS OFEL operation. Examples of TWTS OFELs radiating at 100 nm, 13.5 nm and 1.5 Å as well as an incoherent source producing 30 keV photons highlight the feasibility of the concept and detail the procedure to determine the optical components parameters of a TWTS setup

Association between expression of the Bone morphogenetic proteins 2 and 7 in the repair of circumscribed cartilage lesions with clinical outcome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although there is much known about the role of BMPs in cartilage metabolism reliable data about the <it>in vivo </it>regulation in natural and surgically induced cartilage repair are still missing.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Lavage fluids of knee joints of 47 patients were collected during surgical therapy. 5 patients had no cartilage lesion and served as a control group, the other 42 patients with circumscribed cartilage defects were treated by microfracturing (19) or by an Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (23). The concentrations of BMP-2 and BMP-7 were determined by ELISA. The clinical status was evaluated using the IKDC Score prior to and 1 year following the operation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>High level expression in the control group was found for BMP-2, concentrations of BMP-7 remained below detection levels. No statistical differences could be detected in concentrations of BMP-2 or BMP-7 in the lavage fluids of knees with cartilage lesions compared to the control group. Levels of BMP-7 did not change after surgical cartilage repair, whereas concentrations of BMP-2 statistically significant increased after the intervention (p < 0.001). The clinical outcome following cartilage regenerating surgery increased after 1 year by 29% (p < 0.001). The difference of the IKDC score after 1 year and prior to the operation was used to quantify the degree of improvement following surgery. This difference statistically significant correlated with initial BMP-2 (R = 0.554, p < 0.001) but not BMP-7 (R = 0.031, n.s.) levels in the knee joints.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>BMP-2 seems to play an important role in surgically induced cartilage repair; synovial expression correlates with the clinical outcome.</p

How IT executives create organizational benefits by translating environmental strategies into Green IS initiative

Organizations increasingly recognize that environmental sustainability is an urgent problem. Green information systems (Green IS) initiatives can assist organizations in reaching their environmental goals by providing the ability to reduce the environmental impacts of information technology (IT) manufacturing, operations and disposal; facilitate transparency and enhance the efficiency of organizational resources and business processes; and foster eco-products through technological innovation. However, the nature and type of benefits such initiatives can accrue remain poorly understood, and accordingly, IT executives struggle to integrate environmental aspects in the corporate strategy and to launch Green IS initiatives. This paper clarifies the mechanisms that link organizational beliefs about environmental sustainability to Green IT and Green IS actions undertaken, and the organizational benefits that accrue from these actions. Using data from a global survey of 118 senior-level IT executives, we find that Green IS strategies mediate the relationship between environmental orientation and the implementation of Green IT practices and Green IS practices, which in turn lead to organizational benefits in the form of cost reductions, corporate reputation enhancement and Green innovation capabilities. Our findings have implications for the potential of IS to enable organizations' environmental sustainability and also for the differentiation of Green IT and Green IS practices

Green It Strategies: A Case Study-Based Framework For Aligning Green It With Competitive Environmental Strategies

Green Information Technology (IT) has become an important topic in IT management research and practice in the last years due to economic opportunities and increasing pressure from stakeholders. However, many IT organisations fail to manage their environmental efforts in an adequate manner since they neglect the strategic aspects of this topic. This paper reveals the strategic relevance o