A Study on the Effect of Applying Information Technology to Environmental Management on Firm Competitiveness

Abstract

Countries in the world are enhancing the concerns about environmental protection issues so that crossinternational ecological environmental protection has become a primary agenda in the 21st century. A lot of countries have optimistically expected the achievement of economic development together with environmental protection; unfortunately, the natural ecological environment seems not to afford the highly economic use. No matter how good the products of a high-tech business, the damage of the production process or use process on the environmental ecology would be a key factor in the selection of orders. Nevertheless, in face of such a green impact, the attitudes and coping methods would greatly affect the future transformation and the enhancement of competitiveness of high-tech industry. Aiming at high-tech industry in Taiwan, total 320 copies of questionnaire are distributed, and 254 valid copies are retrieved, with the retrieval rate 79%. The research results summarize significantly positive effects of 1. information technology on environmental management, 2. environmental management on firm competitiveness, and 3. information technology on firm competitiveness. According to the results, suggestions are proposed in this study, expecting to establish the integrated structure management with environmental protection and optimal quality in the product production or service process of high-tech industry as the required advantage and condition for future market competition.