Ethics, responsibility and sustainability orientation among economics and management masters’ students

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to address the topic of ethics, responsibility and sustainability (ERS) orientation of students enrolled in schools of economics and management master’s degrees. It examines the effect of educational background and gender on Portuguese students’ orientation towards ERS, as well as the extent to which there is a relation between the scientific area of the master degree in which the student is enrolled and his/her ERS orientation. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a sample of 201 students from several master degrees offered by the School of Economics and Management of a large public Portuguese university and analysed their ERS orientation using a survey by questionnaire. Findings Findings suggest that there are differences in orientation across gender, with female students valuing ERS more than their male counterparts. Educational background has minimal effects on the responses. It was also found some sort of selection effect in terms of the scientific area of the master degree and ERS orientation. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by analysing the issue of whether students with an educational background in economics and management present different ERS orientation than their counterparts, as well as by examining whether there is some sort of self-selection into the study of disciplines in which ERS orientation is likely to be a week. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first study analysing this type of issue regarding ERS.

The usual discourse of sustainable development and its impact on students of economics: a case from Czech higher education context

“…No significant dependence between the variables was found and the hypotheses were accepted. As in the case of this research, partial gender differences can be confirmed in partial answers in other research with similar topics and using similar empirical tools (Delgado et al , 2020; Dwyer, 2011).…”

Understanding Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability Challenges in the Global South

“…The lack of consensus among researchers and educators regarding how the economic, social, cultural, and environmental spheres of sustainability are interrelated gives rise to diverse perspectives about sustainable development in higher education [50]. In addition to this, several perceptions regarding how these issues must be addressed within courses and degrees coexist, influencing student views and awareness regarding sustainable development and its economic, social, and ethical implications [18]. In this context, it is commonly accepted that teaching and learning about sustainability can be challenging for educators, since it is a multidisciplinary and diverse topic which may be understood in different ways within specific pedagogies [48].…”

“…In this context, universities are increasing efforts to include sustainability-related topics within their study plans [11,12], but the scope of how these issues are addressed differs according to educational level and knowledge area, and there is still room for improvement in many courses and programs [13,14]. Therefore, it becomes essential to adapt and improve economics, business, and management study plans to guarantee that graduates in these areas develop the necessary knowledge and skills to address the connection between strategic economic sectors, social needs, and the environment if they are to transform original ideas into successful projects under sustainability criteria [15][16][17][18][19][20]. To that end, it is vital to implement pedagogical methodologies grounded in a critical viewpoint with regard to the effects of economic decisions from a global standpoint, including diverse world views and narratives to capture diversity and enhance education for sustainable development (ESD) [21].…”

The transforming generation: increasing student awareness about the effects of economic decisions on sustainability

“…Diverse perceptions about the cultural, social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development coexist in higher education institutions, along with a lack of consensus among teachers about how these areas are interconnected (Rouhiainen and Vuorisalo, 2019). There are also different views related to the way in which these issues should be addressed within degrees and courses, which may affect student perceptions regarding sustainability, ethics and social responsibility values (Delgado et al, 2019). In this vein, it is well-understood that teaching and learning about sustainability can be quite a demanding activity, as it draws upon different knowledge areas and may be differently understood within individual pedagogies (Edwards et al, 2020).…”

“…From this perspective, students need to learn not only how to transform innovative ideas into real projects but also to successfully combine environmental, social and financial objectives (Marathe et al, 2020). This is particularly relevant for economics, business and management study plans, as they need to be adapted to effectively address the connection between key IJSHE 22,5 economic sectors, social needs and the SDGs (Adomßent et al, 2014;Stafford-Smith et al, 2017;Coleman and Gould, 2019;Delgado et al, 2019;Marathe et al, 2020). To do so, it is essential to adopt pedagogical praxes based on a critical view regarding the effects of economic decisions from a global perspective, including different world views and narratives to capture diversity (Sund and Pashby, 2020).…”