SIO-6017:

Information Systems and Technologies

Class 4:
IS Trends & Emerging Technologies

Professor Jacqueline Corbett

23-September-2021
 Sample quiz question: Chapter 3

An insurance company may use a(n) __________ to analyze the

amount of risk the company is undertaking when it insures
drivers who have a history of driving under the influence of
alcohol.
a) Knowledge management system
b) Executive information system
c) Decision support system
d) Transaction processing system
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 Our agenda for today
• Chapter 12: Information System Trends
– Please read and study the chapter on your own
• Case Discussion:
– Fake News, Technology and Ethics: Can AI and Blockchains Restore
Integrity?
• Introduction to Green IS
– Includes guest presentation by Vijaya Lakshmi: “Big data and
big waste: Environmental implications of the data revolution” 

SIO-6017 A2021, Class 4 3

 Feedback on forum discussions
• Most responses jumped to step 3 – choice
• Other interesting analyses could have been done…
– What would the “IS” look like under the three different scenarios?
– What kind of organizational change would be involved?
– How would it affect the IT department?
– Where does the company current sit with respect to efficiency and
effectiveness?
– What about other “IS” solutions (value-added products or services)
instead of cloud?
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 Case discussion: Fake News, Technology and Ethics
• What is “fake news”?
• Why do people believe fake news?

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 Suppose that you are the
Intelligence general manager of a major
news outlet (like ANSA).
• Organizational environment The Board of Directors has
asked you to develop a plan to
• Problem(s) and/or opportunities deal with fake news.

Intelligenc Design Choice Implementation

e • • Formulate • Evaluate
Analyze • Create an action
organizational potential alternatives and plan
environment alternative formulate a • Key milestones
• Define solutions or recommendation and measures of
problem(s) or approaches success
opportunities

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 The “learning” for a computer is about performing
Machine learning mathematical operations. It is very different from
human learning

• Algorithms that identify or discriminate patterns (e.g., the pattern

of pixels in an image, the pattern of terms in a tweet) without
letting the programmers code an explicit procedure (i.e., rules) but
letting the machine learn the patterns from the data themselves
• Supervised learning: uses ‘gold standard’ for training
• Unsupervised: machine identifies patterns
• Deep learning: includes neural networks that mimic how human
brain works through parameterization of discriminant hierarchical
structure
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 Blockchain
• A database with certain desirable properties:
– Distributed ledger
– Immutability: blockchain cannot be altered
– Shared governance
– Heightened security: fault tolerant, resilient, and highly available
– Built-in validation
– Transparency

SIO-6017 A2021, Class 4 Image source: https://www.cbinsights.com/research/what-is-blockchain-technology/ 8

 Design
• Potential solutions or approaches to the problem of fake news

• What are the components of these potential IS solutions?

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 Choice
• Evaluate alternatives and make a recommendation
– What criteria should we apply?

– What trade-offs might need to be made?

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 Introduction to Green IS

Image source: https://www.indusnet.co.in/green-information-technology/

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 IT poses many challenges for sustainability

Design and manufacture, Use of IT/IS, upgrades,

implementation maintenance, operations

Recycling, eWaste

SIO-6017 A2021, Class 4 Image source: http://www.etechservices.com/planning-strategy/it-lifecycle-management/ 12

 Toxic substances
• Electronic devices include substances
that are toxic or carcinogenic
• Global e-waste reached 44.7 million
metric tonnes in 2016
– Only 20% of e-waste are documented to be
collected and recycled
– Value of raw materials present in e-waste is
estimated at 55 billion Euros in 2016 Source: Baldé et al. 2017

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 Power consumption of IT and IS
• All electronics require electricity to run
– But also to cool!
• A physical filing cabinet with paper documents does not
require electricity; however, a cloud storage server does
• Depending on the source of electricity, the power consumption
of IT/IS creates greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)
– Use of fossil fuels (e.g., oil or coal-fueled electricity)

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 Three levels of interactions
Green ICTs “have positive impacts on environmental performance and ecosystems, either
directly by reducing physical and energy inputs in their production, use, disposal and recycling,
or indirectly through their wider application and use in other equipment and systems.”

Systemic impacts: Changes in behaviors & society

Enabling impacts: Applications

Direct impacts: Technology

Source: Vickery 2012

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 1st level: direct impacts of IT
• Aim: to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of
hardware and software
– Sustainable consumption (inputs)
– Reducing waste (outputs)
– Reducing energy consumption (use)

Image source:
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/761711

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 Closed loop and recycling
• Use of sustainable materials
– Closed loop production
• Recycled plastics and PCR (post-consumer recycling)
– Minimize packaging, recyclable or compostable
• Commercial takeback services
– Equipment manufacturers set up reverse logistics to recover unused/end-of-
life products from customers
– Allows customers to meet their sustainability goals as well
– Electronic waste processing is tracked, documented and audited throughout
entire ‘chain of custody’ until final disposition
Image source:
https://www.environmentalleader.com/2014/05/dell-builds-pc-from-recycled-pla
SIO-6017 A2021, Class 4 stic-electronics/ 17
 Data centres have high environmental impact
• Spaces specifically designed and equipped to meet needs of
high density computing equipment (the “cloud”)

Source: Lykou et al., 2018

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 Energy use
• DC account for about 3% of global electricity supply and 2% of global
GHG emissions
• The Good News:
– From 2000 to 2005, data center energy use grew by 90%
– From 2005 to 2010, data center energy use grew by 24%
– From 2010 to 2014, data center energy use grew by 4%
– From 2014 to 2020, data center energy use is expected to grow by 4%
• The Bad News:
– Smaller data center will still account for 60% of data center energy use in US by
2020; may not have access to same innovations as the big players
Source: Fehrenbacher, 2016
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 Energy efficient data centers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGSdf2uLtlo

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 Sustainable software
• Software whose
– direct and indirect consumption of natural resources, which arise out of deployment
and utilization, are monitored, continuously measured, evaluated and optimized
already in the development process,
– appropriation and utilization aftermath can be continuously evaluated and optimized,
– development and production processes cyclically evaluate and minimize their direct
and indirect consumption of natural resources and energy.
• Sustainable software engineering seeks to enhance traditional software
engineering by targeting the direct and indirect consumption of natural
resources and energy which are caused by software systems during their
entire lifecycle
Source: Johann et al., 2011
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 Red AI and Green AI…
• Green AI—AI research that is more
environmentally friendly and
inclusive
• Takes into account the
computational cost, encouraging a
reduction in resources spent
• Evaluated based on efficiency
– Carbon emissions, electricity usage,
elapsed real time, number of
parameters, floating-point
Source: Schwartz et al. 2020
operations…
https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/12/248800-green-ai/fulltext
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 Other common IT measures
• Server virtualization
– Traditional approach « one workload, one box » results in
average server utilization of 6-12%
– With server virtualization multiple applications can run on
one box
• More efficient hardware
– EnergyStar efficient servers can operate about 30% more
efficiently than traditional servers
Source: Baltzan & Welsh 2015, Figure 12.8
• Data management processes
– Data can also create waste…
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 Please welcome: Vijaya Lakshmi

Big data and big waste: Environmental

implications of the data revolution
 2nd level: Enabling effects for business
• Second-level (enabling) impacts involve improving the
environmental performance of other business processes using
IT
• Some popular examples:
– “Paperless” office
– Collaboration and distributed work
– Greening the supply chain
– Enterprise carbon management

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 Paperless offices
• A goal for over 50-years, but also a “myth”
– For a variety of reasons, organizations can not go completely paperless
• Paper industry has begun to challenge the idea
– Paper-making process is “sustainable”
– 65% of paper used in US is recycled
• There is a lack of research that supports definitive conclusions
– It all depends…
• Move to paperless office is likely motivated more by efficiencies
than environment
Sources: Mah 2014, Moodie 2014
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 Environmental impacts of video-conferencing
• Three-month trial of a video-conferencing system at a
telecommunications company in Australia
– Average use of 6.2 hours per week/end point
• Top 4 end points accounted for 71% of total
– 305 people substituted VC for travel
• Saved AUD $62K from avoided travel
• Saved 1420 hours of traveling time
• Saved almost 100,000 kg CO2 emissions

Source: Guerin 2017

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 Green supply chain management
GSCM: An approach to improve the performance of the process and products according to
requirements of environmental regulation.
Includes green purchasing, green manufacturing and materials management, green distribution and
marketing, and reverse logistics. (Susanty et al. 2016)

Source:
http://www.automotive-fleet.com/article/story/2010/07/green-fleet
-telematics-sensor-equipped-trucks-help-ups-control-costs.aspx

Video:
Source:
https://www.youtube.com/
http://www.springer.com/us/book/97836 watch?v=z6T8QRoyhCA
42274879
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 Enterprise carbon management systems
• A specialized IS that:
– Collects data, automatically or manually on
GHG produced by organization (i.e., carbon
footprint)
– Provides analysis functions
– Supports carbon trading
– Facilitates reporting and governance
• For an example with video: Quebec carbon market: http://
www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/changeme
– https://www.carbonfootprint.com/tracker.html ntsclimatiques/marche-carbone_en.asp

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 Components of an ECMS
Govern
and
report
(policies
ECMS and
Platform
reporting)
Aggregate, analyze and manage
(inventories, dashboards)

Middleware aggregation and network

Sense and monitor

Operational systems (facilities, transport, IT, etc.)

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 3rd level: Systemic impacts of IT
• Green IT/IS applications that promote lifestyle adjustments and
changes in social and collective behaviours
– Carbon footprint calculators
– Social networks, serious games
– Smart Grid
• Renewable energy
• Electric vehicles
– Smart Cities

Image source:
https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_mater
ials/food_supply/student_materials/1039
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 Carbon footprint calculators

http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/

https://treecanada.ca/en/programs/grow-clean-air/carbon-calculator/
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 Social networks and the environment
• Social networks are a primary
channel for the flow of information
and resources that facilitate human
behavior
– Force for good such as promoting Earth
Day activities
– The “Greta Effect”

https://www.businessinsider.com/greta-thunberg-
effect-uk-children-online-activism-spikes-2020-2
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 Serious games
• Blend between playing and
learning
• A way to question assumptions
and exploring complex issues
• Provides information, but focus
more on making the theoretical
more real

https://games4sustainability.org/
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 The smart(er) grid
• Modernization of a century-old network for generating and
distributing electricity
– Integration of advanced information and communications
technologies
• Sensors to collect data, real-time 2-way communication, computing power for
analytics and intelligence
– Electricity system will move from centralized, producer-controlled
network to a less centralized, more consumer-interactive, more
environmentally responsive model

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 Marriage of power and information

Image source: https://www.powermag.com/guidance-on-cybersecurity-for-the-electricity-sector/

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Smart Cities
• Smart cities seek to leverage advanced communication
technologies and IS in order to improve all areas of city
administration, enhance citizens’ quality of life, engage citizens
and provide more sustainable and resilient public services

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R0h7R17rcM
 How to implement green IS in organizations
• Secure top leadership AND grass-roots support
• Engage with business and align with corporate sustainability objectives
• Build the business case
– Total Cost of Ownership includes environmental impacts
– Measure, set goals, benchmark and report
• Training and education
• Be creative (innovative) and add value
• Execute excellently
• Be persistent
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 To wrap up
• How to spot fake news: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/spotfakenews /
• If you are interested in IS and sustainability:
– Consider taking SIO-6056 next term
• Quiz 1 will open at 12h today – due by 29 September at 12h
– Classes 1-4
– 30 MC questions
– 1 hour, open book
• Next week:
– Digital Disruption and the Competitive Environment
• Chapter 4
• Case: Online Education

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 Sources
• Baldé, C.P., Forti, V., Gray, V., Kuehr, R. and Stegmann, P. (2017) The Global E-Waste Monitor 2017, United Nations University (UNU), International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) and International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), Bonn/Geneva/Vienna,
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Climate-Change/Pages/Global-E-waste-Monitor-2017.aspx
• Baltzan, P. & Welsh, C. (2015) Business Driven Information Systems, 4th Canadian Edition, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Toronto
• Fehrenbacher, K. (2016) Data Centers Are No Longer The Energy Hogs They Once Were, Fortune, https://fortune.com/2016/06/27/data-center-energy-report/
• Guerin, T.F. (2017) A demonstration of how virtual meetings can enhance sustainability in a corporate context, Environmental Quality Management, 27, 75-81.
• Johann, T., Dick, M., Kern, E., Naumann, S. (2011), Sustainable Development, Sustainable Software, and Sustainable Software Engineering: An Integrated
Approch, International Symposium on Humanities, Science and Engineering Research, 1-6.
• Lykou, G., Mentzelioti, D., Gritzalis, D. (2018) A new methodology toward effectively assessing data center sustainability, Computers & Security, 76, 327-340.
• Mah, P. (2014) “14 Tips for Creating a Paperless Office”, CIO.com,
https://www.cio.com/article/2377681/time-management-productivity/14-tips-for-creating-a-paperless-office.html
• Moodie, A. (2014) “Is digital really greener than paper?”, The Guardian,
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/digital-really-greener-paper-marketing
• Piccoli, G. & Pigni, F. (2022) Information Systems for Managers in the Digital Age with Cases, Edition 5.0, Prospect Press. (all images unless otherwise noted)
• Schwartz, R., Dodge, J. Smith, N.A. & Etzioni, O. (2020) Green AI, Communications of the ACM, 63(12), 54-63, https://
cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/12/248800-green-ai/fulltext
• Vickery, G. (2012) “Smarter and Greener? Information Technology and the Environment: Positive or negative impacts?” International Institute for Sustainable
Development, https://www.iisd.org/pdf/2012/com_icts_vickery.pdf

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