Abstract
Business education often overlooks and neglects the implications and effects of decision-making actions in the public sector, leading to the perpetuation and reproduction of historical inequalities and asymmetries. Its curriculum and teaching philosophies scarcely criticize or sensitize students about the negative and hidden implications of economic decisions. Global financial meltdowns, along with man-made environmental crises, demand transparency in business governance. Thus, academic institutions and accreditation bodies are embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles at the core of business education through various initiatives, such as curriculum integration, workshops, and thought leadership, among others. This paper discusses an educational program intervention we have been conducting since 2018 in the Business School. We incorporate design into three elective courses (undergraduate and graduate) of our curriculum to integrate ESG topics into core business concepts, complemented by learning experiences embedded in projects addressing real-world ESG challenges. Design fosters a constructive learning environment, allowing students to progressively adopt a critical perspective to uncover, reveal, or understand what is often concealed beneath business assumptions. This approach enables students to analyze complex problems, interact with multiple stakeholders, propose meaningful solutions, and grasp the practical application of ESG principles. We also adopt a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary perspective, depending on the project, to enrich our understanding of ESG. The implication of this research is to provide empirical evidence about the relevance of design in business education and how it could ensure that the next generation of business leaders is prepared to address global challenges with ethics, responsibility, and inclusion.
Presenters
Beatriz Itzel Cruz MegchunAssociate Professor of Design and Innovation, School of Business, University of Portland, Armed Forces Americas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Design, Environmental, Social and Governance, Business Education, Responsible Innovation Approaches
