G REEN I NFORMATION T ECHNOLOGY P RACTICES IN F IRMS IN A D EVELOPING E CONOMY T HE C ASE OF G HANA Richard Boateng, PhD. ICITD, Southern University, 2 U NDERSTANDING GREEN IT GIT refers to the concept that organizations should implement information technology projects and procedures which are environmentally friendly in line with corporate social responsibility (Molla, et al., 2008). E-Economy Redefining the space and place for competition Real Concerns on saving the earth Consumer groups Ethical groups Green corporate accountability Investor opinions Competition New government regulations Perceived benefits New technologies Firms in the information age GIT refers to the concept that organizations should implement information technology projects and procedures which are environmentally friendly in line with corporate social responsibility (Molla, et al., 2008). GIT is adopting technology related practices to create or promote a clean environment. 3 U NDERSTANDING GREEN IT GIT refers to the concept that organizations should implement information technology projects and procedures which are environmentally friendly in line with corporate social responsibility (Molla, et al., 2008). Firms in the information age E-Economy Redefining the space and place for competition Real Concerns on saving the earth Consumer groups Ethical groups Green corporate accountability Investor opinions Competition New government regulations Perceived benefits New technologies Sams Club Hardware isle changed to Home Efficiency center from consumer demand 3,564 solar panels on top of Walmart's Santa Ana, CA store - provides 20-30% energy 4 U NDERSTANDING GREEN IT What about the context of developing economies; especially Sub-Saharan Africa? G REEN IT P RACTICES M ODEL 5 Legend Figure 1: Green IT Framework End-of-life Management Service and Operating Sourcing Formally Defined Strategies towards GIT Informally Defined or Non-Defined Strategies Defined towards GIT Environmental footprint of an IT hardware supply chain Vendor and Service Provider Selection Environmental footprint of an IT hardware supply chain Vendor and Service Provider Selection PC Power Management Staff Computer Usage Virtualization Software & Services Telecommuting & Remote Conferencing PC Power Management Staff Computer Usage Virtualization Software & Services Telecommuting & Remote Conferencing Disposal of Computing Equipment Refurbishment Waste Paper Recycling Refills and Recycling of Printer Ink Disposal of Computing Equipment Refurbishment Waste Paper Recycling Refills and Recycling of Printer Ink Green IT Modified from Molla et al. (2008) and InfoTech (2009) Temporary Avoidance Structural consumption avoidance Temporary Avoidance Structural consumption avoidance Temporary avoidance avoid energy consumption, but do not reduce power capacity requirements power management applications and policies Structural avoidance do not significantly reduce functional capacity but reduce in installed power capacity low power processors for computers and mobile phones vs battery run-time life/speed/multi-functionality (Rasmussen, 2006) Temporary avoidance avoid energy consumption, but do not reduce power capacity requirements power management applications and policies Structural avoidance do not significantly reduce functional capacity but reduce in installed power capacity low power processors for computers and mobile phones vs battery run-time life/speed/multi-functionality (Rasmussen, 2006) R ESEARCH M ETHODS 6 Exploratory study in Ghana Data was collected through 18 interviews with IT professionals from 17 firms across 6 industries. The interviewees were questioned on their awareness of Green IT and strategies being used in their firms. Firms by Industry/Sector ICT Firms- 6 Retail- 2 Mining- 2 Manufacturing - 2 Agriculture- 1 Universities - 2* NGO- 1 Aviation- 1 Interviewees were IT managers/administrators or directors in their firms Questions where a mix of closed and open ended questions covering the three parts of the research model 7 A WARENESS OF G REEN IT Mining University ICT Firms Nature of operations Existing national laws concerning environmental sustainability Knowledge and experience of IT Manager previously worked for the UN Environment Program on a sustainability Initiative for the ICT section and familiar with the opportunities for dematerialization and energy efficiency offered by ICT. I have been involved with e-waste programs and in planning some initiative for UG ICT-D (Deputy ICT Director in a local university) previously worked for the UN Environment Program on a sustainability Initiative for the ICT section and familiar with the opportunities for dematerialization and energy efficiency offered by ICT. I have been involved with e-waste programs and in planning some initiative for UG ICT-D (Deputy ICT Director in a local university) 8 Reduction of Paper 5 Reduction of Ink Purchased 2 Measuring Carbon footprint of activities 1 (Mining) Reduction of Paper 5 Reduction of Ink Purchased 2 Measuring Carbon footprint of activities 1 (Mining) Power Management Strategies 5 Telecommuting & Remote Conferencing 4 Power Management Strategies 5 Telecommuting & Remote Conferencing 4 9 What next? An extensive study among Ghana Club 100 firms?