CSR Education in Economia Aziendale Curricula: An Overview

Abstract

In the last few years, policymakers have underlined the need for new soft and hard skills about corporate social responsibility (CSR). The main debate about CSR education has been driven by the 2030 Agenda, which explicitly recognized Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as having a pivotal role. In particular, many academics started to develop qualitative and quantitative studies to evaluate the integration of CSR contents in business schools’ curricula. The paper aims to contribute to the existing debate through the analysis of the contribution provided by Italian HEIs to CSR Education. In particular, we adopted qualitative methods to evaluate the specific contribution provided by Economia Aziendale scholars.

Corporate Social Responsibility, Stakeholder Engagement, and Universities

“…In recent decades, there have been increasing concerns about the role of organizations in society and their impact on climate change, environmental degradation, resource depletion, health crises, and human rights' inequalities (Yáñez et al 2019;Venturelli et al 2021;Trireksani et al 2021;Schimperna et al 2022). Consequently, social and political pressures have prompted organizations to integrate social, environmental, and ethical responsibilities within their strategies and operations to create value for all their stakeholders (Chan et al 2014;Lourenço et al 2022;Venturelli et al 2021). Universities are not exempt from this wave.…”

“…Therefore, along with the three canonic missions of teaching, research, and technology transfer universities, a fourth mission has emerged, requiring universities to collaborate with civil society, industry and government to ensure society's progression towards sustainable development (Trencher et al 2014;Nicolò et al 2021;Lucchese et al 2022). Universities have been called to integrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability pillars in their curricula to prepare future leaders and decision-makers to contribute to driving the transition toward a more sustainable society (del Mar Alonso-Almeida et al 2015;Di Tullio et al 2021;Venturelli et al 2021). Attuned, they have been enticed to exploit their multifaceted sources of knowledge and technological resources to develop research projects based on fostering the exploitation of renewable energy, waste reduction, green mobility, and transport, and circular economy (Lourenço et al 2022;Di Tullio et al 2021;Esposito et al 2021).…”

“…In 2012, at the United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development "Rio + 20", University leaders signed an agreement to proclaim their commitment to supporting the journey towards sustainable development through five actions: (1) Teach sustainable development concepts; (2) Encourage research on sustainable development issues; (3) Create Green campuses; (4) Support sustainability efforts in the communities in which they operate; and (5) Engage with and share results through international frameworks (UN 2012). The Rio + 20 Summit laid the foundations for adopting the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015 (Fonseca and Carvalho 2019;Esposito et al 2021;Venturelli et al 2021). The 2030 Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets that aim to represent a roadmap for private and public organizations to address the world's most urgent sustainability challenges and create a better future for all (UN 2015;Fonseca and Carvalho 2019).…”

“…The 2030 Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets that aim to represent a roadmap for private and public organizations to address the world's most urgent sustainability challenges and create a better future for all (UN 2015;Fonseca and Carvalho 2019). The Higher Education sector has been at the forefront of supporting and promoting the 2030 agenda (Mori Junior et al 2019;Venturelli et al 2021;De Iorio et al 2022). Besides the SDG4, which specifically endeavors to "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all" (UN 2015; Venturelli et al 2021), universities have been considered primary actors able to directly or indirectly contribute to all the 17 SDGs (Adams 2018;De Iorio et al 2022).…”

“…The Higher Education sector has been at the forefront of supporting and promoting the 2030 agenda (Mori Junior et al 2019;Venturelli et al 2021;De Iorio et al 2022). Besides the SDG4, which specifically endeavors to "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all" (UN 2015; Venturelli et al 2021), universities have been considered primary actors able to directly or indirectly contribute to all the 17 SDGs (Adams 2018;De Iorio et al 2022).…”