Reducing carbon emissions in business through Responsible Management Education: Influence at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels

Abstract

There has long been an understanding that to achieve meaningful progress against sustainability challenges, action is required at multiple levels. With regards to education initiatives, these levels range from macro-level international agreements and activities such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education, meso-level influences such as the role of national bodies supporting sustainability in higher education, and micro-level influences such as the commitment of individual universities or departments. However, decision makers are individuals and the development and delivery of such initiatives requires action at the level of the individual. This paper explores the impact of working within and across these different levels and how jointly they help to work towards addressing carbon reductions in a partnership setting between a business school and various organisations. The paper explores the case of an educational initiative carried out in the United Kingdom where students conduct a carbon footprint of an organisation and recommend measures to reduce the company's greenhouse gas emissions. The total recommended greenhouse gas emissions savings from two years of the project were 507, 435 kg CO2e, averaging over 10 tonnes per organisation and 2 tonnes per student. If this project was extended over 5 years and taken on by an additional educator, the potential reductions increase to 2,562,418 kg CO2e. It demonstrates that action undertaken at the micro-level can result in significant impact at the macro-level when scaled up and provide significant benefits to actors across all levels from individuals though to all participating organisations.

Sustainable development goals and the strategic role of business: A systematic literature review

“…Specifically, Horne, Recker, Michelfelder, Jay, and Kratzer (2020) explore the relation between entrepreneurship and SDGs through a quantitative methodology, whereas Mintrom and Thomas (2018) and Schaltegger, Beckmann, and Hockerts (2018) both published in International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing and focus on entrepreneurship to pursue sustainable development, the latter adopting a conceptual approach. The very recent studies by Molthan‐Hill, Robinson, Hope, Dharmasasmita, and McManus (2020) and Nwagwu (2020), published in the International Journal of Management Education , instead focus on responsible management education to pursue SDGs. Molthan‐Hill et al (2020) in particular focus on specific goals: 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 13 (Climate Action), and 17 (Partnership to Achieve Goals).…”

“…The very recent studies by Molthan‐Hill, Robinson, Hope, Dharmasasmita, and McManus (2020) and Nwagwu (2020), published in the International Journal of Management Education , instead focus on responsible management education to pursue SDGs. Molthan‐Hill et al (2020) in particular focus on specific goals: 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 13 (Climate Action), and 17 (Partnership to Achieve Goals). All the other papers generally deal with the full SDGs set.…”

The role of governance indicators to minimize the carbon emission: a study of Saudi Arabia

“…Alongside, another study was done by Versteijlen et al (2017) explored the association between online educations in Dutch institutions and concluded that online education results in a significant decrease in the carbon impact of not only the students but also staff members. However, education is important for management staff along with students for proper reduction of CO 2 emission as Molthan-Hill et al (2020) explored micro as well as macro-level educational settings jointly between university students and organizations. Results indicate that this setting reduced CO 2 emission by 507,435 kg in two years and it is recommended to continue it for five years.…”

Interdisciplinarity in education for sustainable development: business schools perspectives

“…Researchers question how business education can be a vector of the paradigm shift towards a business (not) as-usual model (Molthan-Hill, Robinson, Hope, Dharmasasmita & McManus, 2020;Borglund, Prenkert, Frostenson, Helin & Du Rietz, 2019;Nwagwu, 2020;Wersun, 2017;Ndubuka & Rey-Marmonier, 2019;de Paula Arruda Filho, 2017;Fougère, Solitander, & Young, 2014), and many initiatives at an international and global level have risen like the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) (Forray & Leigh, 2012).…”

“…The complexity and interconnectedness of Sustainable Development are multi-dimensional (Dyllick & Hockerts, 2002), multi-level (Molthan-Hill et al, 2020), systemic (Bansal, 2002), and multi-stakeholder dependant (Hörisch, Freeman & Schaltegger, 2014), paradoxical (Hahn, Preuss, Pinkse & Figge, 2014). For that, it can not be addressed by isolated and specific theories (Sibbel, 2009), neither from the top of ivory towers, academic silos detached from the outside world (Ralph & Stubbs, 2014).…”