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An Explanatory Study of MBA Students with Regards to Sustainability and Ethics Commitment

Author

Listed:
  • Marian Buil

    (Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department, Escola de Ciències Socials i de l’Empresa-Tecnocampus, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Mataró 08302, Spain)

  • Juan Pedro Aznar

    (Economy, Accounting and Finance Department, ESADE Business & Law School, Barcelona 08034, Spain)

  • Jorge Galiana

    (Accounting Department, LaSalle Barcelona, EAE Business School, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08015 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Alba Rocafort-Marco

    (Politics, Philosophy and Economics Departament, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK)

Abstract

(1) Background: The consequences of the recent economic crisis have shown the need for promoting certain key skills in future entrepreneurs to create enterprises that are capable of producing added value, generating employment and remaining solvent or growing in a competitive and highly volatile environment. Therefore, the issue is not simply a matter of creating more businesses, but rather, a model based on organizations with strong sustainable values in the long term. (2) Methods: The originality and new approach of this article is to establish, through an empirical approach, the link between the entrepreneurial skills and environmental and social commitment in times of crisis. Based on the analysis of a questionnaire answered by MBA students and using structural equation modelling, the relation between entrepreneurial skills, social and environment commitment are tested. (3) Results: The statistical analysis proved the existence of a positive relation between entrepreneurs’ skills and environmental and social commitment pointing out the importance of sustainability commitment as a source of high added value activities. (4) Conclusion: The paper demonstrates that investing in the promotion of entrepreneurial skills in education systems has positive effects on how future entrepreneurs will manage their firms. Therefore, this sustainably depends on the present education policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Marian Buil & Juan Pedro Aznar & Jorge Galiana & Alba Rocafort-Marco, 2016. "An Explanatory Study of MBA Students with Regards to Sustainability and Ethics Commitment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-13, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:3:p:280-:d:66034
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Yenchun Jim Wu & Chih-Hung Yuan & Chia-I Pan, 2018. "Entrepreneurship Education: An Experimental Study with Information and Communication Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Crisanta-Alina Mazilescu & Bernard Gangloff, 2017. "Value Assigned to Employees Who Preserve the Social and Organizational Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-17, January.
    3. May Portuguez Castro & Marcela Georgina Gómez Zermeño, 2021. "Identifying Entrepreneurial Interest and Skills among University Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-19, June.
    4. May Portuguez Castro & Marcela Georgina Gómez Zermeño, 2020. "Challenge Based Learning: Innovative Pedagogy for Sustainability through e-Learning in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-15, May.

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