Unearthing the Value of Green IT

Combining the need for broadening the scope of IT value research and increasing urgency to deal with environmental challenges, this paper explores the concept of Green IT value. The paper presents the results of a small-scale examination of practitioner literature on the topic and finds that there are several dimensions of value related to Green IT that span across multiple levels of analysis, from the organization to society. Given inherent characteristics of environmental issues, traditional models for assessing the value of Green IT are insufficient. Therefore, this paper proposes that two theoretical perspectives, the natural resource-based view of the firm and environmental embeddedness, provide complementary insights which may help to explain organizations’ justification and choice of Green IT and how they realize value from these investments. A series of theoretical propositions is set out to guide further research in this important and emerging area.

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