Abstract
The first sentence of the call for papers for the Academy of Marketing Conference 2017 asserts
that marketing is increasingly seen as a force for good, particularly in connection with building
awareness of environmental issues and sustainability. In this paper we focus on the education
of business students, and particularly marketing students, in issues to do with sustainability.
The primary purpose of this paper is to report on an empirical investigation of the beliefs and
perceptions of our own students with respect to sustainability. This investigation is planned to
be a benchmark study, so that we can track changes in students’ beliefs and perceptions as
sustainability issues are further embedded within the curriculum.
While environmental sustainability has been a matter of widespread interest and concern for
many years, the 2015 Paris Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) can be regarded as the most significant development in recent
history. In October 2016 the Paris agreement achieved entry into force, having been ratified by
109 of the 197 Parties to the Convention. The central aim of the Paris Agreement is to
strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change; the goal is to restrict global
temperature rise to no more than 2 degrees Celsius this century, while making efforts to restrict
global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (UN, 2015).
Given the prominence received by sustainability at the political level, it is not surprising that
business schools are being encouraged to include it explicitly within the curriculum. Business
school accrediting bodies mandate the inclusion of sustainability in the business curriculum
(see appendix for extracts from accrediting body requirements).
that marketing is increasingly seen as a force for good, particularly in connection with building
awareness of environmental issues and sustainability. In this paper we focus on the education
of business students, and particularly marketing students, in issues to do with sustainability.
The primary purpose of this paper is to report on an empirical investigation of the beliefs and
perceptions of our own students with respect to sustainability. This investigation is planned to
be a benchmark study, so that we can track changes in students’ beliefs and perceptions as
sustainability issues are further embedded within the curriculum.
While environmental sustainability has been a matter of widespread interest and concern for
many years, the 2015 Paris Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) can be regarded as the most significant development in recent
history. In October 2016 the Paris agreement achieved entry into force, having been ratified by
109 of the 197 Parties to the Convention. The central aim of the Paris Agreement is to
strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change; the goal is to restrict global
temperature rise to no more than 2 degrees Celsius this century, while making efforts to restrict
global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (UN, 2015).
Given the prominence received by sustainability at the political level, it is not surprising that
business schools are being encouraged to include it explicitly within the curriculum. Business
school accrediting bodies mandate the inclusion of sustainability in the business curriculum
(see appendix for extracts from accrediting body requirements).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 4 Jul 2017 |
| Event | Freedom Through Marketing: Looking Back, Going Forward: 50th Academy of Marketing Conference - Hull University Business School, Hull, United Kingdom Duration: 3 Jul 2017 → 6 Jul 2017 https://www.academyofmarketing.org/conference/conference-2017/ |
Conference
| Conference | Freedom Through Marketing: Looking Back, Going Forward |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Hull |
| Period | 3/07/17 → 6/07/17 |
| Internet address |