Application of the Kano model for insights into business students' sustainability transformation expectations from higher educational institutions: A cross-country study

Abstract

While previous research focused on investigating students' perceptions, few studies have analyzed students' future-oriented normative sustainability expectations from their Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in various cultural contexts. The goal of this study is to (1) identify business students' sustainability transformation expectations from their HEIs, (2) uncover potential differences in expectations across cultural environments, and (3) explain how students' sustainability expectations impact their behaviors towards HEIs. A mixed qualitative-quantitative research design using a semi-standardized questionnaire based on a sample of 239 business students from the USA and Germany was applied. Sustainability topics at HEIs are derived both from a literature review and through interviews and were categorized using content analysis. Data for the study was collected from business students in Bachelor programs at two state universities in the USA and one public university in Germany and the Kano analysis was utilized to examine students' sustainability expectations. Our analysis uncovered 19 distinct topic areas of sustainability at HEIs. Across both countries, students considered the integration of sustainability in production and consumption, as well as gender equality and inclusion, as basic requirements for future sustainability transformations. Other attributes were evaluated as indifferent. Students from the USA considered staff and faculty development opportunities or institutional support as performance attributes, while students from Germany evaluated them as indifferent. Country variations in students' expectations of key sustainability attributes from their HEIs are significantly influenced by their level of involvement in sustainability. Finally, students' expectations significantly impact their behavioral intentions. We provide managerial implications suggesting a tailored focus on sustainability attributes based on Kano categories and the country context. Furthermore, we highlight the need for further research, including replication studies in diverse cultural settings using longitudinal study designs.