Business information Systems Management pgp18

Case Questions

Case: Green IT at Wipro: A Sustainable Solution?Submission date: 2/02/2015Submission By: Akshey Bhogra (PGP/18/178)

1. What is the history behind Wipro’s sustainability practices?

Ans: The various sustainability practices of Wipro include:

Wipro Cares• Constituted in the year 2003 as a community care program• To reach out to around 60,000 people in 53 villages.• Helped people affected by the tsunami rebuild their lives in TamilNadu, Hurricane

Sandy, Uttarakhand Floods, Orissa Floods, Bihar Floods, Karnataka Floods, Japan Tsunami

Wipro Applying Thought in Schools (WATIS)• First step for bringing school education reforms• To reach out to more than 2000 schools in the country

Mission 10x• Formed in 2007• To increase the employability of engineers

Eco eye• Set up as a governance council in 2008.• Comprised of Seven senior managers, including three who report directly to the

chairman, make up the council.• To date the council has endorsed 120 projects aimed at carbon neutrality.

2. What factors lead to the success of Wipro’s green initiative?Ans:

Every employee, the middle and top management and the customers looked at the initiatives undertaken in a positive light.

The company had clearly defined objectives and the seamless integration of Incorporated business and Sustainable strategy enabled it to provide products and solutions that encouraged its customers to go green

The company also educated its staff and customers about the benefits of going green

Business information Systems Management pgp18

Case Questions

With the help of numerous NGO’s Wipro was able to successfully influence the government in favor of its initiative of Green IT.

3. What measures/factors help make Green IT initiatives sustainable and/or successful? Are they the same?Ans:

A work culture where employees are made aware of the importance of green business through training, education, seminars/webinars etc.

An exclusive department for Green Initiatives which can communicate and align each business line to a common agenda

Incentives for initiatives taken in the direction of Green IT Tracking of Absolute Metrics measuring implementation of sustainable green

technologies and its performance Compliance with International Environmental Norms

4. How sustainable are the Wipro’s sustainable initiatives? Do you think sustainable initiatives should be sustainable or not?

5. Does size of an organization matter when it comes to implementing sustainable initiatives? How?

Ans: For small scale businesses, ecological sustainability isn’t as dominant as in the corporate world. There has been very less or no contribution towards sustainability by such businesses. These businesses don’t have resources and time for research and development of sustainable practices. Small firms can’t bear upfront investment cost despite quick paybacks on some energy upgrades.

6. How can sustainable initiatives be incorporated in the company’s culture?

Ans: 1.Constituting policies that help in ensuring sustainability

2. Incorporating the importance of sustainability into mission and vision

3. Educating employees via training and seminars etc4. Rewarding employees for demonstrating a commitment to sustainability through

promotion.5. Bring in speakers to talk about sustainability issues6. Hosting internal workshops, seminars, conferences or trade shows7. Organizing sustainability Awards

Business information Systems Management pgp18

Case Questions

7. What ways can business processes be made sustainable or green?

Ans:

Transition to Renewables Eco-efficiency Waste Reduction Certification for green initiatives Increased Resource Productivity Buying and selling green products

8. How can stakeholder involvement be ensured in sustainability?

Ans

The co-existence of various technologies associated with Green IT is driven by multiple stakeholders, thus it is essential to effectively manage the stakeholder relationships to sustain such initiatives

Sustainability is a multi-stakeholder game and collaboration among them is needed to sustain green initiatives

Subscribing to select charters and aligning with right networks to boost sustainability programs

Rankings on Green IT initiatives acts as a feedback mechanism to boost up initiatives for achieving excellence

9. Has there been any recent development in Wipro’s sustainability practices?

Ans: The recent developments in Wipro’s sustainability practices are:

In 2012, Wipro made a commitment in its Environmental Policy to work with a triple bottom line

On Jan 27, 2015 ,Wipro made a press release stating its goal to be a leader in the Green Quadrant of companies working with Green IT

On Jan 5, 2015, Wipro made an invitation to IIM Bangalore to partner in its drive for sustainability

10. What are the regulatory compliance to be ensured for sustainability?

Ans:

Business information Systems Management pgp18

Case Questions

Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) prior to the start of new facility Pollution Control Board (PCB) clearance for Water treatment, handling and disposal of hazardous materials India Green Building Council (IGBC) The Digital Environmental Sustainability Consortium (DESC) India CII Mission for Sustainable Growth : Wipro was one of the first signatories to the

CII code for Ecologically Sustainable Business Growth The Carbon Disclosure Project: Wipro participates in public disclosure of carbon

emissions UN Global Compact: Provides framework for sustainable initiatives by companies CII-GBC Green Company Rating India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) CII Green Procurement Council: Energy Efficiency, Material Intensity, End of Life handling, Green IT procurement MAIT e-waste task force: Regularization in IT sector for handling e-waste

11. Should the sustainability agenda be part of the Corporate Strategy? If so, how it was done in the case of Wipro ?

Ans: Yes, sustainability agenda should be a part of the corporate strategy as it acts as a competitive advantage as well as a social and environmental responsibility. It also helps in :

Reducing risks arising from scarcity of raw materials, regulation changes, reputation and climate changes

Disruptive innovation, new product development, tapping new market segment and also help in cost reduction