The Palgrave Handbook of Social Sustainability in Business Education

This chapter highlights the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in promoting social sustainability globally, and presents tools for MNC decision-making to incorporate the circular economy (CE) in MNCs’ strategies and strategic practices. The latter fills the knowledge void and allows the addressing of the scarcity of teaching materials on strategic management informed by the CE’s social dimensions, i.e., labor practices and decent work, human rights, society, and product responsibility. Moreover, it adds value to existing strategic management practices by providing a transformation roadmap that can enable managers to think in the contexts of social sustainability in home and host countries. By exploring the CE’s implications for global strategic management, the chapter supports the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 (No Poverty), 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). The chapter offers knowledge needed for teaching social dimensions of the CE in strategic management and provides insights centered around three themes: (1) the CE philosophy and management practices for integrating the CE at the MNC level to create a new quality of socially sustainable strategic behavior, (2) aligning MNCs’ strategy with SDGs 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, and 16, and (3) how MNCs can foster social sustainability through strategic innovation in global markets.

Human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) as a concept has been narrowed down to individual health and well-being and therefore excluded from business education as irrelevant. Such conceptualization neglects the synergistic goals of HF/E to simultaneously optimize individual well-being and overall system performance. Drawing on a systematic review of the literature on HF/E, we showcase that employee well-being and productivity are rarely integrated into the strategic management of firms in manufacturing industries. Moreover, the narrow interpretation of HF/E limits the possibilities to make human-centric decisions and, consequently, the ability to obtain various benefits that would contribute to productivity and firms’ better overall performance. The rapid growth of new technologies and the digitalization of work particularly require the highlighting of HF/E in managerial planning and the strategic renewal of the firm. Contradicting frequent erroneous expectations, the integration of new technologies or digitalized processes does not necessarily lead to better outcomes for the firm or individuals working in it. The benefits can only be reached if human-system interaction is designed and managed appropriately. To close the knowledge gap on HF/E in the strategic management of the firm, we present a framework that can be used when teaching (future) managers to integrate HF/E into strategy and its implementation. This framework can inform educators about the essential points of HF/E in strategy work and help to lead classroom discussions on this topic. As a result, our contribution helps address Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8—Decent work and economic growth.

As methodologies for quantifying and valuing social sustainability are not yet well established, it is important for business education to offer courses that emphasize social impact evaluation and decision-making. This chapter provides a general educational framework to teach social impact measurement and to aid students in learning to make socially savvy decisions through an applied learning project. Following the Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) framework, students learn to evaluate social impacts related to society and labor practices, including employment, workforce development, local communities, social equity, and quality of well-being using quantifiable indicators. The teaching practice includes two major concepts: stakeholder analysis that focuses on the jointness of stakeholder interests to create value for stakeholders, and Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) that quantifies the value of all impacts of an initiative, in monetary terms, to all individuals in society. This practice can be effectively integrated into business courses to educate managers to be socially responsible and capable of considering the broader impact on society and various stakeholders in their decision-making process. This chapter aims to correspond directly to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 8 (Decent work and economic growth), 10 (Reduced inequalities), and 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) but may go beyond them because the measurement can also be applied in various social sustainability perspectives.

It is essential to provide (future) decision-makers with a clear overview of the different types of nonmarket strategies, such as, lobbying and advocacy, political campaign donations; many times, nonmarket strategies are misunderstood, and their value is not considered in business practice. For example, nonmarket strategies may be associated by the media with scandals about unprofessional practices and corruption. The teaching activities that we present in this chapter enable comprehensive learner engagement with the topic of nonmarket strategies and develop a rich understanding of the different types of constructive engagement available for navigating business, government, and nonprofit organization interconnections. We present how learners can analyze the effects produced by lobbying and advocacy strategies on a company’s business, particularly in emerging markets. Moreover, we present assessments that allow learners to develop a nonmarket plan focused on political or social engagement and to examine the consequences of such activity on a firm’s strategy. The latter assignments present learners’ master tools that link nonmarket strategies with the implementation of the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 17 listed by the United Nations (UN) list: SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

This chapter introduces antenarratives—intra-plays of grand narratives with living stories—to teach energy cultures to clarify how activities connected to specific energy systems contribute to understanding social sustainability. We view energy cultures as the norms, practices, and material artifacts in a society linked to energy use and operating at all levels, from individuals and groups to organizations and even nations. We draw on a recent United Nations Policy brief that calls for energy use related to Social Development Goal (SDG) 7 to be linked with the rest of the SDGs. The policy signals an important development in that it directly acknowledges the role of energy use in spurring large-scale progress in all SDGs. Given the complexity inherent in those interlinkages, we propose the antenarrative method for navigating complexity when teaching this topic. Antenarratives enable the development of imaginaries, understood as powerful cultural resources that shape social responses. The antenarrative method is relevant to teaching social aspects of sustainability as it unveils the disconnect between the ideas that support the organization of activities in the present modes of production and consumption organized through links with current energy systems and those emerging as a consequence of sustainable energy systems. Ideas and interests acquire legitimacy and are normalized through social and cultural practices, and this chapter proposes that educators can use antenarratives to direct attention to energy cultures, which is critical to bridging the gap in understanding social sustainability. Antenarratives enable students to understand how social sustainability evolves onto a different semantic level.

With the increasing adoption of advanced technologies for designing innovative business models, business success relies heavily on the competencies needed to intelligently and responsibly utilize various technologies to create value. This chapter introduces teaching activities that equip business graduates with the competencies required to utilize advanced technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, for digital business in a socially sustainable manner. Awareness of social sustainability is crucial in digital business development and management, as such business makes both positive and negative societal impacts globally and within local communities. For example, adoption of advanced technologies in digital business may result in the need for workforce re-skilling, potential job losses, changes in consumer behavior, and the ability to either obscure or enhance transparency in global value chains. To promote digitalization that is socially sustainable, this chapter offers hands-on exercises grounded in Kolb’s experiential learning framework. These exercises immerse learners in the realities of digital business, increasing the opportunities and threats that technology utilization may bring. The learners get to explore AI and blockchain applications, reflect on their societal implications, and devise solutions that prioritize social sustainability. Thereby, this chapter supports the implementation of specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

To initiate, facilitate, and monitor transition processes toward sustainability in business, motivated professionals who possess sustainability-related knowledge and sustainability competencies are needed. However, the literature on how to design courses and curricula that effectively support the development and assessment of sustainability competencies within business education is still limited. Building on the experiences obtained from an extra-curricular course on sustainability in an Austrian business school, we offer a pathway for designing and implementing a sustainability competency-oriented course. Specifically, we demonstrate how to link social-sustainability-related learning objectives, learning activities, and assessment methods to achieve the development of competencies such as systems, futures, values, and strategic thinking, as well as implementation, and intra- and interpersonal competencies. The learning activities presented in this chapter focus on the social implications relating to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

The automotive industry was going through a radical transformation. With the increasing awareness that “people matter”, the industry was aiming toward a just society with cohesion, inclusion, and resilience, both for the present and future. Automotive manufacturers were strategically choosing to produce greener, safer, more convenient, and drive-friendly vehicles. The use of new materials and components, new processes, and new criteria to meet the requirements of “responsible production” were positively impacting the natural and social environment for the long term. In light of an ongoing industry transformation, what did social sustainability mean for the strategy of giant automotive manufacturers? How could social sustainability goals be balanced in the strategy of a multinational firm, given all the cross-country and cross-cultural influences the firm faced? Conghui An, president of Geely Holding and chairman of Geely Auto’s sustainability committee, was facing challenges in addressing these questions. This case provides a new perspective for understanding the sustainable development path of the automotive industry. It focuses on the social dimensions of product responsibility, which supports the implementation of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDG): SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), and SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production).

The co-founder of Open Energy Labs (OEL) in the UK was an entrepreneur with an Afro-Caribbean heritage. As a young graduate, he had observed that solutions produced by The Global North are lacking understanding of the realities of Africa. Thus, the entrepreneur aimed to train students in Africa to generate their own electricity using locally suitable solutions so that they could improve their social wellbeing and economic conditions. The case is based on primary data collected from a social entrepreneur in 2021, active in Africa. It allows learning about socio-economic sustainability through a social entrepreneur’s personal experience. The concept of social enterprise (SE) serves as an analytical framework for the case. The case includes well-known business models that social entrepreneurs usually employ, but also sheds light on the newly emerging Business to Business to Government to Beneficiary (B2B2G2Beneficiary) business model, in which international companies with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budgets or international organizations can become donors for governments to maximize the social impact on local beneficiaries. The case covers social inclusion within the society through the social entrepreneur’s product and services. While doing this, it shows how cities and communities can be sustainable (addressing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11), while reducing inequalities and polarization among countries (SDG 10) through affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), leading to more acceptable living conditions for all.

This chapter presents how utilizing problem-based learning (PBL) enhanced by podcasts—audio files distributed periodically with varying thematic content—as an educational resource aids the development of undergraduate learners’ competencies such as critical thinking, ethics, sustainability awareness, and the ability to solve sustainability-related business challenges. To illustrate the functionality and benefits of using podcasts to teach social sustainability in business education, we provide a case example from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in which the podcast “Relatos de gestión” [“Management Stories”], based on a storytelling technique, has proven to connect the learners with social and environmental problems. This podcast series helped to activate learners’ emotions since listening to it enabled them to explore true stories from a first-hand perspective and the latter learning experience enhanced their agency to participate in creating sustainable business solutions. Moreover, learners significantly deepened their understanding of creating social and public value for businesses whose mission and strategies contribute to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This chapter specifically focuses on the podcast episode developed to target SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), in which learners develop empathy with the problem; SDG 5 (Gender Equality), in which learners reflect on new opportunities for women; and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), in which learners analyze the new work conditions of women.

This chapter presents an innovative applied theater teaching model for fostering social sustainability in business schools. Applied theater, i.e., a form of theater with clear political, educational, or therapeutic goals, is particularly suitable for addressing the social-sustainability-related terms of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) among Generation Z and, therefore, supports the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The applied theater teaching model is action-based learning that inculcates some of the most sought-after skills for the future, such as criticality, creativity, curiosity, agility, compassion, and various mindsets and competencies enabling inclusive social interactions. This is because theater-based teaching allows learners to actively reflect on themselves and their environment and supports comprehension of the roles that humans adopt or are forced to adopt, human feelings and behaviors in those specific roles, and their consequences. In this chapter, the explanations of applied theater’s application in business education are illustrated with experiences obtained while conducting applied-theater-based courses at BIMTECH—a leading business school in India. We hope to inspire educators across the globe to design and deliver courses playfully by integrating theater performances that can prevent unwanted real-life behaviors (e.g., discrimination, misjudgment, stigmatization) and encourage the taking of responsibility for one’s own actions in every context, including business.

Management students need interdisciplinary teamwork competencies to solve complex, global sustainability challenges, such as those related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3) and Reduced Inequality (SDG 10). We harnessed experiential learning theories to create and implement an SDG-focused Interdisciplinary Global Classroom Model that develops these critical compe-tencies in students. We placed management and chemistry students into interdisciplinary teams and tasked them with solving global problems related to social inequities in access to healthcare and food. To illustrate the far-reaching impact of our Interdisciplinary Global Classroom Model, we describe the design and implementation of two team projects: the Global Healthcare Project, which focused on ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world; and the Sustainable Farming Project, which aimed to develop sustainable farming practices for cash crops in economically vulnerable countries in the Global South. In both projects, students conducted their own research, reflected on their experiences with these global crises, and made sense of them using theories within and outside their respective disciplines. The students learned how to devise strategies that could be used to solve these global problems and were empowered to effect change in their local and global communities. As such, we suggest that our Interdisciplinary Global Classroom Model can equip business educators with methodologies that promote the development of the competencies required to achieve SDG 2, SDG3 and SDG10, among other sustainable development goals.

This chapter presents a practical four-step method for incorporating team diversity into teaching social sustainability issues in management subjects. The method combines problem-based learning, collaborative learning, and critical reflexivity to equip students with the necessary skills for navigating diverse teams. The chapter step-by-step describes an assignment in which students are organized into diverse teams, presented with a real social sustainability problem to be solved, and asked to reflect on their experiences working in a diverse team. Each step includes a set of activities, tools and models, assessment methods, challenges that teachers and learners can encounter, and methods of addressing these challenges. The benefits for educators include understanding how to incorporate team diversity into their teaching practices, developing students’ problem-solving and collaboration skills, and fostering their self-awareness and normative competencies. By implementing the presented teaching method, educators can contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 (Gender equality) and 10 (Reducing inequalities) by teaching students how to achieve equality and inclusion at the team level, fostering equality and inclusion from the bottom up. Furthermore, the method also aligns with SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth) by demonstrating to students the benefits of diversity and inclusion for individuals and companies, preparing them to extend these principles to their future work.

Traditional educational approaches are struggling to address societal inequities as well as to reflect on the complexity of diversity. This chapter presents how the innovative research and educational method of Critical Reflection Analysis (CRA) can be adopted in teaching for developing diversity awareness of (future) business leaders. CRA helps in developing a systemic understanding of social dilemmas. It encourages us to examine the underlying causes and interconnections of problems, rather than focusing solely on surface-level symptoms. In this chapter, guidelines for implementing CRA and methodology on how to evaluate different approaches related to diversity contexts are presented. Since CRA is developed upon two key capabilities, i.e., critical thinking and reflection, it can significantly contribute to social sustainability by providing a structured approach to analyzing and improving social systems and practices. The emphasis is given to setting up key parameters for the development and assessment of critical thinking skills. These parameters guide learners to reflect on and recognize biases and stereotypes concerning race, gender, or any other system of advantage and disadvantage socially constructed in their own culture. The use of CRA supports a better understanding of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to social sustainability, for instance, SDG 5 (Gender equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities). Moreover, it provides guidelines for how these goals can be approached in teaching and learning in the higher education environment. Adopting the CRA method in business education fosters constructive discussions and helps to create reasonable solutions to current diversity challenges.

Many social responsibility issues involve complex problems requiring critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Gamified learning environments can present learners with real-world dilemmas, encouraging them to analyze situations, explore solutions, and make ethical choices. While evidence supports the effective use of gamification tools in teaching social responsibility, debates also surround their application in educational settings, including concerns related to the perception of manipulative motives, often referred to as “persuasion knowledge.” This chapter discusses how gamification can enhance the teaching of social responsibility by introducing additional incentives for students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation while considering potential drawbacks. The discussion is supported by a description of practices for implementing gamification tools, such as badges, leaderboards, reward systems, contests, and achievement collections, designed to help students understand the importance of social responsibility. We analyze the following gamification practices: the use of achievement collections and subtle integration of social responsibility themes to foster responsible competition, and inclusive cooperation, and achieve individual and group excellence, all while maintaining a focus on the practical relevance of student projects. As a result, our contribution helps address SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

The organic skills of communication performed spontaneously by humans will increase in significance as machine translations powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) begin to spread. Businesses will likely adopt AI as a solution for language difference inside organizations, for cost savings and presumed efficiencies, particularly when facing fairly simple tasks. In this context, AI translation could continue a linear (https://​docs.​google.​com/​document/​d/​1I-gVLMnTB_​Xp1EJJdmgRZi2Zxe​3Cb8AB5BIiPKLZK9​U/​edit) bias in corporate language policies that assumes information sharing equals understanding. However, when dealing with complex issues like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), misunderstandings can occur for many reasons, requiring immediate, nonlinear, adaptive recognition and repair. Rich point pedagogy supports languaging: teaching business students to navigate linguistic diversity as normal variation in language use. Learning to recognize the ubiquitous communication feature (https://​docs.​google.​com/​document/​d/​1zQuG6_​9pmsaAUuOwKk9Z7S​noNcLEYXL0Xtiu6w​ZvYbg/​edit?​usp=​sharing) of misunderstanding and applying robust processes (https://​docs.​google.​com/​document/​d/​1zQuG6_​9pmsaAUuOwKk9Z7S​noNcLEYXL0Xtiu6w​ZvYbg/​edit) of repair are fundamental to achieving the SDGs because transformation is prefigured through communication. A rich point pedagogy builds collaborative communication skills to support creative working relationships for designing and implementing business priorities to end poverty (SDG1), ensure good health and well-being (SDG3), improve gender equality (SDG5), provide decent work and economic growth (SDG8), and reduce inequalities overall (SDG10). Maximizing rich points during communication builds capacity to align business strategies that support the environment with the needs of stakeholders, localized customers and suppliers, and especially language-diverse employees within teams and across organizations.

At its core, social sustainability is about proactively identifying and managing business impacts on people because companies affect what happens to employees, workers in the value chain, customers, and local communities. However, the pursuit of financial growth by businesses often undermines the conditions people face, for instance, decent work conditions for employees. This happens when businesses, in their pursuit of growth, fail to provide living wages, impose excessive productivity targets, deprive employees of a voice in formulating work policies, and engender dysfunctional and non-collaborative work cultures. To address this troubling tendency, business leaders at all levels of the organization need skills in transformative social workplace action in order to achieve business goals in ways that positively enhance human flourishing in the workplace. This chapter presents management action research (MAR) training—on identifying workplace issues, planning, taking action, evaluating, and reflecting—that enables learners to address the above-mentioned decent work challenges. As such, MAR training, supported by critical realism in line with humanistic management, can contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, in terms of promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. This chapter presents the philosophical, conceptual, and skill components of MAR, as well as basic approaches for its teaching. Illustrative examples of applying MAR for promoting social sustainability in business, built upon the experience of De La Salle University’s MBA program, further enable educators to adopt MAR in their teaching.

Frankmann Automotive (fictitious name) was a multinational corporation headquartered in Germany, with operations in both South Africa and Germany. The company had to find solutions for enhancing diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusion (DEI) to promote the attraction and retention of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) talent. The context for this case study is thus talent retention, with a focus on DEI. June Böckmann, a diversity manager in the corporate DEI Unit, had been tasked with a global-level project to establish more inclusivity in the company’s employment practices. Thus, June held a meeting with both German and South African managers to identify the challenges and barriers experienced by women, people of color (PoC), and members of minority groups. During this meeting, a pivotal question arose: if global procedures and practices were to be found, to what extent should local considerations be accommodated? This question necessitated consideration of the differing career development needs of individuals in different contexts embedded within one multinational company. Labor practices depicted in the case are strongly related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particular to SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities). Piloted in a global classroom setting, this case is suited for use in either a mono-cultural or multi-cultural higher managerial educational environment, e.g., international human resource management.

Legal uncertainty, market volatility, and a high risk of scams were just a few of the challenges that Lympo, a leading firm in sports non-fungible tokens (NFTs) minting (i.e., creation of unique digital assets related to sports), had already successfully overcome. In early 2022, Lympo, led by co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ada Jonušė, was hit by a massive hacker attack and lost a large number of tokens (i.e., digital units of value representing community investments in the firm) worth close to 19 million USD. Tomas—another of the co-founders and a close colleague of Ada—took full responsibility for the incident. As the CEO, Ada should lead the firm toward recovery by balancing different pressures, interests, and relationships. What actions should Ada, as a responsible leader, take to handle this new immense challenge? The case enables learning about responsible leadership, in particular, the complexity of assessing what responsible leadership is. The latter is central to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduced inequalities), and target 10.2 (Empower and promote social, economic, and political inclusion) in particular. Additionally, the case provides insights on the emerging blockchain technology-based businesses.

Anna, the HR manager and owner of Takomo, a manufacturing company in Finland, was facing a severe challenge. Sickness absences, job dissatisfaction, and open conflicts with employees had increased, even though she had tried her best to improve employee wellbeing, while at the same time trying to keep up with the turbulent business environment. When an essential step in her wellbeing agenda, smoking restrictions, were introduced, the situation caused an uproar among some employees. How was it possible that she had failed in promoting wellbeing, and the situation had only become worse than before? How could she make sense of the situation and explain the employees’ reactions? What should she do next in order to fix the situation? This case leads learners to examine the holistic view on wellbeing in companies. Moreover, it leads them to explore a sensitive HR practice, which diminishes employees’ autonomy. Further, this case addresses Sustainable Development Goal 8 (“Decent work and economic growth, targets 8.2, 8.3, 8.5, and 8.8) by emphasizing employee wellbeing, sustainable people management, and creating an inclusive organizational culture.

Bowing to mostly economics-driven models, business and management education has failed to embrace the complexity and boundaries of organizational systems. This failure has resulted in a disconnection from ourselves, the social environment, and the natural environment. Our interconnectedness with the world could be re-established through critical, mindful self-reflection and awareness, adding an emotional layer to our cognitive-heavy education efforts that would ignite behavioral change and action. In this chapter, we explore how to unlearn the economics-driven perspective by approaching sustainable development using a systems theory perspective and supplementing it with the sustainability mindset concept. Systems theory supports the importance of identifying all interrelated processes within the system and their multiple consequences across it all, while the three pillars of the sustainability mindset, knowing (having the knowledge to understand and do something), being (acknowledging the human factor within organizational decisions), and doing (being able to comprehensively implement changes), guide the discussion toward a more effective and accurate way to deal with the social issues of sustainable development within business education and thus address Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 (Quality Education). Educators can use the concept of the sustainability mindset to challenge the economics-driven models in management education. Furthermore, the sustainability mindset equips learners with a unique perspective on exploring the complexity and interconnectedness of today’s challenges and enables them to navigate the multiple seas of uncertainty.

Studies on education for sustainable development highlight the gap between sustainability education (SE) and social sustainability behaviors (SSBs), particularly behaviors implemented after the completion of business degrees. This is understandable considering current business courses emphasize students’ sustainability knowledge development, with limited attention paid to how SSB might be developed among students to make them capable change agents who will be able to positively influence others’ SSB. To address this limitation, the SE approach presented in this chapter adds value by developing and empowering students to influence their own and others’ SSB. Specifically, by applying the theory of planned behavior, we explore how SE can drive students’ attitudes, intentions, and finally SSB. The chapter relates to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) regarding quality SE (SDG 4), responsible and sustainable practices (SDG 12), students improving the wellbeing of the community (SDG 11) and influencing others to promote decent work for all (SDG 8). From this chapter, educators in business schools can gain an understanding of the importance of socio-cognitive factors such as attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions, in influencing students’ behaviors beyond courses and identifying the separate roles of educators and peers in shaping students’ SSB.

Drawing on Digital Humanism as an ethical foundation for action, this chapter explores the best practices for using digital technologies in making business education more inclusive. The theoretical approach toward inclusive education presented in the chapter is supplemented by insights from ten years of field experience in continuous professional development work. Digital Humanism, an approach that embraces technology and humanistic values, suggests that utilization of digital technologies should be focused on supporting humans to overcome societal, economic and environmental challenges and to become better members of society. To foster social inclusion, Digital Humanism is applied to real-life education, guided by the European Union’s framework for Digital Competences for Educators (DigCompEdu). The discussion on Digital Humanism principles and examples of its application in a specific context provides educators residing anywhere in the world with an ethical pedagogical approach for digitalization in education and a selection of practical actions based on Digital Humanism that have the potential to raise inclusivity in business education. Educators are invited to reflect on their role as influencers and as role models for adopting social sustainability in organizations through inclusive use of digital technologies. Applying Digital Humanism for developing inclusive business education supports the implementation of SDG 4 (Quality education) and SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities).

Promoting entrepreneurship among people with disabilities is critical to the development of both long-term strategies for their employment and a diverse, inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. To achieve this, universities increasingly play significant roles in creating a disability-inclusive entrepreneurial environment through specific educational approaches, specialized training, mentorship programs, and collaboration with key stakeholders. Inspired by the theoretical Entrepreneurial Education for Persons with Disabilities framework, we investigate the ways in which universities could foster entrepreneurship among people with disabilities: both students with disabilities who are considering entrepreneurial careers, and current entrepreneurs with disabilities who are seeking advancement in their competencies. To this end, we explore current initiatives and support systems in various examples, primarily from European universities, that can facilitate such entrepreneurial pursuits. This chapter provides useful examples and insights for educators and policy makers regarding the possible effects of university engagement in fostering entrepreneurship among people with disabilities, developing inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems in Europe and elsewhere, and thereby achieving sustainable economic growth and social justice globally encouraged by UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8. The insights we provide also support implementation of SDG 4, inclusive education for all, and its Targets 4.4 and 4.5, which address youth and adult skills for employment and entrepreneurship, and equal assessments across all levels of education, including vocational training.

Teaching social or socioeconomic sustainability with teaching cases is effective, but there are two challenges: lack of relevant content and the teaching method acceptance by the institutions and individuals. The latter depends on the former. Teaching cases are unique, as they are not just stories but become more effective with first-person narratives, based on interviews, and validity, i.e., through case releases. The releases are difficult to get in emerging markets and with more prominent companies. Further, many universities underestimate the time and effort needed to network, write, and publish teaching cases. This chapter describes the case of the Academy of International Business—Middle East North Africa (AIBMENA) chapter in building a library of social sustainability teaching cases. Teaching cases contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education). Using a longitudinal case study spanning a decade (2009–2019), we show how the nonprofit spearheaded the development of 110 cases and relevant opinion pieces, contributing to the knowledge of and about the MENA region. This chapter will help institutional policymakers and academics understand how to overcome challenges and leverage opportunities in building teaching case repositories. Further, the chapter highlights the importance of teaching cases in developing critical thinking, problem-solving skills, lifelong learning, and developing evidence-based documents to inform policy.

Through a review of the best practices shared in this handbook, this chapter examines how higher education institutions (HEIs) can play a pivotal role in nurturing a holistic understanding of complex social issues within the context of business and create a positive impact on various stakeholder groups, such as learners, various HEIs, and the wider business and societal community. In this chapter, we showcase that current research on business education and best practices, addressing social sustainability, has more elaborately covered education that creates an impact on learners within business studies. While this stream of research and educational practice should be further explored and deepened, it is also essential to explore insights on how to transfer best practices through teaching innovations fostering social sustainability across the HEI, and how to design educational experiences that create an immediate positive impact on wider communities, locally and globally. This chapter underscores the importance of ongoing research, experimentation, and the sharing of best practices for promoting innovative teaching methods that enhance social sustainability and drive paradigm change through impacts on all stakeholder groups.