IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i8p2303-d223535.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Defining Sustainability Core Competencies in Business and Management Studies Based on Multinational Stakeholders’ Perceptions

Author

Listed:
  • Almudena Eizaguirre

    (Marketing Department, University of Deusto, Hermanos Aguirre, 2, 48014 Bilbao, Spain)

  • María García-Feijoo

    (Marketing Department, University of Deusto, Hermanos Aguirre, 2, 48014 Bilbao, Spain)

  • Jon Paul Laka

    (Quantitative Methods Department, University of Deusto, Hermanos Aguirre, 2, 48014 Bilbao, Spain)

Abstract

One of the concerns in our time is the need to integrate economic, social and environmental aspects, which is known as sustainable development. The role of higher education is essential for providing future professionals with the necessary profiles to respond to the sustainability challenges in increasingly complex and global contexts. That is why numerous authors have sought to define key competencies, skills and learning outcomes for sustainability. However, there is still no agreement on what these key competencies for sustainability in higher education really are. For that reason, the objective of this paper is to determine which are the sustainability core competencies, considering three different geographical regions (Europe, Latin America, and Central Asia), and the perspective of four different stakeholders (graduates, employers, students and academics). The framework of the research is the development of the so-called Tuning projects, which aim to design comparable and compatible higher education degrees in different regions of the world, based on student-centered and competency-based learning. Using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the results of this study reveal the existence of a factor intimately related to sustainability, which includes competencies such as commitment to the preservation of the environment, social responsibility or respect for diversity and multiculturality, among others.

Suggested Citation

  • Almudena Eizaguirre & María García-Feijoo & Jon Paul Laka, 2019. "Defining Sustainability Core Competencies in Business and Management Studies Based on Multinational Stakeholders’ Perceptions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:8:p:2303-:d:223535
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/8/2303/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/8/2303/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Valentín Piza & José Luis Aparicio & Columba Rodríguez & Rigoberto Marín & Juana Beltrán & Ramón Bedolla, 2018. "Sustainability in Higher Education: A Didactic Strategy for Environmental Mainstreaming," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Gisela Cebrián & Mercè Junyent, 2015. "Competencies in Education for Sustainable Development: Exploring the Student Teachers’ Views," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Dolors Setó-Pamies & Eleni Papaoikonomou, 2016. "A Multi-level Perspective for the Integration of Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability (ECSRS) in Management Education," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(3), pages 523-538, July.
    4. Magnus Boström & Erik Andersson & Monika Berg & Karin Gustafsson & Eva Gustavsson & Erik Hysing & Rolf Lidskog & Erik Löfmarck & Maria Ojala & Jan Olsson & Benedict E. Singleton & Sebastian Svenberg &, 2018. "Conditions for Transformative Learning for Sustainable Development: A Theoretical Review and Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, November.
    5. Sue L. T. McGregor, 2013. "Alternative Communications about Sustainability Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(8), pages 1-19, August.
    6. Guillermina Tormo-Carbó & Elies Seguí-Mas & Víctor Oltra, 2018. "Business Ethics as a Sustainability Challenge: Higher Education Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, August.
    7. Giles Atkinson & Simon Dietz (ed.), 2007. "Handbook of Sustainable Development," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1818.
    8. Adjo Amekudzi & Meleckidzedeck Khayesi & C. Jotin Khisty, 2015. "Sustainable development footprint: a framework for assessing sustainable development risks and opportunities in time and space," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 18(1/2), pages 9-40.
    9. Giovanni Ruta & Kirk Hamilton, 2007. "The Capital Approach to Sustainability," Chapters, in: Giles Atkinson & Simon Dietz (ed.), Handbook of Sustainable Development, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Paul C. Godfrey & Nile W. Hatch, 2007. "Researching Corporate Social Responsibility: An Agenda for the 21st Century," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 70(1), pages 87-98, January.
    11. Manfred Max Bergman & Zinette Bergman & Lena Berger, 2017. "An Empirical Exploration, Typology, and Definition of Corporate Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-13, May.
    12. Robert H. W. Boyer & Nicole D. Peterson & Poonam Arora & Kevin Caldwell, 2016. "Five Approaches to Social Sustainability and an Integrated Way Forward," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-18, September.
    13. Mary Ann Curran, 2009. "Wrapping Our Brains around Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 1(1), pages 1-9, March.
    14. Rodrigo Lozano & Michelle Y. Merrill & Kaisu Sammalisto & Kim Ceulemans & Francisco J. Lozano, 2017. "Connecting Competences and Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: A Literature Review and Framework Proposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-15, October.
    15. Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Niklas Gericke & Daniel Olsson & Teresa Berglund, 2015. "The Effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-25, November.
    16. Amber Wigmore-Ã lvarez & Mercedes Ruiz-Lozano, 2014. "The United Nations Global Compact Progress Reports as Management Control Instruments for Social Responsibility at Spanish Universities," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(2), pages 21582440145, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Constantin Bratianu & Shahrazad Hadad & Ruxandra Bejinaru, 2020. "Paradigm Shift in Business Education: A Competence-Based Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Alicja Balcerak & Jacek Woźniak, 2022. "Shaping Pro-Environmental Attitudes through Higher Education—A Preliminary Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Lourdes Molera & Eugenio José Sánchez-Alcázar & Úrsula Faura-Martínez & Matilde Lafuente-Lechuga & Juan Vicente Llinares-Ciscar & Joaquín Longinos Marín-Rives & Pedro Juan Martín-Castejón & María Carm, 2021. "Embedding Sustainability in the Economics Degree of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Murcia: A Methodological Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
    4. Bratianu Constantin & Stanescu Dan Florin & Mocanu Rares, 2021. "The mediation role of knowledge management between academic management and business education," Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, Sciendo, vol. 15(1), pages 102-112, December.
    5. Albérico Travassos Rosário & Joana Carmo Dias, 2022. "Sustainability and the Digital Transition: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-18, March.
    6. Sang Putu Kaler Surata & Dewa Ayu Puspawati & Putu Eka Pasmidi Ariati & I. Gusti Agung Paramitha Eka Putri, 2022. "The ecological views of the Balinese toward their subak cultural landscape heritage," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12994-13010, November.
    7. Hernández-Garrido Rocio & Orts-Cardador Jaime & Perez-Calañas Cinta, 2023. "The Role of Management in Sustainable Tourism: A Bibliometric Analysis Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-21, June.
    8. Jasmina Saric & Fabian Käser & Jon-Andri Lys & Jürg Utzinger & Thomas Breu, 2021. "Synergising Research and Service Activities at Swiss Research Institutions to Accelerate Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-20, August.
    9. Oliver Laasch & Dirk C. Moosmayer & Elena P. Antonacopoulou, 2023. "The Interdisciplinary Responsible Management Competence Framework: An Integrative Review of Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability Competences," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(4), pages 733-757, November.
    10. Isabel Ortiz-Marcos & Valeria Breuker & Rocío Rodríguez-Rivero & Björn Kjellgren & Frédéric Dorel & Marco Toffolon & Diego Uribe & Virna Eccli, 2020. "A Framework of Global Competence for Engineers: The Need for a Sustainable World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-25, November.
    11. Ariane Díaz-Iso & Almudena Eizaguirre & Ana García-Olalla, 2020. "Understanding the Role of Social Interactions in the Development of an Extracurricular University Volunteer Activity in a Developing Country," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-17, June.
    12. Vassilis Zakopoulos & Agoritsa Makri & Stamatios Ntanos & Stilianos Tampakis, 2023. "Drama/Theatre Performance in Education through the Use of Digital Technologies for Enhancing Students’ Sustainability Awareness: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-26, September.
    13. Guia Bianchi, 2020. "Sustainability competences: A systematic literature review," JRC Research Reports JRC123624, Joint Research Centre.
    14. Miguel Ángel Queiruga-Dios & Emilia López-Iñesta & María Diez-Ojeda & María Consuelo Sáiz-Manzanares & José Benito Vázquez Dorrío, 2020. "Citizen Science for Scientific Literacy and the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in Formal Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-18, May.
    15. Dolores Gallardo-Vázquez & Flavio Hourneaux Junior & Marcelo Luiz Dias da Silva Gabriel & Luis Enrique Valdez-Juárez, 2021. "On Earth as It Is in Heaven: Proxy Measurements to Assess Sustainable Development Goals at the Company Level through CSR Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    16. Patricia Mares-Nasarre & Víctor Martínez-Ibáñez & Amalia Sanz-Benlloch, 2023. "Analyzing Sustainability Awareness and Professional Ethics of Civil Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-16, April.
    17. Daniela Mihaela Neamþu & Ruxandra Bejinaru & Cristian Valentin Hapenciuc & Iulian Condratov & Pavel Stanciu, 2020. "Analysis and Modelling of Influence Factors in the Configuration of a Sustainable University. Case Study: “?tefan cel Mare” University of Suceava," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 22(54), pages 391-391, April.
    18. Małgorzata Dzimińska & Justyna Fijałkowska & Łukasz Sułkowski, 2020. "A Conceptual Model Proposal: Universities as Culture Change Agents for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-23, June.
    19. Dolors Gil-Doménech & Nina Magomedova & Eugenio José Sánchez-Alcázar & Matilde Lafuente-Lechuga, 2021. "Integrating Sustainability in the Business Administration and Management Curriculum: A Sustainability Competencies Map," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-23, August.
    20. Pavel Krpálek & Kateřina Berková & Katarína Krpálková Krelová & Andrea Kubišová & Dagmar Frendlovská & Stanislav Szabo, 2020. "Environmental Education in the Preparation of Students of Tourism and Finance and Management in the Czech Republic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-21, August.
    21. Constantin Bratianu & Dan Florin Stanescu & Rares Mocanu, 2021. "Exploring the Knowledge Management Impact on Business Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-16, February.
    22. Sarfraz Aslam & Khalida Parveen & Abdulelah A. Alghamdi & Safdar Abbas & Akhter Habib Shah & Kesavan Vadakalur Elumalai, 2022. "Hopes for the Future: Capturing the Perspectives of Students on Higher Education and Sustainable Development in the Post-Pandemic Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-16, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pablo Ruiz-Palomino & Ricardo Martínez-Cañas & Pedro Jiménez-Estévez, 2019. "Are Corporate Social Responsibility Courses Effective? A Longitudinal and Gender-Based Analysis in Undergraduate Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-17, October.
    2. María García-Feijoo & Almudena Eizaguirre & Alvaro Rica-Aspiunza, 2020. "Systematic Review of Sustainable-Development-Goal Deployment in Business Schools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-19, January.
    3. Rocío Valderrama-Hernández & Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo & Lucía Alcántara Rubio & Dolores Limón-Domínguez, 2019. "Methodology to Analyze the Effectiveness of ESD in a Higher Degree in Education. A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27, December.
    4. Kifah Imara & Fahriye Altinay, 2021. "Integrating Education for Sustainable Development Competencies in Teacher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-17, November.
    5. Eva-Maria Waltner & Werner Rieß & Christoph Mischo, 2019. "Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Student Sustainability Competencies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, March.
    6. Mirjam Braßler & Martin Schultze, 2021. "Students’ Innovation in Education for Sustainable Development—A Longitudinal Study on Interdisciplinary vs. Monodisciplinary Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, January.
    7. Yi-Chen Lai & Li-Hsun Peng, 2019. "Effective Teaching and Activities of Excellent Teachers for the Sustainable Development of Higher Design Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27, December.
    8. Nina Kolleck & Helge Jörgens & Mareike Well, 2017. "Levels of Governance in Policy Innovation Cycles in Community Education: The Cases of Education for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-16, October.
    9. Alba Manresa & Jasmina Berbegal-Mirabent & Úrsula Faura-Martínez & Juan-Vicente Llinares-Ciscar, 2021. "What Do Freshmen Know about Sustainability? Analysing the Skill Gap among University Business Administration Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
    10. Haizheng Li & Junzi He & Qinyi Liu & Barbara M. Fraumeni & Xiang Zheng, 2016. "Regional Distribution and Dynamics of Human Capital in China 1985-2014: Education, Urbanization, and Aging of the Population," NBER Working Papers 22906, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. M. Teresa Fuertes-Camacho & Mariona Graell-Martín & Mariana Fuentes-Loss & M. Carmen Balaguer-Fàbregas, 2019. "Integrating Sustainability into Higher Education Curricula through the Project Method, a Global Learning Strategy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-25, February.
    12. M. Isabel Sánchez-Hernández & Juan José Maldonado-Briegas, 2019. "Sustainable Entrepreneurial Culture Programs Promoting Social Responsibility: A European Regional Experience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-19, July.
    13. Gemma Tejedor & Jordi Segalàs & Ángela Barrón & Mónica Fernández-Morilla & M. Teresa Fuertes & Jorge Ruiz-Morales & Ibón Gutiérrez & Esther García-González & Pilar Aramburuzabala & Àngels Hernández, 2019. "Didactic Strategies to Promote Competencies in Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-24, April.
    14. Combes, Jean-Louis & Delacote, Philippe & Combes Motel, Pascale & Yogo, Thierry Urbain, 2018. "Public spending, credit and natural capital: Does access to capital foster deforestation?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 306-316.
    15. Alla Mostepaniuk & Elsie Nasr & Razan Ibrahim Awwad & Sameer Hamdan & Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani, 2022. "Managing a Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-23, September.
    16. Adriana Galant & Tea Golja & Iva Slivar, 2015. "Disclosure of Non-financial Information in Tourism: Does Tourism Demand Value Nonmandatory Disclosure?," MIC 2015: Managing Sustainable Growth; Proceedings of the Joint International Conference, Portorož, Slovenia, 28–30 May 2015,, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper.
    17. Gisela Cebrián & Mercè Junyent & Ingrid Mulà, 2021. "Current Practices and Future Pathways towards Competencies in Education for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-9, August.
    18. Lukas Scherak & Marco Rieckmann, 2020. "Developing ESD Competences in Higher Education Institutions—Staff Training at the University of Vechta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-19, December.
    19. Monika Sady & Agnieszka Żak & Karolina Rzepka, 2019. "The Role of Universities in Sustainability-Oriented Competencies Development: Insights from an Empirical Study on Polish Universities," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-20, August.
    20. José M. Peiró & Vicente Martínez-Tur & Nanja Nagorny-Koring & Christoph Auch, 2021. "A Framework of Professional Transferable Competences for System Innovation: Enabling Leadership and Agency for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-30, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:8:p:2303-:d:223535. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.