Green IS as practice instance
IBM Applies Green IT to Help Bank of China Cut Paper Use by 95%
ARMONK, NY — Through a combination of software solutions and streamlining systems, IBM has helped the Bank of China's London operations cut their paper requirements from 50 pounds per day to roughly 2.5 pounds per day. (( me --> better environmental performance through use of Green IS))
At the same time, IBM was able to improve the efficiency of how the bank's employees conducted their financial transactions. (( me --> better economic/financial performance))
IBM helped the bank achieve this success with a combination of its Informix and Centric iSolutions sofware programs; the paper reductions were implemented by cutting down on the roughly 3,000 messages that the Bank of China sent between branches every day; each of which needed to be manually printed and distributed. (( me --> this is where the practice part enabled by Green IS by the actors/people at BoCL emerge. BUT .. question to ponder: is it as easy as reported in the article to make this as an established practice by the industrious people at the BoCL? how does this practice emerge? is there any green culture already embedded in the mind and behaviour of the organisation prior to this (their so call "green" historical trajectory)? what are types of supports given by the people in power to see this practice happen and fruitful? how do people in BoCL accept this behaviour? are they being influenced by their past like their upbringing, socialisation, formal education, training, norms and values, etc?? how do their perception on climate change, eco-sustainability and what they do in their daily job influence their practice at their workplace (or at home)??))
By swapping out paper messages with electronic communications, employees are able to monitor the messages as they're sent and received, improving the reliability and efficiency of the system. (( me --> this is the practice bit and the overall outcome. BUT .. how do they religiously track, measure and reevaluate upon these outcomes?))
"The improved access to information has been key in helping us meet compliance regulations and reduce costs," Stephen Hinds, COO of Bank of China's London branch and subsidiary, said in a statement. "IBM and Centric iSolutions have been instrumental in helping us stay ahead to more efficiently manage an increasing number of interbank transactions and monitor business process activity across multiple departments." (( me --> external and internal factors driving this practice -- for regulatory compliance and for economic reasons))
IBM has of course been dramatically expanding the type of business operations it focuses on, adapting its business along with the overall shift of IT as a stand-alone department in a company to IT as a core facilitator of every part of a business. In recent months, the company has partnered with Schneider Electric on building energy efficiency, expanded its water management projects around the globe, and of course continued its work in greening traditional IT areas, such as with its LEED-certified data center in North Carolina.
All this has added up to big successes for IBM; the company was proudly touting its recent quarterly financials, which show a company generating over $9 billion in profit in 2010, a more than 10 percent growth over the previous year.
Note:
We define and focus our Green IS view more towards the use of Information Systems (i.e software itself or software-assisted practices) for eco-sustainability.