Education for sustainable development: an assessment of Australian and Canadian business schools

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate whether and how business schools in Australia and Canada advocate for education for sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

This exploratory study used a sequential mixed methods design, using a combination of qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. During phase 1, sustainability reports developed by Australian and Canadian business schools (SIP reports), which are signatories to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), were reviewed using qualitative content analysis methods. Following that, a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with nine representatives from selected business schools from Australia and Canada were conducted to triangulate and interpret the findings from phase 1.

Findings

Australian and Canadian business schools incorporate sustainability into their teaching practices through mandatory courses designed around sustainability and its relationship with business and linking sustainability with other business-related courses by including relevant aspects of sustainability with course contents. Sustainability education in Australia and Canada is being addressed through a variety of degree and non-degree programs showing an increasing relevance for sustainability across business schools. However, results also show differences between the two countries, dependence on leadership, at times lack of support and infrastructure and not always clear strategies to place sustainability at the core of business education.

Originality/value

Despite previous attempts at examining sustainability practices across business schools, there is a dearth of research looking into a cross-country comparison of integrating sustainability in learning and teaching for business education.

Citation

Ordonez-Ponce, E., Nejati, M. and Ahmad, R. (2024), "Education for sustainable development: an assessment of Australian and Canadian business schools", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-03-2024-0173