Insights to redesign business education in a covid-19 world for a sustainable future

Abstract

Higher education institutions in general, and business schools in particular, are under increasing pressure to include sustainability in their teaching. The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have pushed the debate globally, across geographic and sectorial borders, while allowing for a more holistic and systemic view of sustainability. The emergence of sustainability concerns and the need for more responsible leaders and managers has only become more evident with the COVID-19 pandemic. On the one hand, COVID-19 has boosted the online learning environment, opening new possibilities for higher education institutions and their students; but on the other hand, it has revealed profound inequalities in terms of education. The present chapter contributes to this debate with insights to redesign post-COVID-19 business education for a sustainable future, by exploring the literature and the field to answer the following research questions: 1) Why does business education need to be re-designed; 2) What can business schools do to redesign their education in terms of content and learning environment, and 3) How can they do it in terms of tools, methods, and resources. The methodology includes the content analysis of mainstream academic research literature and documents published by international institutions. We examine efforts that have shaped the sector by advocating for the inclusion of sustainability into higher education in general, and business schools in particular. This chapter contributes to the literature on the integration of sustainability into higher education, while shedding light on the challenges and opportunities posed by COVID-19 to higher education.