An Evaluation Perspective on Environmental Management Information Systems Software Selection using a Principle Agency Framework

Abstract

As organizations thrive to become more sustainable there has been a significant increase in the use of Environmental Management Systems (EMS), specifically adhering to International Organization for Standardization (ISO), 14001 certification. In response to the increase in attention to EMS there has been a plethora of software vendors environmental information system solutions. Due to the contemporary nature of EMS and the voluntary nature of adherence to ISO 14001, corporations do not have the internal bench-strength to evaluate Environmental Management Information Systems (EMISs) and rely heavily on technology consultants for domain expertise and guidance. This presents a typical ‘Principle Agency’ relationship; in addition, to further complicate issues, there is not a set of industry standard evaluation criteria for EMS. In general, given the historical failure rate of systems implementation it is important to assess EMIS based on the right evaluation criteria and understand the influence and bias of EMS consultants. Successful selection, implementation and maintenance of EMIS are of paramount importance to help organizations reduce their green house gas emissions.