Managerial social responsibility in the European Higher Education Area: The influence of university climate and teacher’s leadership

Abstract

This study explores the teaching and learning of Managerial Social Responsibility by analysing students’ perceptions of the ethical climate of the University and teachers’ ethical leadership as factors that explain their learning of responsible management competences in their management education. We describe our analysis of data from questionnaires on the experience of undergraduate students from Business Administration at a European university, the results of which have academic and practical implications. Drawing on the case of the European higher education framework, the paper shows that a student’s perception of the collective ethical climate at University and ethical leadership of the teacher are significant and positively related to the student’s learning of responsible management competences. Our findings reveals that it is necessary to change our approach in the teaching and learning of responsible management competences in business schools in order to cultivate courageous, ethical, and responsible leadership among our management students, graduating influential citizens with not only the knowledge but also with the attitudes and convictions that underpin responsible management.