Posted: March 14th, 2022

Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems

Ethical and Social Issues in Information Systems Page |

 

WIPRO IT Business Solutions

 

Green Initiatives by Wipro

 

Green IT is defined as the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers and related components like monitors, printers, networking and communications devises and storage drives such that it has no impact on the environment. (Murugesan, San, 2008). The objective of green IT solutions is to:

 

a) Reduce the application of hazardous materials

 

b) Maximize energy efficiency during the product life cycle

 

c) Promotion of recyclability or biodegradable materials to minimize wastage.

 

The challenge of green technology is twofold, first to make computers as much energy-efficient as possible and second is to design algorithms and systems that effectively use computer technology. Wipro has initiated the green IT with consolidation and visualization. Computer visualization is the notion of computer resources like the process of running two or more logical computer systems on one set of physical hardware.

 

Wipro Ltd. is a global corporation in the field of Information Technology. The company has been taking comprehensive measures since 2006 to address the climatic change conditions into their products and service delivery. Some of the initiatives taken by Wipro were innovative and were first such initiatives taken in India. The company had structured a goal of becoming carbon free by 2014. To accomplish this goal and take strategic measures to it, Wipro had established a governing body named as EcoEye. The committee consists of seven senior managers amidst which three of them were directly reporting to company’s chairman in their functional areas. The council had endorsed 120 projects focused on carbon free environment. Wipro green initiative was also reflected in their hardware production and named it as Greenware. The new range of products under the category of Greenware was made complaint with the European Restriction of Hazardous Substance (ROHS). ROHS use six hazardous materials to manufacture various types of electronic and electrical equipment. Methodology was adopted to make new PCs free from brominates flame retardants (BFR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and heavy metals like cadmium and mercury (Directive of the European Parliament of the Council, 2003). Green IT initiatives taken by Wipro was not confined to specific projects but the company had considered it as ongoing innovation aspect which meant to discover opportunities for company to diversify into business and product lines that will make great impact on the customer and society as a whole.

 

The three compulsions that had propelled Wipro to take green IT initiatives were: regulatory, physical and general. The most recent initiative taken by the company was setting up of two subsidiaries as part of their diversification strategy which was distinct from the core business. However, company’s diversification into these setups has portrayed company’s commitment to eco-businesses. Wipro has setup EcoEnergy system in June 2008, established to offer customized eco friendly solutions in clean energy to clients in all industries. EcoEye was inclusive deed for ecological sustainability. The objective of this charter was to make company

 

a) carbon free and water-positive organization

 

b) sustain decent levels of biodiversity marks

 

c) set standards in recycling waste

 

d) Assist employees achieve a smaller ecological footprint in their personal lives as well.

 

The company had offered wide range of products and services that had aimed at improving process efficiency for customers. Example of such initiative is that the company structured Intelligent Document Management that helped customer manage, archive and store paper and electronic documents. It is e-logistics management service providing a plat form for connecting to all sorts of travel networks like airlines, freight forwarders and customs thus helping paperless interaction and multi-format transmission of data for customers. Intelligent Smart Device Technology designed to efficiently manage infrastructure system across processes. It reduces the need for unnecessary maintenance inspections which eventually reduces carbon emissions. Company had tried to reduce travel cost and travel time and for this purpose it had established Unified Communication strategy that helps client to switch to teleconferencing and multimedia conferencing for the purpose of overseas communication. The Virtualization policy of the company enabled them to operate multiple operations system without the need to purchase additional hardware. It consolidate the functions of underutilized severs to compressed machines that reduce the cost of hardware and benefit the company on power, cooling agent, commercial space required and maintenance of the machine.

 

E-waste program was announced by Wipro in September 2006. It provided 16 collection centers all over the country for e-waste. E-waste disposal program was initiated for their customers. The objective was to collect discarded systems from computers and sent them to vendors who have been authorized by the Pollution Control Board to dispose of the parts.

 

Benefits Reaped by Wipro for Green It

 

The diversification of Wipro into the green business had benefited the company manifolds. Wipro had reduced its servers from 400 to 100 that had enabled company to save on power annually to about 1 million KWH. The e-waste management initiated by the company enabled end-to-end e-waste management in its product lifecycle, spanning, designing, and manufacturing and up to the final disposal of the products.

 

Wipro had initiated its efforts towards Corporate Social Responsibility through a program named Wipro Applying Thoughts in Schools; it started in January 2001 (Wipro Corporate website, 2011). The program had focused on primary education till grade 8th on community level. The purpose of this program was to promulgate among community that Wipro is Knowledge Company. The scope of this program was its network spread in 30 organizations in 17 different provinces of India.

 

The objective of this program was to generate change agents through regular Educational Leadership Programs for school principals and teachers to help them create skills among students for environmental friendly solutions. This program was concentrating on building occupational skills, personal skills and managerial skills. The program was providing 125,000 hours of training to over 2,500 teachers and principals in 100 schools. The trainers for this program were gathered through Wipro Cares which an in-house initiate was taken to mobilize volunteers from the company and their homes to participate in this social cause.

 

Teleconferencing and telecommuting initiative taken by the company in response to green business program had benefit the company in many ways. It had increased workers satisfaction, reduced greenhouse gas emission due to travel, saved lot of travel cost of the company and also saved lot of travel time of its employees. Company had increased its profit margin due to overhead cost reduction like light, power, travel expenses, office space and heat etc.

 

Data centers are considered to occupy bulky space and extraordinary high energy demand. This was the primary focus of the green business. Wipro had used the technology of consolidation through which it consolidates its various applications in single unit. This had benefited the company with bulky space requirement and high energy used in the datacenters was also minimized.

 

Challenges Faced by Wipro

 

Wipro is faced with many challenges during its transitional phase into green business. Converting non-green datacenters to green datacenters is not an easy task. It requires heavy initial investment of Rs. 6 million for the process of virtualization. There was a big question mark for the company that will it be able to earn over this heavy investment? After all the company is profit oriented organization has to ensure its sustainability through continuous stream of profit margins over the years. The challenge was if the diversification of business into new unit didn’t work out it will adversely affect the complete product line of the company and will risk the return and investment made by the stock holders.

 

Recycling computing equipment launched through e-waste was made to keep harmful materials like lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium out from the land dubbing saving the environment from poisonous gasses. Computer systems that have been obsolete can be re-proposed or donated to various charities and non-profit organizations. The disadvantage from this recycling is that computer and related items gathered through the recycling process are often shipped to the developing countries where they are sold on half prices. This is the major challenge of company’s product international market coverage and its image which gets distorted due to the marketing of second hand products in these international markets.

 

Learning Point from Wipro Case

 

Wipro had adopted a strategic framework for diversification of its business into green IT solutions. Wipro Green IT initiates can be had identified 23 target areas for turning organization green. These targets are classified in four broad categories (Bose, Indranil (2009):

 

Strategies: Green IT strategies ensure that the company didn’t operate in isolation rather it is linked to company’s roles and objectives. The strategies under this banner are further classified as:

 

1. Green IT plan

 

2. Strategic Framework and Roadmap

 

3. Organizational change

 

4. Green Procurement policy

 

People: Aimed at reducing carbon traces from the lives of individuals. Four areas accomplishing this purpose are:

 

1. Awareness

 

2. Involvement in policy making

 

3. Behavioral change

 

4. Enablement

 

Facilities and operations: It includes five areas of improvement at the individual level and at the company perspectives. These are:

 

1. Energy management

 

2. Water management

 

3. Bio Diversity

 

4. Building Management

 

5. Waste and e-waste disposal

 

IT Improvements: The ten core areas of IT specific improvements are classified as:

 

1. DC Optimization

 

2. Capacity utilization

 

3. Infrastructure rationalization

 

4. Space and layout management

 

5. Cooling and lightning management

 

6. Adoption of renewable energy sources

 

7. End user computing

 

8. Audio / video conferencing

 

9. Print and paper management

 

10. Power and building management

 

Wipro’s strategic framework of Green IT business and IT for Green notion had made it enjoy leadership position in the segment. In a short time the company was able to have competitive position in the business segment around the globe. It had a structural base from EcoEye council that directs company’s initiatives which was centered for control and management functions. Wipro success in the green business is learning objective and strategic case model for all the companies operating in the industry. Wipro has not limited its innovation and is further expanding to ecologically sustainable company.

 

Nature of Green-Computing in IT Industry

 

The nature of modern information technology approaches to providing solution had sought four paths which is believed to have environmental affects and should be addressed. These are green use, green disposal, green design and green manufacturing. Aligning all IT processes and practices with fundamental business principal of sustainability and profit maximization corporate strategy that are to reduce, reuse and recycle IT products and find innovative solution to deliver high end services to the customers within national boundaries and beyond geographical locations (Donnellan, Brian; Sheridan, Charles and Curry, Edward 2011). The advances information system depends on comprehensive and complex blend of people, networks and hardware and green business initiate must address all these areas from the corporate perspective as well as from customer perspectives because the ultimate solution is the environmental friendly products that benefit the community and social well being of individuals. All the business solutions are aimed to provide maximum customer satisfaction, management restructuring, organizational turnaround, regulatory body initiatives, and desired level of return on investment.

 

The initiatives taken by the company to manufacture environmental friendly products and operate in an ethical grounds giving special emphasis to the corporate social responsibility are the steps that drive company towards green-computing. To make this program possible, organizations are working out plans to educate people on environmental health effects and awareness is created about the environmental adverse affects that can result in slight ignorance. Training and educational programs similar to that of Wipro Educational center in schools is initiated on corporate level.

 

Beside the steps taken by the organizations, the social activist programs and environmental health and hygiene forums structured by environmentalist and health and hygiene specialist have created awareness about global warming, green house effect, carbon emission in the atmosphere and depletion of natural resources in the society. These educational programs make active contribution in educating corporate clients about the health and hygiene factor associated with products. Therefore, they also demand green products from companies and expect their product and service delivery to be environmental friendly. Some of the certification and education programs structured for green business awareness are:

 

a) CGCUS, CGCA, CGCP certifications for green computing initiative

 

b) CompTIA Strata Green IT

 

c) Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB) Foundation Certificate in Green IT -suitable for illustrating an overall understanding and awareness of green computing and where its implementation can be beneficial.

 

Media is also paying active role in educating people about environmental friendly products and how people can make active contribution in saving the environmental around them. Promotional campaign focused on saving paper is one such example, educational programs of using recyclable products for school art and design work like old cartoons, plastic bottles and used newspapers. Therefore green business or green-computing is a network of processes in which there are various active participants making their prominent role in either making green products or driving the production of green products.

 

References

 

Bose, Indranil (2009). Green IT Matters at Wipro Ltd. The Asian Case Research Centre. The Corporate Website Wipro Ltd. Retrieved on 15th Oct 2011 through:

 

www.wipro.com

 

Directive of the European Parliament of the Council, (2003). Official Journal of the European

 

Union. Retrieved on 15th Oct 2011 through:

 

http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2003:037:0024:0038:EN:PDF.

 

Donnellan, Brian; Sheridan, Charles and Curry, Edward (2011). A Capability Maturity

 

Framework for Sustainable Information and Communication Technology. IEEE IT

 

Professional 13 (1): 33 — 40.

 

Murugesan, San (2008) Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices, IEEE IT Professional,

 

Issue January — February 2008, pp 24-33.

---

Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply

Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?

Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.

Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?

• Plagiarism free papers
• Timely delivery
• Any deadline
• Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
• Subject-relevant academic writer
• Adherence to paper instructions
• Ability to tackle bulk assignments
• Reasonable prices
• 24/7 Customer Support
• Get superb grades consistently

 

Online Academic Help With Different Subjects

Literature

Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.

Finance

Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.

Computer science

Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!

Psychology

While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.

Engineering

Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.

Nursing

In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.

Sociology

Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.

Business

We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!

Statistics

We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.

Law

Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.

What discipline/subjects do you deal in?

We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.

Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?

Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.

What if I don’t like the paper?

There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.

Reasons being:

• When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
• We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.

In the event that you don’t like your paper:

• The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
• We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
• Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.

Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?

Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.

What if the paper is plagiarized?

We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.

When will I get my paper?

You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.

Will anyone find out that I used your services?

We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.

How our Assignment  Help Service Works

1.      Place an order

You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.

2.      Pay for the order

Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.

3.      Track the progress

You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.

4.      Download the paper

The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.

PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!

---