Abstract
Purpose – This paper clarifies how business education has and should incorporate more
resources, policies, and stakeholder engagement towards the incorporation of sustainability,
by conducting a literature review on sustainability in business and international business
education and proposing future opportunities for researchers and practitioners.
Design/methodology/approach – We take a systematic, qualitative analysis approach to
evaluate multidisciplinary literatures on sustainability in business education. We identify 192
qualifying articles published in 68 journals between 2015 and 2023.
Findings –We propose five categories of education solutions. Four of them are integrated, in
two macro-micro levels: university (stakeholders and shared-mindset change), and student
(pedagogical methods and curriculum); and one at meso level: international business (holistic
integration) serving to unify the university and student levels.
Research implications – Our review highlights the value of applying a holistic approach and
interdisciplinary pedagogical methods in future research on sustainability education in
business school, to effectively prepare future business leaders to contribute to a more
sustainable future.
Practical implications – Insights from this review can usefully guide scholars and program
directors in their future research and administrative efforts toward business curriculum design,
stakeholder management, and policy making.
Social implications –Our findings highlight how by embracing holistic perspectives, proper
policies, and self-awareness, business education shapes the mindsets and skill sets of the next
generation of socially conscious practitioners.
Originality/value – Our review stands out as one of the few that offers a forward-looking
trajectory for the adaptation of international business education in response to sustainability
challenges, through a holistic perspective.