Essay: To what extent IT organizations apply Green IT in Saudi Arabia? (findings)

5.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses the research results and validate model after analysis. It also identified the critical factors after analysis, discuss the findings, and fulfilling research objectives which are as following:
5.2 Critical Factors Identified After Analysis
After analysis, the researcher observed that the respondents have identified new factors related to Saudi Arabia’s context that are:
1. Most critical external challenges were the Saudi Arabia’s society culture and the Security concerns regarding the virtualization approach (Cloud Computing) of Green IT.
2. The internal challenge was organizations polices and designs should change to be compatible with Greening.
3. Organization’s Budget as an internal challenge.
4. Importance of change management to avoid stakeholders’ resistance (employees, customers, shareholders, etc.)
5.3 Discussion of The Findings
From the answers of survey respondents it can be noticed that the most of Saudi Arabia’s private Organization applies Green IT as a part of IT Strategy, also Green IT aligned with organization’s objective. This information has been provided by people who are familiar with the IT Strategy in their organizations.
The findings were confirming on the validity of the drivers’ and challenges’ that effects on Green IT adoption in Saudi Arabia’s private firms as shown in chapter 4. When referred to the answers of external drivers it is recognized that most of respondents agree on the importance of (Government pressure, legitimacy pressure, Customer pressure, Best practice, Compliance to standards, and competitive pressure) to adopt Green IT in Saudi Arabia’s private organization. Furthermore, the most of respondents agree on the proper adoption of Green IT will improve the performance of other linked industries. In addition to, some respondents come up with some drivers that can motivate the adoption of Green IT as (cost reduction, technological perspectives, society and economy culture).
While the answers of external challenges showed that most of respondents agree on the critical role of (Relative advantage, Complexity of Green IT technologies, Compatibility, and Adoption cost) to obstructs Saudi Arabia’s private organizations to apply Green IT. In addition to, some respondents provided some challenges like (Security Concerns, Society’s Culture, Customer resistance).
Whilst the answers of internal drivers have clarified that most of respondents agree on the importance of (Top management support, Organization size, and Organization image) to motivate Saudi Arabia’s private firms for adoption Green IT. Moreover, some of the respondents identified some drivers as (cost reductions, and the Greening of organization culture) to adopt Green IT.
The internal challenges answers’ results have shown that most of respondents agree on the role of (Greening of organization culture, Quality of HR, Strategic intent) to limit the Green IT adoption. Further, highest answer was agreeing on the lack of Greening culture can cause stakeholders resistance. In addition to, some challenges have identified by some respondents as (Stakeholders’ resistance, Budget, legitimacy’s pressure of the organization itself).
The proposed research model has updated based on the research’s findings that has obtained from the respondents. Thus, the proposed research model is revised for Green IT adoption, with objectives to understand the real drivers and challenges that effects on Green IT Adoption in a more comprehensive way which is as shown below: (Figure 5.1)
5.4 Fulfilling Research Objectives
The research has answered its questions that have been mentioned in chapter 1, as following:
‘ To what extent IT organizations apply Green IT in Saudi Arabia?
Has been answered through the survey’s respondents that have confirmed on that the Saudi Arabia’s private firms apply Green IT for different purposes.
‘ Do Saudi Arabia’s private firms follow any Green IT model?
Has been answered through the survey’s respondents that have clarified that the most of firms apply Green IT without models and the most of firms adopt Green IT for the cost-saving purpose.
‘ What are the drivers and challenges of applying Green IT in Saudi Arabia’s private sector?
Has been answered by developing a model for identifying the drivers and challenges effecting on applying Green IT in Saudi Arabia’s private firms as mentioned in chapter 3.
The research has accomplished its objectives through:
1. Design Green IT adoption Model for Saudi Arabia’s firms of Private Sector.
2. Identify the drives and challenges of applying Green IT.
Has been accomplished by developing a model of the drivers and challenges of Green IT adoption as mentioned in chapter 3.
3. Identify Green IT perspectives to guide the Decision makers for effective decision making.
By suggesting the Green IT perspectives of Aligning Strategies Framework [19] that has been mentioned in chapter 2. The framework determines the goal of Green IT by identifying 4 distinct Green IT strategies that are (Figure 5.1):
‘ Efficiency: The performance criteria is Cost/service center, it is conducting an eco-efficiency competitive environmental strategy with low-cost competitive advantage focuses on internal processes. The objective of sustainability management is to support business and other linked sectors strategy while the objective of IT management is an implementation of new business strategies to further improve the turnover, yield in minimum time especially in agriculture domain.
‘ Transformation: The performance criteria is environmental technology leadership, that is eco-branding competitive environmental strategy with differentiation in competitive advantage focuses on products and services.
‘ Innovation: The performance criteria is business leadership; its competitive environmental strategy is an environmental cost leadership with low-cost competitive advantage focuses on products and services. The objective of sustainability management is to become industry leader and the objective of IT management is drive ecological innovations by using the latest tools and techniques.
‘ Responsibility: The performance criteria is stakeholder satisfaction; its competitive environmental strategy is a beyond compliance leadership with differentiation competitive advantage focus on internal processes. A stakeholder claims that the objective of sustainability management and IT management is to minimize environmental impact on the society as well other sectors linked with the IT firms mainly the agriculture sector.
Table 5. 1 The Green IT Strategic Perspectives [19]:
Competitive Environmental Strategy Competitive Advantage Competitive Focus Objective of Sustainability Management Objective of IT Management Performance Criteria
Perspective 1: Green IT for efficiency
Eco-efficiency Low-cost Internal processes Support business strategy Implement business strategy Cost/service center
Perspective 2: Green IT for transformation
Eco-branding Differentiation Products and Services Differentiate from Competition Develop Green Technologies Environmental Technology leadership
Perspective 3: Green IT for innovation
Environmental cost leadership Low-cost Products and services Become industry leader Drive ecological innovations Business leadership
Perspective 4: Green IT for responsibility
Beyond compliance leadership Differentiation Internal processes Fulfill stakeholder claims Minimize Environmental Impact Stakeholder Satisfaction
These perspectives can assist decision makers of organizations to determine the goal of Green IT when made an adoption decision, which is considered as a most critical obstacle faced in Saudi Arabia’s firms. This framework can contribute in making a clear plan for Green IT adoption, that allows firms to gain the relative advantages of Green IT.
5.5 Conclusion
This chapter has discussed the research results and the most important findings. In addition, the researcher has been proving the fulfilling of research objectives. The next chapter discusses the research conclusion and future work.
CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK
6.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses the research overview, recapitulation of the research findings, research contributions, and highlights the limitations faced by researcher during this research. In addition, it also makes some recommendations for future work and conclusions for research findings.
6.2 Recapitulation of The Research Findings
The findings have confirmed the following:
1. Most of Saudi Arabia’s organizations are applying Green IT for the cost-saving purpose and the most applied approach is virtualization (Cloud Computing).
2. Verify the impact of drivers and challenges on applying Green IT in Saudi Arabia’s private firms in both perspectives external and internal.
3. Government in Saudi Arabia considered a most important driver for any change, which can enhance firms to apply Green IT if mentioned in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. (Coercive pressure)
4. The driver can be challenge and vice versa depend on the situation, for instance, Greening Culture can be driver and if there is a lack of culture will be challenge.
5. Most of answers (Open-ended questions ‘for adding new factors’) were factors related to the drivers and challenges that already mentioned, which is assured the importance of it.
6. Most of respondents have mentioned that Green IT still a new concept that needs time to become widespread in Saudi Arabia, to realize its relative advantages, and to be a value-added.
The most critical drivers and challenges:
1. Majority of respondents have confirmed on the critical impact of Coercive pressure (Government pressure) and Mimetic pressure (Best practices) to drive adoption Green IT.
2. Lack of awareness of Green IT relative advantages (Tangible and intangible benefits) formed a challenge to apply Green IT.
3. Adoption cost and cost reduction considered main challenge and driver respectively.
4. Top management support considered a main internal driver that can help to determine the Strategic Intent (Alignment).
5. Lack of Greening of organizational culture (Awareness) and low quality of Human Resources (Capabilities) formed an internal challenge in Saudi Arabia’s context.
6. The proper of adoption of Green IT will improve the performance of other linked industries, what was confirmed by most of respondents.
6.3 Research Contribution
This research is one of the very few researches that have been discussing the adoption of Green IT in Saudi Arabia’s private firms, which has been contributed in Green IT field through:
Contribution No.1: This research is considered as one of leading researches that has discussed Saudi Arabia’s case for applying green IT. The research results can serve to understand the current state of green IT adoption in Saudi Arabia’s private firms.
Contribution No.2: Providing a comprehensive survey of literature that has led to identify the drivers and challenges that may affect the adoption of green IT. This comprehensive review enriches existing knowledge in the green IT field.
Contribution No.3: The research model enriches the understanding of main drivers and challenges in the adoption of Green IT in Saudi Arabia’s private Organizations and linked sectors precisely the agriculture field. The model distributes the drivers and challenges in external and internal environment of the organization.
6.4 Research Limitation
This research has faced some limitations that are:
1. The Green IT Culture and its approaches are unpopular in Saudi’s Society, which required explain this concept for some of respondents that is consumed a time.
2. lack of awareness regarding Green IT resulting in most of Saudi Arabia’s private organizations applying Green IT especially ‘Cloud Computing’ without knowing, which is pushed the researcher for discussing the used Green IT’s solutions and practices in the respondents’ organizations.
3. The concept of Green IT still a new in these days especially in Saudi Arabia, by mean not all Saudi Arabia’s private firms has applied it which impacted negatively on the research’s results.
4. In Saudi’s IT market, there are no companies for manufacturing or designing the IT equipment’s that are considered as a part of Green IT aspects as mentioned before, which pushed the researcher to focus on the aspects of using and disposal of technologies only.
6.5 Recommendation for Future Research
This research work can be extended by studying:
‘ The Drivers and Challenges affecting on the Saudi Arabia’s public-sector.
‘ Discusses the Green IS side.
‘ Provides a practical framework for adoption of Green IT.
6.6 Conclusion
Green IT is still a new concept, that needs time for recognizing its relative advantages and seeing the Saudi Arabia’s best practices. In Saudi Arabia’s Case, Government is considered a main driver which is playing an important role in enhancing private sector for applying Green IT. In addition to, the lack of environmental protection tax law makes firms careless regarding to the carbon footprint for reduction of emissions and pollution. This tax law fits the Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 that aims to thriving economy through diversifying its economy. Moreover, this type of taxes would bring advantages same as the value-added tax’s advantages that commenced in the beginning of 2018.