Premium
Using Interorganizational Information Systems to Support Environmental Management Efforts at ASG
Author(s) -
Shaft Teresa M.,
Sharfman Mark P.,
Swahn Magnus
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of industrial ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.377
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1530-9290
pISSN - 1088-1980
DOI - 10.1162/10881980160084051
Subject(s) - business , competitive advantage , environmental compliance , revenue , environmental scanning , sustainable development , industrial organization , sustainability , marketing , environmental management system , environmental economics , environmental resource management , process management , economics , accounting , environmental science , environmental protection , ecology , irrigation , political science , law , biology
Summary We examine use of environmental information systems by ASG AB (hereafter ASG), an international logistics and transport firm headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, as a case study to illustrate the role of information systems in life‐cycle‐oriented environmental management. This case provides an example of how a firm can use interorganizational information systems (IOISs) to move toward environmentally sustainable business practices. Through the use of IOISs, ASG has been able to improve its environmental performance and that of its suppliers. Further, this improved environmental performance has been a competitive advantage for ASG and enabled it to attract new business. As such, ASG's experiences illustrate how aggressive practices move environmental management beyond compliance and cost control, at which many firms have been successful, to revenue generation. The case also shows how environmentally sustainable business practices can be integrated into a firm's strategy. In addition to illustrating how ASG has used IOISs to improve environmental performance, we compare their use of environmental ISs with the expected evolution of environmental ISs presented in the Shaft and colleagues (1997) framework. Although some of ASG's experiences verify the expected progression of these types of systems, some developments are not as expected. These differences have implications for the framework.