Responsible Management Education Research Articles

Environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility of business schools: is there evidence of transdisciplinary effects?

This study analyses the relationship of environmental sustainability and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of business schools by using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) empirical approach on a sample of 338 students from South East Europe. In support of the extant theory of responsible management education, emphasizing the transdisciplinary relationship between the Ethics, CSR, and Sustainability (ERS) domains, we found a direct relationship between environmental sustainability and CSR of business schools. However, we empirically verified a path of indirect effects at the institutional level, starting with the idealism of individual students, leading to the CSR institutional involvement of a business school, mediated by its environmental involvement. Provided that the idealistic individuals might be driving the functioning of the individual responsible management education and its domains, we propose the existence of a potential halo effect ('ERS halo effect'), which has already been described and verified in the corporate sector. We believe that its dynamics, based on the biased assessment of a single business school ERS domain, with its outcomes reflected in the other domains, should be further explored in different institutional and cultural environments.

How Higher Education Promotes the Integration of Sustainable Development Goals—An Experience in the Postgraduate Curricula

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created big challenges and opportunities in Higher Education (HE). In this situation, several universities worldwide have responded with digital methods and hybrid classes in a short period of time. The aim of this paper is to show how the universities have adapted teaching methods to digital platforms in the academic year 2020–2021. This case study is based on the experience of 37 postgraduate communication students in the course Business and Communication from a Communication Programme. The objective of this course was to promote the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in business following the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) of the United Nations. To do this, the students provided different solutions related to the SDGs and developed a communication strategy to inform and engage the stakeholders in the companies analyzed in a hybrid class. The results show that using this methodology and working in digital platforms, students have learned the importance of SDGs through implementing specific solutions linked to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. Based on this analysis, they also developed a communication strategy showing how companies can improve society with specific actions through the lens of the SDG perspective.

Who is responsible for responsible business education? Insights into the dialectical inter-relations of dimensions of responsibility

One criticism of the globalisation of Business Schools is the propagation of an instrumentalist, functionalist and market-based approach to education. While programmes such as the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education initiative have attempted to promote more socially responsible practice and pedagogy within Business Schools, there is little evidence of significant change. Although the extant literature explores the response of educators to such initiatives, little is known about how management educators interpret and make sense of their and others’ responsibilities, particularly in the Global South. In this article, we critically explore the ways in which lecturers in a private Malaysian Business School locate social responsibility within their understanding of responsible business education. We identify dynamics of responsibilisation and elaborate the dialectical inter-relations of four dimensions of responsibility – individual, interactional, group and collective. Our findings reveal the limited impact of the disruptive potential of responsible business education in this instance. However, we argue that alternative theories of responsibility and responsibilisation, indicated in the dynamic inter-relations between the dimensions of responsibility, remain a potent source of inspiration for changes within business education. We offer suggestions to inform efforts towards transformatively oriented and socially responsible business education.

The Role of Students’ Personal Values and Ethical Ideologies in Increasing the Importance of Perceptions of Social Responsibility for Business Students: A PRME Directive

The United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) champion responsible management education and research globally by instilling social responsibility values in students through teaching, research, and service. As investment capital shifts toward sustainable opportunities and companies recognize the limitations of an exclusive focus on shareholders (to the exclusion of broader stakeholders), the demand for social responsibility focused students has increased. How can business schools meet the dual challenge of recognizing those students with strong global sustainability perceptions, while encouraging those without those perceptions to shift? Our empirical approach uses a freed measurement model to offer a holistic understanding of the precursors of students’ perceptions of ethics and social responsibility. We provide actionable steps for business schools in implementing new pedagogical interventions that provide individualized approaches for increasing students’ perceptions of social responsibility. For students without strong prosocial values, we propose improving their perceptions of social responsibility indirectly through changing attitudes or directly via value system rank order change.

Principles for Responsible Management Education: An Axiological Approach

In this article, we rely on the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to show the relevance of a values-based approach to responsible management. To clarify the notion of values, we draw on Heinich’s axiological sociology, which presents values as principles of judgment and action. Building on this approach, we interviewed 35 management scholars to understand the values they attribute to responsible management. Our analysis led to the identification of seven actionable values that can be used to circumscribe responsible management. We also show how three interrelated levels of analysis—namely, individual (micro), organizational (meso), and societal (macro)—allowed us to further organize the interview data to produce rich content for the MOOC. Our contribution is twofold: first, our values-based approach helps overcome the axiological ambiguity of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), which invoke the importance of incorporating “the values of global social responsibility” (Principle 2), but fail to define and operationalize these values. Second, we provide a rationale and guidance for implementing values-based responsible management education in Business Schools.

Sustainable knowledge management in academia and research organizations in the innovation context

This work proposes a conceptual knowledge management model specific for the academics researchers and business stakeholders working in the innovation context, through a bibliographic revision from the business domain and reoriented to the innovation context.This revision arise from the need of them to adapt to the fast knowledge growth and changes at the backwards of 4.0 industry. This fast growth demands them finding the synergies of diverse domain of knowledges to ensure a sustainable and efficient management of knowledge, resources, and relate dynamics of stakeholders, fostering the promotion of Research and Development (R&D) projects. This approach will help the improvement in responsible management education (RME) as a result of the collaborative work.The overall work also defines the steps for research knowledge audit and its combination with key performance indicators that differs human, organizational, and relational and innovation and development capitals. Functional maps, topic and taxonomy maps and social network analysis are proposed as tools. This guide will help the academia and research community to address stakeholder heterogeneity and find a starting point for implementing a sustainable long-term plan, under sustainable concepts. At the end this will also being translated to education for sustainable development (ESD) promoted by academics.

Major shift or business as usual? An investigation on the impacts of responsible management education

Various curricula and educational materials for responsible management education (RME) have been developed by business schools from different parts of the world for sustainable development. There is, however, limited research on the effectiveness of these courses. By conducting surveys before and after the semester among business students from two RME courses, this study investigated the impacts on students’ awareness of and attitudes toward ethical and sustainable issues in business practices. Findings show that students have enriched their understanding of the issues, have a positive attitude toward RME, but need a stronger driver of behavioral change.

Business schools are embracing the SDGs – But is it enough? – How business schools are reporting on their engagement in the SDGs

This paper explores the extent to which business schools are engaging in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and what that engagement looks like based on how schools have reported their engagement. The data was gathered from a study of over 1034 Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) reports submitted by business schools that are signatories to the United Nations backed Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) between May 1st 2015 and May 1st 2020. The evidence suggests that business schools have been slow to engage in the SDGs and many of the reported connections with the SDGs are weak and superficial. The paper outlines what approaches schools are taking, highlights what is missing and makes suggestions on the way forwards.

An integrated framework of UN and AACSB principles for responsible management education

PurposeGiven the increasing relevance of Responsible Management Education (RME) to social and human welfare around the world, this paper aims to present an integrated framework that captures the essence of the principles of RME as defined by the United Nations (UN) and further set forth and embedded in the core principles of the accrediting body of business schools, namely, the American Association of Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB). Such a framework serves as a rigorous platform for business schools and key stakeholders to integrate and implement core RME principles to deliver long-term sustainable benefits to the communities in which they operate.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper. The authors first define key terms of RME used in the UN and AACSB guidelines to provide a universal language for business schools to communicate with their stakeholders and to monitor RME initiatives. Next, the authors identify and map RME Principles and Standards common to both organizations that business schools can apply and integrate into their educational practices to create societal impact. Finally, they categorize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN into four core purposes and articulate the benefits of clear and consistent messaging that aligns with the vision and mission of the institution.FindingsThe integrated framework presented here makes a unique contribution to business schools that are in the early stages of RME implementation in the following ways: It simplifies the complexity and challenges of integrating the complex RME principles outlined by the UN and the spirit of the RME principles embedded in the accreditation guidelines of AACSB; the four unique themes that emerged from our research provide business schools with a clear pathway to assess their RME progress; and the framework addresses how RME can deliver exceptional value to various stakeholders of business schools.Research limitations/implicationsThere are many opportunities for future researchers to expand on our work particularly, in the areas of RME-driven curriculum development and experiential learning, embedding ethics within high-impact RME practices and developing rigorous metrics to define and measure societal impact. Future researchers may also wish to expand and refine the definitions of key terms and explore the role of societal interaction as an indicator of meaningful institutional engagement with the business community.Practical implicationsBusiness educators can use this framework that maps AACBS core RME themes to the RME guidelines of the UN to assess, establish and enhance their strategies to implement and improve RME-driven business education.Originality/valueThis integrated framework makes a unique contribution to business schools by simplifying the complexity and challenges of implementing RME principles outlined by the UN and that of AACSB. By integrating the principles outlined by both the accrediting body of business schools with the ideals of the U.N in a simple and elegant framework, business schools can embrace and embark on implementing one or more of the four core RME themes identified in this paper. Implementation of these principles within a core RME theme has the potential to create a strong and unique global leadership position for a business school and its graduates.

A posthumanist research agenda on sustainable and responsible management education after the pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how posthumanism can contribute towards reframing responsible management education (RME) after the pandemic. Ethics has been a growing concern in management education for some time now, but the need to acknowledge the limitations and side effects of the global economy and the interdependences between biological and societal systems has come to the forefront in dramatic fashion during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachPosthumanism proposes moving beyond traditional dichotomies such as nature-culture and social-material to introduce a relational epistemology in which attention is focused on local sociomaterial entanglements. This also introduces a new moral posture that is not based on formal principles but on a strong commitment to assembling the world and a capacity to cultivate response-abilities. As far as responsible management is concerned, it means moving the focus from managers to managing practices.FindingsThe contribution casts an original and critical eye on the reframing of RME and encourages a movement towards a “decolonisation” of educational methodologies. Posthumanist research acknowledges that pedagogical practices are the loci power relations and inclusion or exclusion come into play and are inscribed in the materiality of education, in the sense of objects as well as human bodies. Then, by applying on the author's experience as teacher, the paper provides inputs for developing a posthumanist research agenda for RME after the pandemic.Originality/valueThe contribution uses posthuman lens to explore RME and develops an original research agenda starting from the author’s teaching practices.

A review of responsible management education: practices, outcomes and challenges

PurposeResearch on management education (ME) over the past 2 decades signals a growing level of concern in response to increasing societal demands for ethical, responsible and sustainable considerations in management decisions in light of the current economic situation. The purpose of this paper is to review extant literature on responsible management education (RME) over the past decade.Design/methodology/approachThe author carried out a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed publications, which were mapped and analysed according to the following six categories: (1) types of papers, (2) geographical context, (3) RME purpose, (4) strategies, (5) intended outcomes and (6) challenges. The analysis resulted in a descriptive overview of article content and synthesis of review data categorised by topical focus.FindingsAnalysis of the review sample reveals how scholarly interest in RME has accelerated over the last decade. This is accompanied by a growing institutionalisation and development of RME. The descriptive analysis indicates that the vast majority of publications focus on RME implementation strategies, mostly focussing on on-campus – curricular, pedagogical and operational – changes and the unique experiences of particular schools. Recent publications reveal interest in how RME can respond to triple bottom line (TBL) concerns that benefit the wider society and to sustainable development (SD) goals that target the local and global community. A budding interest is revealed in examining the perceptions of diverse stakeholder groups of sustainability requirements in RME curricula to create relevant and practical content.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the adoption and/or development of RME.

Reflections and reflective practice to advance responsible management education for sustainability: the case of an Australian MBA programme

PurposeThis paper aims to explore Master of Business Administration (MBA) students’ “reflections” and/or “reflection on practice” of sustainability into responsible management education using Bain et al.’s (2002) 5Rs (reporting, responding, relating, reasoning and reconstructing) reflective scale.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a case study approach using content analysis and written reflective journals analysis from MBA students’ assignments.FindingsThis study revealed that responding and relating (emotionally-based reflections) scales are dominant reflections while reasoning (cognitively-based reflections) is a slightly less dominant reflection. The findings confirm that effective management education for sustainability should encourage and motivate students to reflect on their emotional learning to improve leadership values, attitudes and activities. Such reflection can lead to transformative experiences.Research limitations/implicationsThis study adopted a small-scale content analysis using an Australian university’s MBA case. To increase validity and generalisation, researchers will benefit from a wide range of quantitative analyses in different countries and cultural contexts.Practical implicationsCurriculum design using reflections and reflective journals should be enhanced in management education for the practice of sustainability and/or sustainable development.Social implicationsHigher education should encourage socially and environmentally responsible management in programme and curriculum design with a reflective approach.Originality/valueThis study presents a conceptual framework and analysis approaches that can serve as some bases for the development of a more robust analysis in responsible management education.

Development of a New Framework Based on Sustainability and Responsible Management Education

The paper discusses the prevailing situation regarding management education and advocates adoption of a framework that sheds light on how principles of responsible management education along with a sustainability agenda can be incorporated into the content and process of higher education. The study undertakes an analysis of the higher education discipline through reviews of research papers, trends and developments in the field. It also advances a new framework that incorporates the various dimensions of sustainability and responsible management education. This entire context is woven intricately into the fabric of the principles of responsible management education set forth by the United Nations. For industry practitioners, the study exhorts them to partner closely with academia in developing better management graduates who have imbibed a sense of purpose and strong values; for academicians, the study advocates the need for subtly changing the content and process of education, thereby instilling in students, a deeper sense of purpose and values.

Contribution of PRME in education, research, and outreach in Brazilian higher education institutions

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the contribution of the UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in higher education, covering education, research and outreach in Brazilian higher education institutions (HEIs) after becoming signatories.Design/methodology/approachTeachers representing Brazilian HEI signatories to the PRME were interviewed. The IRAMUTEQ software was used for content analysis, descending hierarchical classification and similarity tree, allowing to quantify the quality variables originating from the professors’ beliefs and opinions.FindingsThe PRME helps Brazilian HEIs to review or create disciplines related to responsible management education and adopt transdisciplinarity for sustainability. The signatories’ PRME-influenced research is interdisciplinary, focusing on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Social responsibility is promoted through local-community projects, while partnerships, initiatives and innovative pedagogies from foreign-signatory HEIs provide international experiences for teachers and students. However, within one initiative, which had 170 signatories in 2008 and over 800 in 2020, indicators should be formulated to analyze and enhance HEIs’ sustainability profile. The PRME contributes to educating young people and adults in Brazil via education, research or outreach; however, this contribution needs to be assessed.Originality/valuePrior studies have not collected data through interviews to consider professors’ perspectives on the PRME’s contribution to signatory HEIs in Brazil. This study interviewed professors involved with the PRME to broaden their understanding beyond bibliometrics and assess the alignment of the PRME and UN SDGs.

The hidden curriculum in business schools: Does it initiate the implementation of responsible management education in fragile states? A conceptual analytical study

Through a conceptual analysis, this article elaborates the role the hidden curriculum in business schools in fragile states might play in initiating the implementation of responsible management education (RME). I start by elaborating the categories included within the hidden curriculum in business schools and then discuss the challenges of implementing RME. Moving forward by focusing on the theory of education and institutional theory, the author identifies that poor governance practices, the absence of democratic values and outdated formal curriculum, on the one hand, and the permanent accreditation from local authorities, on the other, challenge any attempt to implement responsible management education in fragile states.

Sustainable development in higher education in Nordic countries: exploring E-Learning mechanisms and SDG coverage in MOOCs

PurposeThis study aims to explore the extent and types of E-Learning used, as method and tool, to support education for sustainable development (ESD); and to understand the coverage of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in massive open online courses (MOOCs).Design/methodology/approachThe study extends the morphological box of ESD in higher education by nonformal and informal education, exploring the types of blended and online learning and adding the SDGs as a new criterion. The study subjects are Nordic UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) members. Through content analysis and thematic coding of reports by higher education institutions (HEIs), different E-Learning methods are identified; furthermore, 30 MOOCs are analyzed.FindingsHEIs apply a variety of blended and online learning to advance ESD for formal and nonformal education. The MOOCs offered by Nordic HEIs predominantly cover four SDGs (9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; 13: Climate Action; 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; and 16: Peace, Justice and strong Institutions), but there is nothing on SDG 2: No Hunger. That is in line with the Nordic countries’ status as developed economies, where these topics are often framed as political and societal priorities.Practical implicationsThe study’s results suggest that to avoid overlaps and fill gaps in ESD, the offer of open online courses should be orchestrated. Furthermore, HEIs can use our method to analyze their E-Learning courses related to SDGs.Originality/valueThis study shows how business schools, especially Nordic UN PRME members, contribute to the SDGs by their MOOC coverage.

A hybrid approach to sustainable development competencies: the role of formal, informal and non-formal learning experiences

PurposeThis paper aims to explore whether formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences contribute to developing sustainable development competencies (SDCs) among students in a Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatory business school.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey based on the students’ learning experiences and a questionnaire on sustainability competencies already validated in the literature were given to a sample of 274 bachelor students at a PRME signatory business school. Nominal variables representing students’ categories were created to test a set of hypotheses developed according to the literature. Because the data was not normally distributed, non-parametric independent-samples Mann–Whitney U test was conducted, and descriptive statistics was used to help the analysis.FindingsThe results suggest that a hybrid format with a combination of formal, non-formal and informal learning experiences is essential to maximising the development of SDCs and raising students’ sustainability literacy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is one of the first attempts to understand the importance of a hybrid approach in developing sustainable competencies (SDCs). Future studies could adopt longitudinal analysis to check the development of these competencies over time, assess students from different PRME signatory schools or comparing students to those in non-signatory business schools.Practical implicationsThis study provides insight into how business schools could address challenges in developing sustainable competencies through redirecting their educational systems by balancing formal, informal and non-formal learning approaches to educate future responsible leaders.Originality/valueThis research provides evidence on how a hybrid learning approach could maximise the development of sustainable development competencies and, therefore, generating insights for educational policies.

COVID-19: accelerator or demolisher of the RME agenda?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to enrich the discussion at the intersection of responsible management education (RME) and the pandemic with new views that explore together the inhibitors of and drivers for a strengthening of RME in the emerging context. On the one hand, the pandemic crisis fosters the social role business schools play by supporting the enhancement of the RME rationale as an idealist foundational pillar of responsible business schools. On the other hand, it invites negative pragmatic responses in the light of financial and competitive disturbances that seem to enlarge the opportunity cost of moving RME forward.Design/methodology/approachThe essay puts forward arguments that help dissect the inherent contradictions and synergies between idealistic and pragmatic business school strategies, as they are impacted by the dynamics of COVID-19. The analysis serves to frame a discourse over the extent to which the pandemic crisis is acting as an accelerator of the RME agenda or instead brings the risk of demolishing what has been achieved so far.FindingsThe authors form an opinion of the emerging factors that promote and inhibit RME in business schools as they grapple with the challenges of the pandemic whilst recognizing the inherent contradictions faced in their strategic choices and resourcing.Originality/valueIn light of the growing emphasis on RME in the literature, this study challenges the degree to which the agenda has already become firmly rooted as a core organizational and educational theme in business schools. By doing so, it delivers an assessment of RME progress as a relevant strategic lever for business schools, whilst nonetheless being at risk of back-sliding.

Responsible Management Education: The Risk of Responsibility

This essay takes a particular perspective on Responsible Management Education (RME), focusing on problems identified in recent research. The problematic issues are related to a lack of clarity associated with the key terms, and consequential impacts of RME that might may be missed because of this lack of clarity. As an illustration of the consequences, the essay discusses moral injury, an experience of the betrayal of one’s fundamental values that leads to ongoing, debilitating anguish. The essay argues that moral injury might also be a hazard faced by managers, expected to act responsibly in challenging and constraining contexts, after completing an RME program. As a response to this problem, the essay encourages further fundamental research in the field.

Responsible Management Education in Time of Crisis: A Conceptual Framework for Public Business Schools in Egypt and Similar Middle Eastern Context

Recent studies show that the adoption of RME scenarios is still a matter of concern for non-western countries ((Mousa et al., Journal of Management Development 38:681–696, 2019), 2021a, 2021b). In this paper, we theoretically propose the potential direction of RME scenarios that business schools in Egypt and other similar cultural context to implement through articulating the main antecedents of RME before and after Covid-19. we used the method of multilevel research by combining different theoretical approaches. As an outcome of our analysis, we developed five propositions which form the main antecedents of RME in Egypt and similar regional Middle East business schools before and after Covid-19.