A concentric locus of control and triple bottom line model for responsible management: Theory development inspired by students from the Global South

Abstract

Responsible management education is often viewed from an educator's rather than a student's perspective, as well as from a Global North rather than a Global South viewpoint. Addressing these gaps, this study aims to explore responsible management education through student perspectives from a Southeast Asian country. Utilizing online platforms and university channels, we recruited 542 students, with 492 valid responses analyzed. Analyzing the students' responses using keyword co-occurrence mapping, we identified a set of thematic clusters that reflect key aspects of responsible management: society, environment, company, business and responsibility, business decision, thing, and goal. These clusters were thematically grouped into a modified triple bottom line for responsible management, comprising organizational (which includes economic and ethical considerations), social, and environmental components. This grouping underscores the importance of economic considerations, ethical decision-making, environmental stewardship, and societal wellbeing in management practice. Building on these findings, we incorporate management—the final component emerging from the clusters—to propose a novel model that merges the triple bottom line with locus of control, forming concentric circles that offer a more robust lens for managerial decision-making. This model highlights the varying levels of control and influence managers have over organizational, social, and environmental aspects, providing a new approach for integrating responsible management into organizational leadership taught through responsible management education. Our study thus makes a significant contribution to advancing responsible management education theory and practice by incorporating student perspectives from the Global South and introducing an innovative model—the concentric locus of control and triple bottom line model—that can be used in responsible management education to shape the managerial outlook of future business leaders.