Free Paper Sample: Nissan Company and Green Information Technology

Businesses have been increasing their interest in the environmental issues in the 21st century, in an attempt to preserve the environment, to regulate global warming issues and enhancing sustainable development in the business environment. Companies are motivated to conserve the environment as a measure of corporate social responsibility (Donnellan, 2010, p.1). Through CSR corporate can improve their image to the public, and as a result, they can achieve competitive advantages into the market.

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In the past, the information technology sector was viewed as of little significance in the move toward environmental management, especially in the energy sector. With the increasing technology in the modern world, there is a universal need for companies to produce products that are environmentally friendly than those that had been produced before. Energy consumption is one of the areas that most of the organizations are keen to on (Dedrick, 2010, p.11). As a result, green technology it has become an important factor in most of the organizations.

Nissan Motor Corporation is one of the motor vehicle industries that have taken the initiatives to conserve the environment. The massive consumption of energy during the production process and the production of high energy consuming products such as vehicles that use petroleum products are the primary factors that have resulted in the release of carbon into the air. The green IT concerns are becoming essential to the decision of Nissan Company. The issues include; Use of initiatives that enhance the environmental performance of the IT function and the IT initiatives that can improve the environmental performance of the organization as a whole. In this paper, it is essential to look at the various strategies and concepts that Nissan Motor Company has applied in its moves towards the green IT to achieve the sustainability of the business. Also, it is essential to discuss various strategies and concepts of innovations that could be used to foster environmental sustainability in connection with the information systems used by Nissan Motor Corporation.

2. Green information technology and Business Sustainability

With the rising concern on the environmental impact in the society, NMC has been gauging its ecological impact by measuring the amount of carbon it emits into the environment. The company has put in place environmental conservation efforts to achieve economic sustainability. Economic sustainability is where an organization uses the limited available resources appropriately and to earn profits. Currently, most of the corporations are paying attention to sustainability as the level of satisfaction of most of the customers is driven by sustainable products. Additionally, such customers are willing to pay more for such items that enhance environmental sustainability (CSR, 2015, p.1). For this reason, most of the companies must be prepared to put new and innovative ideas to design, produce, and deliver products that achieve a high level of satisfaction to the customers, have minimum wastes and are environmentally friendly.

The vision of the Nissan Company is to enrich the lives of its stakeholders. As a result, the company makes the initiative to produce automobiles products and services that can achieve valuable satisfaction to its customers. In its efforts to achieve sustainable development in the society, the company has exhaustively looked into the green technology through various mechanisms.

2.1 Sustainability Strategy: Nissan Sustainability 2022

Currently, there is an increase in global demand for mobility due to a rising trend in shifts in population and urbanization. Also, advanced technology is widening the automotive industry. The Nissan Company has responded to the emerging social trends by coming up with a sustainability strategy called "Nissan Sustainability 2022" that embeds around three concepts which include environmental, social and governance. The ESG initiative aims to move towards both the social sustainability and the growth of the industry.

Similarly, green technology, it is important to address the environmental concept in the as part of societal sustainability. The philosophical approach of the NMC is to achieve mutual benefit among the people, vehicles and the ecosystem. The company resolves ecological issues based on social needs in conjunction with long-term goals.

2.1.1. Nissan Green Program 2022

With the anticipated rise in population growth, the society and the businesses have the mandate to join hands to enhance achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in an effort as stipulated by the United Nations. The Nissan Green Program 2022 is a continuation of the initiative NPG2016 whose ultimate goals were revolved around four main initiatives which include; zero discharge penetration, corporate footprint minimization, fuel vehicle expansion, and natural resource use reduction.

NPG2022 will help to address various environmental issues and enhance business growth. The program will also help the firm from to achieve the semi-plan of Nissan -move 2022. The program will assist in the development of electric vehicles.

2.1.2. A Holistic Approach to Material Environmental Issues

In its goals to achieve the NGP 2022 and long-term goals to environmental issues, Nissan Company has considered engaging the stakeholders such as external ecological professionals, investors, and also analyzing the internal opportunities and threats to define the climate changes, material resource reliance, Air quality, and water shortage. In the attempt to find solutions to the problems, the company has made significant initiatives right away from the production point to the organizational activities and to the users of the final product. Also, the firm collaborates with other NGOs to preserve the environment (Nissan Motor Corporation, 2017, p. 3).

2.1.3. The Principle of Triple Bottom Line

The world summit on Social development expects that the organizations and should design their growth strategies incorporating three main approaches from sustainable development goals which include, economic progress, social ideologies, and environmental protection. The goals are also relevant and applicable in a firm that aims to achieve sustainable business development. One of the significant issues addressed by sustainable development goals is the connection between the innovations and the firms' sustainability (Cohen et al., 2008; Glavas and Mish, 2015, p. 98). Assertively, companies SDG proposes that companies should use the triple bottom line approach. The model responds to both the social and environmental issues without living behind the business economic growth which a paramount concern in the business world (Dibrell et al., 2015.p, 365).

In line with the environmental approach, the TBL model involves engaging in activities that do not detriment the environmental resources for future generations. The model emphasizes the need to efficiently use the available resources, reduce the discharge of the greenhouse gases and (Goel, 2010, p, 36).

The principles of triple bottom line involve the system of people, planet, and profit. The framework went beyond the traditional accounting measures that fall within the boundaries of profits, returned on investment and the stakeholder value and included environmental and social factors. As far as sustainability is concerned, as a societal driver, it asserts that companies should avoid employing underage children, providing wages that can situation living conditions. Additionally, sustainability for the planet involves minimizing the environmental effects of the production process from the point of purchasing the raw materials, the process innovation, the delivery methods, and the means of disposal for the products after usage (Heizer, J., Render, B., 2014,p.25).

Nissan has been applying the principle of the triple bottom line. The NMC has put measures that focus on the environmental impact, and are connected to "planet" in the triple bottom line. The Company is positioned amongst the top 5 organizations on the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). NMC was ranked this by receiving the results of their efforts towards the production of creativity with the reduction of "well-to-wheel" Carbon productions. The company aims to manufacture the new vehicles that will include this standard with 90% of the cars by the year 2050. Additionally, NMC has a "new" zero-emission automobile, "LEAF," a move aiming towards reducing the environmental effects that achieves its end goal (Nissan Motor Corporation, 2017, p.1).

Additionally, more than 50% of the energy used in by the Nissan Plant in Mexico is from a renewable resource. It is the first branch of the Nissan Company to make such tremendous achievements in the effort of enhancing environmental conservation. The NMC signed with another company that generated the electricity using biogas (Nissan Motor Corporation, 2017, p.3).

Moreover, Nissan has collaborated with other firms such as Elen Green Power which supplies NMC which electricity from wind sun and water which renewable resources (Nissan Motor Corporation, 2017, p.3).

2.1.4. Environmental Governance

2.1.4.1 ISO 14000

NMC incorporates ISO 14000 in different ways. The manufacturing plant adheres to the environmental laws, regulations, municipality ordinances and industrial standards (Nissan Motor Corporation, 2017). ISO 14000 involved various environmental management principles that are put by the International Organization for Standardization (IOS). In response to the IOS, Nissan initiated Global Environmental Committee that would be responsible for preserving the standards to obtain sustainability. Below is the framework that the committee put in place.

(Nissan Motor Corporation, 2017)

The committee comprises of corporate offices who are appointed depending on the matters of discussions. Al members meet two times a year to evaluate the results of the overall application of policies, and they prepare a report that will be tabled to the board of directors. Additionally, the GMC has the mandate to make an oversight on application management and operations of the environmental programs, policies, regulations and laws (William, David, 2013, p.1).

2.1.4.2 Nissans Deliberate Operational Principles

Most countries around the world are implementing strict laws against the use of substances that are detrimental to the environment - for instance, Japan's Act on the Evaluation of Chemical Substances and regulation of their Manufacture that became effective in 2007. To minimize the discharge of volatile organic compounds Japan Automobile Manufacturers have started a voluntary program that requires all the vehicle manufacturing companies to meet the principles that have been set by the ministry of health complying with the established standards, Nissan has set management policies that we encourage the use of alternative non- defective and environmental products. Additionally, the company has introduced the Nissan Engineering Standards that will ensure that the products used in the products ion process are not among the restricted products (Nissan Motor Corporation, 2017, p.1).

2.2. Corporate Social Responsibility

Operational Managers must evaluate the relationship between the products and services and final consumers. Nissan has been making various considerations in its decision CSR its decisions. CSR involves the policies that consider environmental, community and financial effects during the decision-making process (Heizer, J, Render, B., 2014,p. 345). All operational departments including the supply department, Products design and packaging are essential in supporting the CSR targets.

Nissan company has...