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1 – 10 of 16Ana Elena Builes-Vélez, Juliana Restrepo and Juan Diego Diego Martínez
This paper aims to identify how the faculties of a Colombian University have understood the concept of sustainability and the way they have embedded it into their training.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify how the faculties of a Colombian University have understood the concept of sustainability and the way they have embedded it into their training.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative research was done using documentary and content analysis which allowed researchers to recognize features correlated to sustainability which are needed to promote and act for social equity, ecological care and economic development.
Findings
It was found that most faculties at the university do not conceptualize it; ergo, courses are designed neither for promoting sustainability nor sustainable education. Besides this, almost no level of integration was identified among faculties on this topic.
Research limitations/implications
Many people agree education for sustainability is a key action to overcome the complex challenges the planet is facing; nevertheless, the prejudice that training to solve sustainability problems is an exclusive task of certain disciplines is common. This misunderstanding reduces the possibilities of pursuing a sustainable future, considering that these issues affect all humankind and that they can only be solved through interdisciplinary and collaborative work.
Practical implications
The paper also outlines some actions that Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) can take to consider sustainability issues, and they are as follows: identification of competencies to include in the curricula; recognition of the potential of integrating education for sustainable development (ESD) into the curricula by strengthening the competencies and capacities; strengthening the competencies and capacities of the academic staff through ESD training processes; articulation of research with the curricula in such a way that the results of research processes permeate the curricula.
Social implications
This study has some limitations. For instance, regarding the survey, the size of the sample may seem too small, a bigger sample will allow better information for the results. Regarding the case studies, a greater diversity of programs could have provided a wider range of results. Despite these limitations, for UPB, the study shows a snapshot of the literature review and the articulation of sustainable development and climate change education (CCE) in all programs the university has. The implications of this paper and research are the following. First, it reiterates the importance of having within the same institution a common language to talk about sustainability. Second, it recognizes the competencies and skills that should considered when implementing ESD and CCE in curricula.
Originality/value
This idea corresponds to a lack of debate about what the term signifies and means. It is believed that, as sustainability has been highly researched in the past two decades, it is a cross-cutting element in any faculty proposal; however, due to the complexity of the term, it is understood differently by each member of the same academic community, affecting their ability to design a systemic and systematic curriculum that enables to educate for sustainable goals.
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Chi-I Lin and Yuh-Yuh Li
This study aims to investigate the potential of an empathetic mindset aimed at empowering undergraduate students to work toward sustainable development (SD), addressing both…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the potential of an empathetic mindset aimed at empowering undergraduate students to work toward sustainable development (SD), addressing both theoretical and practical dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed quantitative and qualitative research method was used in this study. Cross-sectional quantitative survey data on students’ mindsets and actions toward SD was collected to examine the theoretical relationship between belief and behavior. Qualitative inquiry using focus-group interviews explored students’ on-site learning experiences.
Findings
This study provides evidence for the impact of an empathetic mindset on education for sustainable development (ESD). Results showed that students with a more empathetic mindset showed better attitudes and behaviors toward SD actions. Findings suggest that developing an empathetic mindset improves students’ attitudes toward taking substantial action to protect the environment.
Originality/value
This study introduces a novel perspective extending the application of empathetic mindset in ESD.
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Ilkay Yorganci and Mahtab Sadrimovahed
The aim of this study is to understand the acculturation experiences of international students in order to maximize their academic and social experiences which, in turn, can…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to understand the acculturation experiences of international students in order to maximize their academic and social experiences which, in turn, can facilitate the development of sustainable educational tourism in the host country.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative methodology and semi-structured interview techniques, 40 international postgraduate tourism students from the Global South were interviewed.
Findings
The findings in this study demonstrated that the main problems faced by these students are inadequate funds and language difficulties.
Originality/value
This study highlighted the fact that although the number of international students is growing all over the world, for most of the students from poorer parts of the world, being an international student is fraught with difficulties. It also demonstrated that although acculturation stress is a serious concern, lack of adequate funding assumes greater importance for students from a poor background.
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Pankhuri Aggarwal, Erica Szkody, Eleni Kapoulea, Katharine Daniel, Kirsten Bootes, Jennifer Boland, Jason Washburn and Amy Peterman
This study aims to examine the unique lived experiences of international graduate students in light of COVID-19 and the recent sociopolitical climate in the USA (e.g. Black Lives…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the unique lived experiences of international graduate students in light of COVID-19 and the recent sociopolitical climate in the USA (e.g. Black Lives Matter movement, protests against anti-Asian hate crimes and gun violence).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used an exploratory qualitative design embedded within a constructivist/interpretivist paradigm. A total of 31 international health service psychology graduate students completed an online survey, 17 of whom participated in a 60-min one-on-one semi-structured interview.
Findings
Participants reported facing a range of difficulties (e.g. travel ban/inability to spend time with family, visa-related concerns, racism, decreased support) during the global pandemic and the recent sociopolitical climate in the USA. A total of 48 themes were identified and organized into six domains: COVID-19-related stress and worry, experiences of racism/discrimination, coping mechanisms, support received, recommendations for programs and higher learning institutions and advice for other international graduate students.
Originality/value
The recent sociopolitical climate in the US exacerbated some of the preexisting inequities for international graduate students due to their international student status and the global pandemic. Although few in number, students also spoke about some positive changes as a result of these major historical and political events. Implications for graduate education, clinical practice and policymaking are discussed.
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Ammar Yasir, Xiaojian Hu, Murat Aktan, Pablo Farías and Abdul Rauf
Contemporary changes have occurred in country-level policies and tourists’ intentions in recent years. The role of maintaining a country’s image is trendy in crisis control but…
Abstract
Purpose
Contemporary changes have occurred in country-level policies and tourists’ intentions in recent years. The role of maintaining a country’s image is trendy in crisis control but has not yet been discussed in domestic tourism research. Extending the Stimulus Organism Response model, this study aims to focus on “trustable WOM creation” in China. In addition, it aimed to discover how behavioral changes encourage domestic tourism intention (DTI).
Design/methodology/approach
This study explored the mediating role of DTI and the moderating role of maintenance of country image (MCI) for trustable word of mouth (WOM) creation. Using the snowball sampling technique, a structural equation modeling analysis (Smart PLS-4) was employed to analyze the data of 487 Chinese tourists.
Findings
Findings confirm that behavioral changes positively encourage domestic tourism and discourage international tourism, with significant negative moderation by MCI. MCI has an insignificant positive moderating effect between government-media trust and DTI. Furthermore, DTI positively and directly affects the creation of trustable WOM. In addition, it had a 20% mediation effect (VAF%) between behavioral changes and WOM creation, higher than the rejected mediation effect (12%), in the causal relationship between government-media trust and WOM creation.
Practical implications
WOM creation varies from different behavioral changes, but findings suggest that government-media trust and DTI influenced it significantly. Based on the study findings, the government and media can enhance domestic tourism by maintaining the country’s image. These findings both encourage and control the recovery of tourism.
Originality/value
This study provides a theoretical explanation for tourists' behavioral changes during the pandemic. Moreover, it shows that despite avoiding international tourism due to behavioral changes and government-media trust, MCI moderation with the mediation effect of DTI can create trustable WOM. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to theoretically promote tourism through DTI-induced psychology as a mediator and an organism affect prevailing among Chinese tourists.
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Yuehua Zhao, Linyi Zhang, Chenxi Zeng, Yidan Chen, Wenrui Lu and Ningyuan Song
This study aims to address the growing importance of online health information (OHI) and the associated uncertainty. Although previous research has explored factors influencing…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to address the growing importance of online health information (OHI) and the associated uncertainty. Although previous research has explored factors influencing the credibility of OHI, results have been inconsistent. Therefore, this study aims to identify the essential factors that influence the perceived credibility of OHI by conducting a meta-analysis of articles published from 2010 to 2022. The study also aims to examine the moderating effects of demographic characteristics, study design and the platforms where health information is located.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the Prominence-Interpretation Theory (PIT), a meta-analysis of 25 empirical studies was conducted to explore 12 factors related to information content and source, social interaction, individual and media affordance. Moderators such as age, education level, gender of participants, sample size, platforms and research design were also examined.
Findings
Results suggest that all factors, except social support, have significant effects on the credibility of OHI. Among them, argument quality had the strongest correlation with credibility and individual factors were also found to be relevant. Moderating effects indicate that social support was significantly moderated by age and education level. Different sample sizes may lead to variations in the role of social endorsement, while personal involvement was moderated by sample size, platform and study design.
Originality/value
This study enriches the application of PIT in the health domain and provides guidance for scholars to expand the scope of research on factors influencing OHI credibility.
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Claudia W. Tridapalli and Oliver Elliott
Sustainability has emerged as a key concept in 21st-century education. The purpose of this paper is to identify faculty’s behavior and barriers to incorporating sustainability in…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainability has emerged as a key concept in 21st-century education. The purpose of this paper is to identify faculty’s behavior and barriers to incorporating sustainability in business school classrooms and suggest potential ways to tackle them.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses focus groups and interviews with faculty at a European business school using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore their beliefs and practices in incorporating sustainability in the classroom.
Findings
The results show that business school faculty have a strong awareness of sustainability and a desire to incorporate it into the classrooms. Recommendations for deans and curriculum creators are proposed to reduce obstacles to successful implementation.
Originality/value
The perceptions of faculty, a key agent of change in the incorporation of sustainability in the classroom, are analyzed, and practical steps to support them are suggested through the use of a TPB framework.
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This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing methodological discussions surrounding the adoption of ethnographic approaches in accounting by undertaking a comparative analysis of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing methodological discussions surrounding the adoption of ethnographic approaches in accounting by undertaking a comparative analysis of ethnography in anthropology and ethnography in qualitative accounting research. By doing so, it abductively speculates on the factors influencing the distinct characteristics of ethnography in accounting and explores their implications.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a comparative approach, organizing the comparison using Van Maanen’s (2011a, 2011b) framework of field-, head- and text-work phases in ethnography. Furthermore, it draws on the author’s experience as a qualitative researcher who has conducted ethnographic research for more than a decade across the disciplines of anthropology and accounting, as well as for non-academic organizations, to provide illustrative examples for the comparison.
Findings
This paper finds that ethnography in accounting, when compared to its counterpart in anthropology, demonstrates a stronger inclination towards scientific aspirations. This is evidenced by its prevalence of realist tales, a high emphasis on “methodological rigour”, a focus on high-level theorization and other similar characteristics. Furthermore, the scientific aspiration and hegemony of the positivist paradigm in accounting research, when leading to a change of the evaluation criteria of non-positivist research, generate an impoverishment of interpretive and ethnographic research in accounting.
Originality/value
This paper provides critical insights from a comparative perspective, highlighting the marginalized position of ethnography in accounting research. By understanding the mechanisms of marginalization, the paper commits to reflexivity and advocates for meaningful changes within the field.
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Leela Velautham, Jeremy Gregory and Julie Newman
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which a sample of US-based higher education institution’s (HEI’s) climate targets and associated climate action planning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which a sample of US-based higher education institution’s (HEI’s) climate targets and associated climate action planning efforts align with the definitions of and practices associated with science-based targets (SBTs) that are typically used to organize corporate climate efforts. This analysis will be used to explore similarities and tease out differences between how US-based HEIs and corporations approach sustainable target setting and organize sustainable action.
Design/methodology/approach
The degree of intersection between a sample of HEI climate action plans from Ivy Plus (Ivy+) schools and the current SBT initiative (SBTi) general corporate protocol was assessed by using an objective-oriented evaluative approach.
Findings
While there were some areas of overlap between HEI’s climate action planning and SBTi’s general corporate protocol – for instance, the setting of both short- and long-term targets and large-scale investments in renewable energy – significant areas of difference in sampled HEIs included scant quantitative Scope 3 targets, the use offsets to meet short-term targets and a low absolute annual reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Originality/value
This paper unites diverse areas of literature on SBTs, corporate sustainability target setting and sustainability in higher education. It provides an overview of the potential benefits and disadvantages of HEIs adopting SBTs and provides recommendations for the development of sector-specific SBTi guidelines.
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Olufemi Samson Adetunji and Jamie MacKee
A comprehensive understanding of the determining factors and implications of the frameworks for appreciating the relationships between climate risks and cultural heritage remains…
Abstract
Purpose
A comprehensive understanding of the determining factors and implications of the frameworks for appreciating the relationships between climate risks and cultural heritage remains deficient. To address the gap, the review analysed literature on the management of climate risk in cultural heritage. The review examines the strengths and weaknesses of climate risk management (CRM) frameworks and attendant implications for the conservation of cultural heritage.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a two-phased systematic review procedure. In the first phase, the authors reviewed related publications published between 2017 and 2021 in Scopus and Google Scholar. Key reports published by organisations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) were identified and included in Phase Two to further understand approaches to CRM in cultural heritage.
Findings
Results established the changes in trend and interactions between factors influencing the adoption of CRM frameworks, including methods and tools for CRM. There is also increasing interest in adopting quantitative and qualitative methods using highly technical equipment and software to assess climate risks to cultural heritage assets. However, climate risk information is largely collected at the national and regional levels rather than at the cultural heritage asset.
Practical implications
The review establishes increasing implementation of CRM frameworks across national boundaries at place level using high-level technical skills and knowledge, which are rare amongst local organisations and professionals involved in cultural heritage management.
Originality/value
The review established the need for multi-sectoral, bottom-up and place-based approaches to improve the identification of climate risks and decision-making processes for climate change adaptation.
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