Sustainability in Higher Education: An Exploratory Investigation of Hospitality Management Courses

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate students' perceptions about sustainability curricula in hospitality management degree programmes. Sustainability, a prime business concern, is now a prominent agenda in higher education, and also in hotel management courses. The study is located in India and adopts a positivist epistemological position. Quantitative data was collected through structured questionnaires from 250 undergraduate students undergoing hospitality degree programmes in the states of Jammu and Kashmir. Data analysis was done through descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS. The findings establish that students are engaged in environmental literacy and view this as an important concern for their future. Respondents who demonstrate greater awareness and concerns in everyday life attach greater importance to such issues in a business context also. Lastly, the mode of delivery of sustainability-related modules deeply impacts students' attitudes toward this all-important agenda. Sustainability education is most effective when it is embedded into all aspects of the course or forms the overall context within which hospitality management courses are delivered.

Distance Education Effectiveness and Barriers in Developing a Positive Attitude Towards Sustainability: Mediation of Innovativeness

“…Various pieces of evidence have been found to support this notion. Anderson (2017) found a strong correlation between taking related university courses and attitude towards engaging in environmentally sustainable behaviour and activities, while sustainability-related modules have deeply impacted students' attitudes towards the sustainability agenda (Chawla & Manhas, 2015). Nevertheless, studies have yet to discover the attitudinal outcome pertaining to sustainability as the result of enrolling in online and distance education programmes (Oliveira et al, 2018;Silas Marques de Oliveira, 2012).…”

“…Meanwhile, students in Irish higher education institutions possess inadequate knowledge and a narrow understanding of sustainable development and know extraordinarily little about social issues (Nicolaou & Conlon, 2012). According to Chawla and Manhas (2015), most students found that the term 'sustainability' is rather unclear, although they were somehow engaged in sustainability-related matters. The findings exemplify a lack of understanding of the complexity of the sustainability agenda, which is largely associated with environmental issues.…”

“…Indeed, attitudinal change is a prerequisite to behavioural change (Arbuthnott, 2009). The significance of attitude in transforming the sustainability agenda in the context of higher education has also been acknowledged (Anderson, 2017;Chawla & Manhas, 2015). However, the method by which attitude towards sustainability is formed through the process of delivering lessons via the distance education mode has yet to be explored further.…”

Exploring Reflections of Lecturers on Ethics in the Accounting Curriculum: A Case Study of Ukzn and Unizulu, South Africa

“…However, accounting educators are still seen to be focusing on the teaching and learning activities to finish the accounting syllabus towards the needs of the examinations rather than inculcating the right accounting ethics and maintaining integrity in the workplace (Ahmad, 2007). Chawla and Nanhas (2015) stated that university accounting students need a single course in ethics to deal with various situations and improve their ethical reasoning skills. Accounting educators viewed the incidents of corporate scandal in the accounting world as a wake-up call to realize the need to incorporate good values to the students and the importance of accounting to society and the economy (Titard et al, 2004;.…”