Starbucks description:

Starbucks is one of the renowned names all over the world in the domain of coffee. The organization has transformed drastically since its inception in 1971. In the 21 century, the business is able to have a sustainable existence in the dynamic organizational setting due to its core strengths including the innovative ICT model.

The organization has implemented drastic modifications in its IT infrastructure in order to improve the service experience for customers. The core ICT strategies that have been adopted by it include the simple and effective mobile order and payment model, the use of social media websites to get customer feedback, and the inclusion of the “rich digital music experience” of the customers. 

Professional Project

ICT sustainability:

On a general basis, the carbon footprint of ICTs all over the world is identified in the 0.86 metric gigatonnes of annual carbon emissions. The primary contributor to the emissions is derived from the energy consumption of PCs, monitors, fixed and mobile telecommunication, and data centers (Hilty, Lohmann & Huang, 2011). 

ICT applications have been estimated to contribute to the reduction in global emissions thereby implying the necessary requirement of including technical innovations in manufacturing systems and production plants to accomplish energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. 

Starbucks ICT applications:

Starbucks utilizes its ICT framework through social media, the Starbucks Digital Network, mobile application, and brewing. The Starbucks Digital Network was introduced by the company in October 2010 for the provision of online offerings to customers through a platform of news, lifestyle, and entertainment channel. The use of ICT in brewing could be identified in the acquisition of the Coffee Equipment Co. by Starbucks in 2008 for obtaining the single-cup coffee maker ‘Clover’.

Accounting information system

The coffee maker utilizes streamlined technology in unison with a predefined algorithm and is connected through an Ethernet port to the Starbucks network that implying ease of diagnostics. The mobile payment app launched by Starbucks in 2011 is also an indicator of the use of ICT by the organization(Patrignani, Laaksoharju & Kavathatzopoulos, 2011). The social media presence of Starbucks characterized by its website and various social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook is a promising indicator of the use of social technology to the advantage of the organization. 

Plan to Obtain information:

The plan to obtain information in order to report the carbon footprint and materials used in the ICT framework of Starbucks could be highlighted in the form of distinct stages. The first stage refers to the estimation of organizational scope which refers to the identification of specific areas and departments that would have to be subject to assessment. The next step would be the definition of the assets that would involve the collection of data regarding the type and number of ICT devices to be included in the assessment(Worthington, 2012). 

The following stage reflects on the estimation of the average time of use of an asset or in standby mode over the course of a year. The next phase is crucial as it is related to the calculation of the amount of energy used in terms of duration as well as the type of the asset. The outcomes of energy consumption could be converted into a CO2 rating by using the energy conversion factor for grid electricity. In the final stage, the ratings are summarized and evaluated to draw out an action plan for managing the ICT footprint of Starbucks. 

Essay on HRM

Reflection on the prospects for acquiring information on e-waste should also be included as notable aspects for the ICT sustainability of Starbucks. The generation of e-waste is primarily observed from the non-functional ICT equipment and peripherals. The approaches for the management and disposal of e-waste have to be tailored according to the estimates of the existing ICT equipment and the predicted lifetime of the equipment. Furthermore, maintaining an inventory of the equipment utilized for ICT systems as well as details regarding repairs and replacements would be a credible approach for improving the prospects in e-waste management for Starbucks.  

References

Hilty, L., Lohmann, W. and Huang, E., 2011. Sustainability and ICT—an overview of the field. Politeia, 27(104), pp.13-28.

Patrignani, N., Laaksoharju, M. and Kavathatzopoulos, I., 2011. Challenging the pursuit of Moore’s law: ICT sustainability in the cloud computing era. Politeia, 104, pp.45-55.

Worthington, T., 2012, July. A Green computing professional education course online: Designing and delivering a course in ICT sustainability using Internet and eBooks. In Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 2012 7th International Conference on (pp. 263-266). IEEE.