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Small business in a small country: Attitudes to “Green” IT

Author

Listed:
  • Philip Coffey

    (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)

  • Mary Tate

    (Victoria University of Wellington)

  • Janet Toland

    (Victoria University of Wellington)

Abstract

New Zealand is a small country and most of its businesses are small with 96 % of all enterprises employing fewer than 20 people. New Zealand takes pride in its “clean green” image, however small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) have limited resources, low awareness of the environmental impacts of the technologies they use, and perceive relatively few imperatives for changing their practices. In this paper we use institutional theory to frame a study of the factors which influence SMEs to adopt Green IS/IT practices. We found a diversity of viewpoints that suggest that adopting a one size fits all approach around encouraging organizations to adopt Green IS/IT is unlikely to be successful. However, it is doubtful that leadership in this area will arise in the small business sector, and coercive pressure from Government or other regulatory bodies is likely to be required. Market-place imperatives from customers and large players in supply chains can also be significant. Institutional theory was further used to understand the relative importance of these different pressures. These findings have relevance in other contexts as SMEs are the dominant form of business in many countries around the world and SMEs are estimated to have a combined contribution of around 70 % in terms of global pollution.

Suggested Citation

  • Philip Coffey & Mary Tate & Janet Toland, 2013. "Small business in a small country: Attitudes to “Green” IT," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 15(5), pages 761-778, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:infosf:v:15:y:2013:i:5:d:10.1007_s10796-013-9410-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10796-013-9410-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    5. Mehdi Bensouda & Mimoun Benali, 2023. "The Role of Institutional Pressure and Dynamic Capabilities in Promoting Energy Efficiency Practices: Evidence from the Moroccan Manufacturing Sector," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(1), pages 352-361, January.
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    7. V. Aslihan NASIR & Reydan YASAR, 2018. "Green IT: The Perspective of IT Professionals," Journal of Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 1(1), pages 149-155, November.
    8. Roya Gholami & Alemayehu Molla & Suparna Goswami & Christopher Brewster, 0. "Green information systems use in social enterprise: the case of a community-led eco-localization website in the West Midlands region of the UK," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-17.
    9. Zhaojun Yang & Jun Sun & Yali Zhang & Ying Wang, 2018. "Peas and carrots just because they are green? Operational fit between green supply chain management and green information system," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 627-645, June.
    10. Zhaojun Yang & Jun Sun & Yali Zhang & Ying Wang, 0. "Peas and carrots just because they are green? Operational fit between green supply chain management and green information system," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-19.
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