Who is listening? An examination of gender effectsand employment choice in sustainability educationin an undergraduate business school

Scott Weaven • Deborah Griffin • Ruth McPhail •

Calvin Smith

Received: 7 October 2011 / Accepted: 23 July 2013 / Published online: 13 August 2013

� The Australian Association for Research in Education, Inc. 2013

Abstract Whilst universities acknowledge the importance of sustainability edu-

cation, numerous problems exist in relation to the nature, delivery and outcomes of

sustainability instruction. Many of these problems arise due to a lack of under-

standing about students’ perception towards, and knowledge about business sus-

tainability. This article examines gender-specific perceptions of business

sustainability issues, sustainability education and the importance students attach to

sustainability in their choice of future employer. A paper-based self-complete sur-

vey was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 224 undergraduate

marketing students at an Australian University. Factor analysis, T-tests, and mul-

tiple regression were used to test the hypothesised relationships. Results show

significant differences between the female and male cohorts, supporting all but one

of the hypothesised relationships. In addition, gender differences were observed

across the constructs predicting employment choice. Implications for teaching

practice and future research are provided.

Keywords Keywords Sustainability � Ethics � Subjective knowledge �Environmental concern � Employment choice

S. Weaven (&) � D. Griffin

Department of Marketing, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

e-mail: s.weaven@griffith.edu.au

D. Griffin

e-mail: D.Griffin@griffith.edu.au

R. McPhail

Department of Management, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD,

Australia

e-mail: R.McPhail@griffith.edu.au

C. Smith

Griffith Institute for Higher Education, Mt Gravat, QLD, Australia

e-mail: C.Smith@griffith.edu.au

123

Aust. Educ. Res. (2013) 40:567–582

DOI 10.1007/s13384-013-0118-8

Introduction

There is growing consensus that business survivability is dependent upon the

promotion of sustainable business practices that will benefit both current and future

generations (Salzmann et al. 2005; Venkataraman 2009). However, business

sustainability will be largely dependent upon the recruitment of managers that have

an understanding of, and a capacity, to integrate sustainability initiatives into

corporate planning strategies (Burton and Goldsby 2009; Mather 2008; Mather et al.

2011). To this end, a number of higher-education institutions have acknowledged

that sustainability education will play an integral role in building this capacity in

their role as educators of future business leaders. However, research suggests that

numerous problems relating to the uptake of sustainability education in Universities

exist (Newport et al. 2003). For example, a report by the Higher Education

Academy (UK) (2005) found that many academics were unaware of, or ambivalent

towards, sustainability education (Dawe 2005; HEFCE 2005). Commonly cited

issues included ‘lack of relevance’, ‘curriculum overcrowding’ and ‘awkwardness

of fit’, in subject areas. Moreover, there is ongoing debate concerning the

appropriate conceptualisation and application of sustainability educational frame-

works (e.g. narrow or broad sustainability foci) (Hopkins and Mckeown 2002;

Kagawa 2007; Matten and Moon 2004; Rusinko 2010). These problems are

particularly evident within the business discipline, which has historically advocated

neoclassical economic perspectives on business operation and performance (Stubbs

2008; Wu et al. 2010). Moreover, many Australian Business Schools appear to lag

behind international best practice (Huntington et al. 2006).

To further compound this problem, there is evidence that many business students

are not currently aware of the nature of business sustainability and are not convinced

that environmental or social responsibility equates with business success (Aspen

Institute 2008; Kagawa 2007), although there is a lack of consensus on this issue

(Angelidis and Ibrahim 2004; Sleeper et al. 2006). While there is recent anecdotal

evidence that graduates favour employment with socially responsible organisations

(Sankey 2010), this outcome has not been empirically examined in higher education

settings. Moreover, we do not fully understand student perceptions toward, and

knowledge of sustainability issues in business education, and how this knowledge

impact students’ subsequent choice of employer. To date, these issues have not been

fully examined within the context of individual differences, and particularly gender,

which has been shown to influence perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility

(CSR) and ethics in business (Arlow 1991; Burton and Hegarty 1999). Thus, there

appears a clear need to extend our understanding of students’ knowledge,

perceptions and attitudes towards ethics and business sustainability, so as to inform

higher education curriculum design with the view to building students’ ‘sustain-

ability literacy’ in preparation for future employment (Murray and Cotgrave 2007).

This is particularly needed in the context of undergraduate education so as to

provide a balanced view of business education, given the consistent emphasis on

postgraduate programmes in many previous sustainability studies (Stubbs and

Cocklin 2008).

568 S. Weaven et al.

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This article is offered towards providing a better understanding of sustainability

instruction in undergraduate business school settings. The goals of this paper are to

examine gender-specific student perceptions of sustainability issues and sustain-

ability education, and investigate the importance that students attach to sustain-

ability in their choice of future employer. The empirical results are based on a

survey of undergraduate students in an Australian University. The paper concludes

with implications for teaching practitioners and future academic researchers.

Literature review and hypothesis development

Perception of ethics and social responsibility

Although a number of studies have examined the role of sustainability in promoting

organisational effectiveness in a variety of settings (e.g. Vitell et al. 2009), there is a

clear need to consider ethics and social responsibility on an individual level as a

person’s perceptions are critical in determining resultant ethical judgements and

behaviours in real-world business situations (Hunt and Vitell 1986; Keefer and

Ashley 2010; Singhapakdi et al. 1996, 2004). Whilst there has been significant

discourse regarding what students should learn about business sustainability issues

in higher education (e.g. Rusinko 2010; Stubbs and Cocklin 2008), less is known

about what students understand about the nature and role of sustainability and ethics

in organisational contexts (Carew and Mitchell 2002; Kagawa 2007). Only a few

studies have found that, although students rate sustainable development as

important, they tend to have limited understanding of the subject matter, consider

sustainability in uni-dimensional terms centring upon environmental concerns (e.g.,

Stir 2006). Moreover, students often consider it to be a future-generational (rather

than a current) issue (Azapagic et al. 2005; Stir 2006). However, within the context

of gender, previous results are somewhat contradictory. For example, while research

suggests that females are more ethical than males, show greater concern for social

responsibility issues, and actively pursue more sustainable work-related behaviours

(Arlow 1991; Herington and Weaven 2007), other research has observed that

females possess less knowledge of business sustainability than males (Kagawa

2007). However, on the weight of evidence provided by previous university-level

studies (e.g. Burton and Hegarty 1999; Stewart et al. 1996; Sleeper et al. 2006) we

would expect female business students to rate ethics and social responsibility as

more important in business operation and success than male students. Accordingly

we propose the following hypothesis.

H1 Female marketing students will score higher than males on the perceived role

of ethics and social responsibility.

Student attitudes towards businesses’ role in addressing sustainability

Another important aspect relates to student views on business educations’ role in

including CSR in business courses. However, to date there has been limited research

Gender effects and employment choice in sustainability education 569

123

in this area (Kagawa 2007). Previous research suggests that students generally

possess a ‘superficial’ knowledge of business sustainability, often over-emphasising

the importance of the environmental dimension, and undervaluing the importance of

sustainability issues in the context of current generations (Azapagic et al. 2005; Stir

2006; Summers et al. 2004). This may infer that students have a limited knowledge

of the subject matter and may therefore discount the need for (and value of)

sustainability education in higher education. However, Sleeper et al. (2006) devised

a scale to gauge student attitudes towards business education’s role in addressing

social issues (BERSI), finding that a majority of business students reacted favorably

towards instruction in sustainable development. Moreover, they found that female

students exhibited a stronger tendency to agree that sustainability issues should be

incorporated into business education. This appears somewhat contrary to recent

research suggesting that students are somewhat ambivalent towards sustainability

education (Down 2006). In the context of gender, Kagawa (2007) found that male

students report greater familiarity with sustainability issues. However, a handful of

other studies have reported that female students apportion greater value to corporate

sustainability, particularly in relation to personal goals centring upon the promotion

of societal-level benefits (e.g. Arlow 1991; Burton and Hegarty 1999; Sleeper et al.

2006). Thus, based on the above discussion, we hypothesise that:

H2 Female students will tend to have more positive attitudes towards business

education’s role in addressing CSR.

Environmental concern

In recent years there has been a significant shift towards sustainable practices in

industry, with many business professionals perceiving a definitive link between

‘green practices’ and business success (NEEF 2009; Amran et al. 2010). Within

higher educational settings, research suggests that students often strongly identify

with environmental issues when considering sustainable development practices

(Kagawa 2007). Whilst this suggests that students tend to adopt narrow views of

business sustainability, the environmental (rather than social and economic)

dimension nevertheless occupies an important role in business sustainability. Thus

some understanding of student opinions or perceptions of sustainability may be

gained by examining their general views regarding environmental problems and

associated solutions. This may be viewed within the context of environmental

concern which refers to an individual’s pro-environmental behaviours which are

enacted on a person’s awareness of the consequences of business related decisions

upon the environment (Fransson and Garling 1999; Garling et al. 2003). Although

there is some evidence that female students show a greater desire for corporate

resources to be utilized for the betterment of society (Arlow 1991), we do not

currently know if this is the case, given that recent research infers that a significantly

broader understanding of sustainability issues is evident within business student

cohorts (Sleeper et al. 2006). However, based on the findings of a majority of

previous educational studies, it appears plausible that female students will show

570 S. Weaven et al.

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greater concern for environmental issues than male students. Thus, based on the

above discussion, the following hypothesis is presented.

H3 Female marketing students will tend to be more environmentally concerned

than males.

Sustainability knowledge

The concept of knowledge has long been recognized in the literature as playing an

integral role in the decision making process. One type of knowledge is subjective

knowledge, which may be defined as an individual’s ‘‘perception of the amount of

information they have stored in their memory’’ (Flynn and Goldsmith 1999, p. 59).

Therefore, it follows that sustainability knowledge refers to information on

sustainability (i.e., social, ethical and environmental) stored in an individual’s

memory. Individuals use subjective knowledge as a basis on how they accumulate

and organize information (Alba and Hutchinson 1987). In the context of

sustainability education, there is consistent evidence that females place greater

emphasis on social responsibility when evaluating corporate effectiveness (Kraft

and Singhapakdi 1995) and tend to be more ethical (Arlow 1991). A study by

Kagawa (2007) found that males were more familiar with the term ‘sustainability’

or ‘sustainability development’ than females. However, this may be indicative of

males’ propensity to overstate their true level of knowledge, given their tendency to

have greater confidence in their knowledge than females (Flynn and Goldsmith,

1999), and thus, may not be a true indication of sustainability knowledge. Given

this, we hypothesise that:

H4 Female marketing students will tend to have higher sustainability knowledge

than males.

Corporate environmental commitment

Rationales for, and approaches to integrating sustainability education in colleges

and universities have received consistent attention in the educational literature

(Christensen et al. 2007; Huntington et al. 2006). However, there has been less

discussion concerning the role of sustainability in a student’s choice of future

employer. While early research suggests that female students appreciate the need for

re-directing corporate resources for the betterment of society (Arlow 1991; Sleeper

et al. 2006), we do not know if this is currently the case given recently noted

changes in student perceptions (in general) towards sustainability issues (Kolodin-

sky et al. 2010). Whilst there is some anecdotal evidence that graduates are

choosing employers that utilize sustainable development programs (even though it

often requires a concomitant reduction in their initial remuneration) (Sankey 2010),

this has not been tested in a higher-education setting. Largely based upon the results

of earlier research we present the following hypothesis.

H5 Female marketing students will tend to perceive that organisations should

have a greater commitment to the environment/sustainable development than males.

Gender effects and employment choice in sustainability education 571

123

In addition, extending from H5, we will investigate whether these previously

identified variables will influence how marketing students make subsequent career

choices. As mentioned above, there is some anecdotal evident that graduates favour

choosing employers with sound CSR credentials (Sankey 2010), however, this has

not yet been empirically tested in university contexts. In addition, given the view

that in the workplace you have to comply with your company’s wishes, providing

students with the opportunity to explore aspects of professional experiences (e.g.,

ethical conduct) may assist them to develop and sustain ethical business practices

(Axford 2005). Thus we propose the following research question.

RQ1 What factors are more likely to predict employment choices across gender?

Empirical research

Survey measurement

Sustainability knowledge was measured by five items adapted from the Flynn and

Goldsmith (1999) subjective knowledge scale. An example of an item is: Among my

circle of friends, I’m one of the ‘‘experts’’ on sustainability. Three of the items are

reverse scored. Environmental concern was measured by four items sourced from

Ellen (1994), three of which are reversed scored. A typical item is Environmental

problems are of great concern to me personally.

Three items were sourced and adapted from Sleeper et al. (2006) nine-item scale

to measure Student attitudes toward business education’s role in addressing social

issues (BERSI). While Sleeper et al. (2006) adopted a broader view of social issues

(e.g., solutions to social problems, civic leadership, discrimination, service and

general CSR issues) the three items used in this study focused on CSR, community/

societal issues and civic leadership. An example of an item is: University business

courses/programs should require students to study issues concerning corporate

social responsibility.

The items to measure student perceptions of ethics and social responsibility were

sourced from Singhapaki et al. (1995) perceived importance of ethics and social

responsibility (PRESOR) scale. The scale comprises three dimensions: Good ethics

is good business, Profits are not paramount and Quality and communication.

However, as the purpose of this study was to capture students’ general perception of

the importance of ethics and social responsibility to business, (based on a factor

analysis) only four items from ‘Good ethics is good business’ dimension were used.

All of these positively worded items included ethics and social responsibility in their

wording. For example: Being ethical and socially responsible is the most important

thing a firm can do.

Another aim of this study was to gauge student perception of whether acceptance

of a job offer with an organisation would be based on a company’s commitment to

the environment and sustainability development. With this in mind, two items were

generated based on Davenport (2000) who identified environmental commitment

within his principles of corporate citizenship. The two items had minor differences

572 S. Weaven et al.

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in wording, for example, Companies should demonstrate a commitment to the

environment/sustainable development. All of the items were in a Likert format using

a seven-point response scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree.

Analysis and results

Sample description

The sample for this study consisted of undergraduate business students (pursuing a

marketing major) at an Australian university. The questionnaire was administered

during class for second and third year courses and resulted in 244 useable surveys.

The nationality of the students was balanced between Australian (121) and

International (123). Female students accounted for 53 % (130) of the sample and the

average age was 23 years.

Measure validation

Preliminary analysis was undertaken on measures sourced and/or adapted from

existing scales to examine factor structures and reliability scores. Factor analysis via

principal components extraction and varimax rotation indicated that all of the

measures were unidimensional with factor loadings above the recommended level

of 0.5 (DeVellis 2003). In addition, Cronbach alpha coefficients were above the

acceptable level of 0.7 (Hair et al. 1998). Also, the normality of the individual

variables was assessed via skewness and kurtosis values. The skew values ranged

from -0.56 to 0.02 and kurtosis values ranged from -0.82 to ?1.0 indicating that

all indicator values fell within the accepted guideline range of -1.0 to ?1.0 (Huck

2008) indicating a relatively normal distribution. However, the impact of skewness

and kurtosis will have negligible effect in large samples (200? cases), therefore,

any deviation from normality may not make a substantive difference in further

analysis (Hair et al. 1998; Tabachnick and Fidell 2001). From there, items relating

to each measure and the two items to measure environmental commitment were

summed and the summated scales were used in subsequent analysis.

Hypotheses testing

T-tests were conducted to examine whether there were differences in the focal

constructs between female and male marketing students. As shown in Table 1, the

results indicated female scored significantly higher in perceived role of ethics and

social responsibility (t = -3.84, p \ 0.001) thereby supporting H1. Similarly,

females scored significantly higher than males in their perception of business

education’s role in CSR (t = -2.55, p \ 0.05), environmental concern (t = -2.1,

p \ 0.05) and organisational commitment to the environment/sustainable develop-

ment (t = -3.00, p \ 0.05), thereby supporting H2, H3 and H5. However, although

there was a significant gender difference for sustainability knowledge (t = -2.74,

Gender effects and employment choice in sustainability education 573

123

p \ 0.05), males rather than females reported being more knowledgeable on

sustainability, therefore, H4 was not supported.

In order to identify the factors that influence male marketing students working in

an organisation with a commitment to the environment/sustainable development, a

simultaneous multiple regression was conducted. The model (see Fig. 1) as a whole

was significant explaining 35 % of the variance (R2 = 0.35, F(4, 16.30) p \ 0.001)

and, as shown in Table 2, three of the four variables made a significant contribution

to the model. The predictability of the three variables was environmental concern

(b = 0.33, p \ 0.001) followed by perceived role of ethics and social responsibility

(b = 0.27, p \ 0.05) and Business education’s role in CSR (b = 0.26, p \ 0.05).

Following on, another multiple regression was conducted to identify the factors

that may influence female marketing students working in an organisation with a

commitment to the environment/sustainable development. Again, the model (See

Fig. 2) as a whole was significant and explained 33 % of the variance. However,

only two of the independent variables made a significant contribution to the model,

as neither sustainability knowledge nor perceived role of ethics and social

responsibility were significant. Moreover, female student perception of business

education’s role in CSR (b = 0.45, p \ 0.001) had more than twice the impact of

environmental concern (b = 0.20, p \ 0.05) See Table 3.

Discussion and conclusions

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that ethics, social

responsibility and sustainability should be an integral part of marketing organisa-

tional practices (Singhapakdi et al. 1995, 1996, 2004; Vitell et al. 2009). In addition,

there has also been recognition that universities have an important role in educating

business students (i.e., future business managers) about corporate social responsi-

bility and sustainability (Kolodinsky et al. 2010; Rundle-Thiele and Wymer 2010;

Rusinko 2010). However, it would seem that this recognition has not translated into

action, as relatively low numbers of universities currently offer dedicated courses on

ethics, social responsibility and sustainability (Rundle-Thiele and Wymer 2010).

Table 1 Results of T-tests for gender differences

Construct Male Female

Mean SD Mean SD

Perceived role of ethics and social responsibility** 4.82 0.88 5.25 0.85

Business education’s role in CSR* 5.00 0.98 5.31 0.87

Environmental concern* 4.33 1.13 4.63 1.11

Organisational commitment to the environment/sustainable development* 5.41 1.10 5.82 1.01

Sustainability knowledge* 4.36 0.95 4.00 0.97

Significant gender difference, * p \ 0.05; ** p \ 0.001

574 S. Weaven et al.

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This research is important as it adds to the body of literature in an under

researched area, namely, the importance placed upon sustainability education by

undergraduate students whilst exploring the role of gender. How students

understand the role of ethics and social responsibility, perceive the role of the

educator in addressing CSR, their levels of environmental concern, their perceptions

Sustainability knowledge

Environmental concern

Commitment to environment, sustainable development

Perceived role of ethics and social responsibility

Business education role in CSR

.33

n.s.

.27

.26

Fig. 1 Results for multiple regression for male students

Table 2 Results of multiple

regression for male marketing

students

* p \ 0.05; ** p \ 0.001

Construct b T

Environmental concern 0.33 4.10**

Perceived role of ethics and social

responsibility

0.27 3.19*

Business education’s role in CSR 0.26 3.21*

Sustainability knowledge -0.016 -0.21

Commitment to environment, sustainable development

Business education role in CSR

Perceived role of ethics and social responsibility

Environmental concern

Sustainability knowledge

.45

n.s.

.20

.n.s

Fig. 2 Results for multiple regression for female students

Gender effects and employment choice in sustainability education 575

123

of organisations in this context and their level of knowledge are all increasingly

important issues to be considered by higher education institutions. This is

increasingly the case as the marketability and employability of future graduates

will be largely dependent upon their knowledge of the environmental, economic and

social impact of business activities (Forum for the Future and UCAS 2008). In

considering the role gender plays in sustainability education, this research has

empirically tested issues that have previously been the subject of conjecture and

contradiction. The results of this study provide new information, which will assist in

defining the educator’s role, curriculum design and instructional delivery in

sustainability education in higher-education settings.

Specifically, this study aimed at providing a better understanding of female and

male marketing students’ perceptions of ethics, social responsibility and sustain-

ability from both a business and educational context. Although the primary goal of

this study was to examine gender differences (in recognition of past research

explicating the existence of attitudinal differences across a range of issues in

business educational settings), more broadly the findings indicate that both females

and male marketing students place importance on the concepts of ethics, social

responsibility and sustainability.

Considering gender differences, the findings indicate that females score

significantly higher on ethics and social responsibility as being ‘good for business’

thus, providing support for the work of Arlow (1991), Davis et al. (2001), (Burton

and Hegarty 1999), and Stewart et al. (1996). In addition, and consistent with

Sleeper et al. (2006) results, female students’ placed significantly more importance

on the CSR education. On the basis of these results, it may be beneficial for

instructors to consider utilising cross-gendered activities (e.g. case studies) in order

to promote greater awareness of ethics, social responsibility and sustainability

education across entire student cohorts. This peer-to-peer approach to sustainability

education may provide an appropriate means by which students could learn about

sustainability issues and may generate some attitudinal change in relation to the

value of sustainability education in business courses.

Although sustainability encompasses economic, social and environmental issues,

it would appear that students tend to focus more on the environmental aspects

(Kagawa 2007). With this in mind, this study aimed to provide an understanding of

students’ generalized environmental concern. The findings here indicate that

females are more environmentally concerned than males. Given this situation, our

findings provide some support for the work of Arlow (1991) and in part addresses

the issue of environmental concern through exploring businesses students in the

Table 3 Results of multiple

regression for female marketing

students

* p \ 0.05; ** p \ 0.001

Construct b T

Business education’s role in CSR 0.45 5.88**

Environmental concern 0.20 2.60*

Perceived role of ethics and

social responsibility

0.11 1.42

Sustainability knowledge 0.05 0.69

576 S. Weaven et al.

123

context of social, economic and environmental education rather than their broader

understanding of business sustainability (as espoused by Sleeper et al. 2006).

However, given the evidence that many business students tend to equate sustainable

business practices with environmental responsibility, it appears important for

educators to provide a broader (inclusive) definition of sustainability (together with

sustainable business practices) in order to minimize such ‘myopic’ views of CSR.

Given that there is limited focus on sustainability within business school

curricula, an aim of this study was to ascertain students’ perception of knowledge on

sustainability. Here, sustainability knowledge is viewed as information on

sustainability (social ethical and environmental) stored in an individual’s memory.

The finding that male students score significantly higher on perceived sustainability

knowledge than their female counterparts was not unexpected and provides support

for Kagawa (2007) who found that males perceived themselves as being more

familiar than female students with sustainability issues. However, importantly, this

does not necessarily equate with being knowledgeable, as it seems there are genuine

‘knowledge gaps’ when it comes to students’ understanding of sustainability

(Kagawa 2007). Rather, as suggested by Flynn and Goldsmith (1999) this may be

the result of males overstating their level of knowledge as a result of greater levels

of self-confidence. Armed with this knowledge, it may be beneficial for instructors

to better gauge students’ understanding of the nature and role of CSR in society

through introducing objective measures of sustainability issues early in a course (or

business degree). Through sharing the results of such measures (e.g. formative

assessment piece), students would be better able to assess (and reflect upon) their

objective knowledge of business sustainability issues. Furthermore, this information

would provide educators with added insight into which areas require greater

attention in subsequent teaching periods.

To our knowledge, whether students choose employers based on sustainability

practices and development programs, together with those factors that may influence

such choices have not previously been tested in the higher education setting. In

making future career choices, marketing students overall responded positively to

working in organisations committed to environmental and sustainable development.

However, considering RQ1, our results indicate that female business students place

significantly more importance on an organisation’s commitment to the environment

and sustainable development. While we did not capture the reasons underlying these

differences, research in the social psychology and entrepreneurship literatures

suggest that men are often concerned with wealth generation and business growth,

while females tend to value the growth of social networks and sustainable business

enterprises (Crawford 2004; Sorenson et al. 2008). While this may offer some

explanation, the general lesson here, is for instructors to include a ‘balanced’ view

in their courses, incorporating both neoclassical and liberal views of the firm

(Rundle-Thiele and Wymer 2010). This inclusive approach, together with the

implementation of appropriate sustainability learning frameworks (e.g. case studies,

peer-to-peer learning, self-reflection exercises) will contribute to desired disposi-

tional graduate outcomes that are likely to influence behavioural outcomes in

practice (Petocz and Dixon 2011)

Gender effects and employment choice in sustainability education 577

123

Importantly, of the four key variables considered in this study, only CSR

education and environmental concern were significant predictors for working in an

organisation with a commitment to the environment and sustainable development

for both females and males. The strongest predictor for females was their positive

response to CSR education, whereas, for males it was environmental concern. The

attitudes towards CSR education is not surprising given the current student demand

for sustainability content in business courses, and the need for universities to better

prepare graduates with an understanding of business needs for sustainability

(Huntington et al. 2006; Aspen Institute 2008). However, again, it appears that the

male student cohort apportion business sustainability with environmental issues,

lending further support for the need for instruction that encourages a broader

interpretation of CSR issues.

Furthermore, the results show that whilst the importance of ethics and social

responsibility was a significant predictor for males, this was not the case with

females. This appears a curious result, but may suggest that female students assume

that ethics and social responsibility should be considered on a personal level, while

the male cohort may consider these variables to reside at an organisational level

(e.g. firm ‘codes of conduct’). On this basis, it may be appropriate for educational

institutions to consider developing closer ties with industry (e.g. guest speakers,

firm-specific summative assessment pieces) so as to clarify sustainability roles at the

individual and corporate level. This would also assist in demonstrating the practical

relevance of CSR educational initiatives and preparing graduates for future

employment.

Overall, the value of this research is manifold. This study has identified gender-

specific perceptions of sustainability issues and sustainability education in a

representative sample of 2nd and 3rd year business students undertaking a

marketing major, and has identified business sustainability constructs that predict

students’ choice of future employer. The results of this research add a new

perspective to sustainability education, which promises to encourage student

commitment to business exercises (Christensen et al. 2007), develop students’ inter-

disciplinary, ethical, critical, and reflective thinking skills (Dawe 2005), and

develop student skills for future employment (Dawe 2005; Ibrahim et al. 2008). Our

findings suggest that, as business educators we have a responsibility to integrate

ethics, social responsibility and sustainability into the curriculum. Moreover, as

educators, we need to be cognisant of our role in assisting them in envisioning their

futures in terms of their career choices within the context of the importance they

place on organisations’ commitment to the environment and business sustainability.

Limitations and future research

The results of this study must be considered in light of limitations related to the

sample and also the measures utilised. First, one limitation arises from the use of a

survey method to collect data. In particular, all survey research involves

measurement error which will be influenced by the degree to which the respondent

has the ability to accurately report their level of agreement or feelings with regards

578 S. Weaven et al.

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to the survey statement. However, given that the aim of study was to examine

gender differences, using a survey meant that similar data could be collected from

males and females and compared. In addition, the reliabilities of the measures were

above acceptable levels (Hair et al. 1998). Second, generalizability of the results is

limited due to the sample origin, thus limiting the generalizability of these results to

the Australian context. Using student samples to examine gender-effects in other

cultural (and institutional) settings should overcome this limitation. Third, whilst we

have tried to ensure use of the most appropriate and previously assessed measures

for each of the variables of interest in this study, it is possible that different results

may be achieved through the use of different measures. Hence, future research

should examine the validity of the representative measures of the constructs.

Ethics, CSR and sustainability are all key issues for business organisations in the

twenty first century, therefore, we recommend that future research examines a

number of key areas so as to shed further light on the role of instructor (and

institution) in the sustainability education process. As we surveyed undergraduate

marketing students, a worthy extension of this research would be to replicate this

study in different business discipline-contexts (e.g. accounting, economics, and

management). Furthermore, pre- and post-measures of students’ sustainability

knowledge (subjective and objective) following a teaching intervention (e.g. case

study exercises focusing on sustainability in business) could be used to measure

how effectively sustainability issues can be taught to our students. Moreover, within

educational research, there has been interest in the role of higher education to

develop graduate accountants who are critical thinkers (Watty 2006) and to

understanding the qualities employees want in journalism graduates (Callaghan and

McManus 2010), therefore, exploring the extent to which graduates will seek out

employment in ‘like-minded’ organisations would be a valuable line of inquiry, as

in the end, our role as educators should not only focus on epistemological processes

and outcomes relating to these key sustainability issues, but also how ethics, CSR,

and sustainability provides a framework for their choice of employer and guides

their business practice as future business leaders.

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Author Biographies

Scott Weaven is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing Griffith University. His research

interests include Franchising, marketing relationships and teaching and learning pedagogy.

Deborah Griffin is a Lecturer in the Department of Marketing, Griffith Business School at Griffith

University. Her research interests include social and non-profit marketing and consumer behaviour.

Ruth McPhail is a Senior Lecturer in the Griffith Business School. Her research interests include

international HRM and issues surrounding leadership and employee self development.

Calvin Smith is Associate Director of the Griffith Institute for Higher Education. His research focuses on

postgraduate supervision training and developing work-integrated learning curricula.

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