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1 – 5 of 5Latika Sharma, Hemantkumar P. Bulsara, Mridul Trivedi and Himanshu Bagdi
The study aims to shed light on the role of university support (US), environmental concern (EC) and Sustainable Development Goal knowledge (SDGK) in forming students' intention…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to shed light on the role of university support (US), environmental concern (EC) and Sustainable Development Goal knowledge (SDGK) in forming students' intention (SI) to engage in sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. The authors attempted to blend the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and social cognitive career theory (SCCT) as a potentially useful theoretical base for sustainability-driven entrepreneurial intention (SDEI) development.
Design/methodology/approach
The responses were collected from university students in India using a self-administered questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and partial least squares structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM) are used to examine the data.
Findings
The university support strongly influences students' attitudes towards sustainable entrepreneurship (ATT) and outcome expectations (OEs). Also, the degree of understanding about SDGs among students was alarmingly low, which has crucial negative consequences for future SDG achievement.
Practical implications
The findings of this study may assist academicians and environmental strategists in deciding the crucial factors influencing SI to start a sustainable business. The study highlights the importance of universities in promoting entrepreneurial sustainability decisions.
Originality/value
This research will add value to the prevailing literature in the area of sustainable entrepreneurship as it explores the effects of environmental concern, SDGK and the role of US on sustainable entrepreneurial intention (EI) among Indian engineering students.
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Ha Vien and Christopher S. Galik
Recent scholarship has explored higher education institutions’ (HEIs) role in transitioning to a sustainable society, but empirically, questions remain regarding their impact on…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent scholarship has explored higher education institutions’ (HEIs) role in transitioning to a sustainable society, but empirically, questions remain regarding their impact on the sustainability of surrounding areas. This study aims to examine the correlation between HEIs’ sustainability actions and local sustainability performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a linear regression model and principal component analysis to examine the sustainability performance of 105 US metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) using the US cities sustainable development goal (SDG) index, which hosts 427 HEIs known for sustainability efforts. The weighted HEI sustainability performance score is calculated based on the QS sustainability universities ranking.
Findings
The correlation between MSA and HEI sustainability performance exhibits a mix of positive and negative associations, with individual and interlinked SDGs serving as proxies. These correlations encompass a wide range of goals, from economic aspects of SDG 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, social aspects of SDG10 and 16, to socio-environmental aspects of SDG12.
Research limitations/implications
Further exploration is needed to identify the causal mechanisms behind associations between SDG measures and HEI sustainability performance, whether influenced by the institution, the individual or both.
Practical implications
This study suggests that HEIs are already associated with some aspects of community sustainability, but greater contributions to a broader array of sustainability measures are possible.
Social implications
The correlation found between HEI sustainability actions and SDG10, 12 and 16 index performance in an MSA highlights a connection between HEIs and the attainment of societal goals.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the correlation between HEI and MSA sustainability performance in the US through individual and interlinked SDG proxies. It provides novel empirical evidence that demonstrates an association between HEI and some aspects of community sustainability performance.
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Latika Sharma, Hemantkumar P. Bulsara, Himanshu Bagdi and Mridul Trivedi
This research aims to forecast university students' intentions to contribute to sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) in an emerging market. The study observed the factors influencing…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to forecast university students' intentions to contribute to sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) in an emerging market. The study observed the factors influencing students’ sustainable entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) using an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB).
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted utilising an online questionnaire with a total of 332 college students in Gujarat, India. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data.
Findings
The outcome of the present research sanctions that university support strongly impacts perceived behavioural control (PBC) and negatively affects attitudes towards sustainable entrepreneurship (ATT). The findings revealed that environmental concern positively influences students' attitudes and perceived behavioural control towards sustainable entrepreneurship. Whereas sustainable development goals knowledge (SDGK) negatively impacts attitude and PBC. Out of the three key factors of TPB used in the study, only the subjective norm negatively affects SEI among the respondents.
Research limitations/implications
This research may be valuable to academicians and environmental strategists in determining the most essential elements that drive students to create sustainable firms. The findings of this study back up the assumption that TPB adaptation is required when assessing entrepreneurship-specific intents.
Originality/value
The current research aimed to regulate students' entrepreneurial intention (EI) in Gujarat, India, concerning a sustainable enterprise. This research appears to be one of the extremely scarce studies that utilise the extended TPB model to investigate the effect of university support (US), environmental concern (EC) and SDGK in the context of India.
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Tuija Koivunen, Taru Konst and Mervi Friman
The universities of applied sciences (UASs) in Finland play a significant role in providing skilled professionals with higher education degrees to meet the needs of the labor…
Abstract
Purpose
The universities of applied sciences (UASs) in Finland play a significant role in providing skilled professionals with higher education degrees to meet the needs of the labor market and society as a whole. The purpose of this study is to determine what the staff in these universities consider the role of UASs in promoting sustainable development (SD) to be.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative research data were collected from a survey distributed among UAS staff in the spring of 2021. The data consisted of 831 responses to an open-ended question on how UASs could promote SD and a sense of responsibility for it. The method used for the data analysis was theory-led content analysis.
Findings
Staff at UASs are actively promoting SD in higher education and have many ideas on how to do this, which is encouraging. With further processing of these ideas and support from management, UASs can play a more important role in sustainability work and set an example for how to build a sustainable future.
Originality/value
The promotion of SD is a timely topic, and examples of SD implementation and good practices can promote discussion of the role of higher education institutions in SD promotion and highlight collective ways to promote it.
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Mia von Knorring, Hanna Karlsson, Elizabeth Stenwall, Matti Johannes Nikkola and Maria Niemi
This study aims to analyse student and teaching staff views on how higher education (HE) can contribute to sustainable development, and to provide examples of how a medical…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyse student and teaching staff views on how higher education (HE) can contribute to sustainable development, and to provide examples of how a medical university has adopted the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as part of its institutional strategies and practises.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on participant views from a conference, which aimed to identify actions needed for HE to contribute to the SDGs. More than 500 students, teachers and academic leaders participated at workshops to discuss and reflect on the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in sustainable development. The discussion key points were recorded on flipcharts, and the analysis builds on all written statements from the nine workshops. Based on the findings from the workshop, steering documents and activities of a medical university were identified as examples of implementation.
Findings
Two overarching interdependent themes were identified and indicated a need to rethink the role not only of HE per se but also that of HEIs at large, to meet the challenges of sustainable development. The study also provides an example of how such organizational change can be practically implemented at a medical university, through the establishment of overarching institutional strategies, funding opportunities and external collaborations.
Practical implications
The findings reflect a “bottom-up” call from students and educational staff for HEIs to step up and contribute to systems change – both through a change in pedagogies, as well as through an institution-wide approach and a shift in the role of HEIs in society.
Originality/value
The study is unique in providing an exemplar of the implementation of sustainable development in HE at a specific medical university.
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