Sustainability in the perspective of students in the undergraduate management program of a public university: in practice, sustainability remains only in discourse

Abstract

This paper investigates the perspective of students in the undergraduate Management program of a Brazilian public university regarding the notion of sustainability. It was articulated the stakeholder theory with the body of knowledge of sustainability, ethics and managers’ education. As to method, a quantitative survey was carried out with data collected through triangulation with questionnaire application and documentary research. Data collected via questionnaire application were underwent to statistical analysis. The research sample reached 233 students (30.98% of the population size) from all terms and morning and evening shifts of the course. The synthesis of results reveals that, according to the respondents’ perspective, the notion of sustainability, which entails an equitable treatment of the economic, social-cultural, and environmental dimensions, remains only in the field of discourse (expected behavior), and does not manifest in practice (actual behavior). Evidence indicates that the economic dimension prevails over the others, especially when the shareholder profitability and the survival of the organization are the objects of investigation. Results refer to reflections on the process of managers’ education, especially because there is evidence that the profit-targeted, Cartesian educational model still prevails over the logic of a sustainability-targeted education.