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How hey walk he alk : Responsible managemen educa ion in Finnish business
schools
© 2022 he Au ho s
Published e sion
Aal onen, Val e i; Sil aoja, Ma jo
Aal onen, V., & Sil aoja, M. (2022). How hey walk he alk : Responsible managemen educa ion
in Finnish business schools. Business E hics, he En i onmen & Responsibili y, 31(4), 1117-
1135. h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/bee .12456
2022
Business E hics, En & Resp. 2022;00:1–19.
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1wileyonlinelib a y.com/jou nal/bee
1 | INTRODUCTION
The ield o esponsible managemen lea ning and educa ion (RMLE)
has eme ged o s udy how business schools engage wi h esponsible
managemen educa ion (RME) (Ma en & Moon, 2004; Moosmaye
e al., 2020). RME is an umb ella e m ha cap u es a sys emic ap-
p oach o sus ainabili y, he beha iou al aspec s o e hics, and an in-
e dependen s akeholde app oach o esponsibili y applied in he
cu icula ac i i ies o business schools (Moosmaye e al., 2020,
p. xx ii). Recen ly, RME has apidly expanded. Schola s ha e ac-
knowledged wo main ex e nal ac o s ha ha e acili a ed RME
alongside gene al s akeholde p essu e. The i s is he P inciples
o Responsible Managemen Educa ion (PRME) suppo ed by he
Uni ed Na ions (UN) (Moosmaye e al., 2020). PRME has been ol-
un a ily signed by mo e han 800 business schools wo ldwide, ep-
esen ing, howe e , only a ac ion o he o al numbe o business
schools (15,000) (Bu chell e al., 2015; Mo sing, 2021). The second
ac o is he op- le el acc edi a ion agencies, such as Associa ion
o Ad ance Collegia e Schools o Business (AACSB) and Eu opean
Quali y Imp o emen Sys em (EQUIS), and how hey guide business
schools owa ds RME (Alajou sijä i e al., 2018; Coope e al., 2014;
Wu e al., 2010).
Despi e he inc easing “ alk” o embedding RME wo ldwide,
claims o i s exis ence as a decoupled phenomenon (Rasche &
Gilbe , 2015; Snelson- Powell e al., 2016) o me ely as a niche unde
he discipline o managemen and o ganisa ion s ill exis (Pain e -
Mo land e al., 2016; Rasche e al., 2013). Acco dingly, schola s
ha e a gued o he need o examine wha condi ions enable and
en o ce RME o he educa ional cu icula. Scan esea ch has ex-
plained his o o igina e om he p es ige o schools (Snelson- Powell
e al., 2016), o om he emphasis placed on RME as a lea ning p o-
cess o he school i sel (Soli ande e al., 2012; Weyb ech , 2017).
Recei ed: 5 July 2021
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Re ised: 27 May 2022
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Accep ed: 9 June 2022
DOI: 10.1111/bee .12456
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
How hey walk he alk: Responsible managemen educa ion in
Finnish business schools
Val e i Aal onen  | Ma jo Sil aoja
This is an open access a icle unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License, which pe mi s use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium,
p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed.
© 2022 The Au ho s. Business E hics, he En i onmen & Responsibili y published by John Wiley & Sons L d.
Jy äskylä Uni e si y School o Business
and Economics (JSBE), Managemen and
Leade ship, Jy äskylä, Finland
Co espondence
Val e i Aal onen, Managemen and
Leade ship, Jy äskylä Uni e si y School o
Business and Economics (JSBE), Jy äskylä,
Finland.
Email: al e i.a.aal onen@jyu. i
Abs ac
Responsible managemen educa ion (RME) has become a common ini ia i e in he
educa ional discou se o business schools wo ldwide. Howe e , li le is known abou
how (non- )engagemen wi h RME in he pas in luenced he way RME is o ganised
oday. We examine his in one o he pionee ing coun ies o RME, Finland, using
ex ensi e quali a i e esea ch ma e ials. Ou esul s sugges ha RME has been em-
bedded wi h au hen ici y- d i en change (local con ex and esea ch) since he 1990s.
In he la e 2000s a e he legal educa ional e o ms implemen ed in Finland, he
p es ige- d i en change (acc edi a ions) began o shape he embedding o RME. In he
2020s, bo h he au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en changes wi h e ical and ho izon-
al RME, espec i ely, o en appea as hyb ids. This a icle discusses bo h he weak-
nesses and s eng hs o hese app oaches in embedding RME.
KEYWORDS
acc edi a ion, au hen ici y, No dic coun y, quali a i e s udy, esponsible managemen
educa ion, sus ainabili y
2
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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
On he o he hand, he sough - a e p es ige in he ield o manage-
men educa ion has esul ed a monocul u e o acc edi ed schools
(Alajou sijä i e al., 2018), and he e he dimension o au hen ici y
has been sugges ed as a solu ion (Guillo in & Mangema in, 2018).
Howe e , he impac o hese condi ions in e ms o embedding
RME o e ime emains unknown.
Ou pu pose is o examine condi ions ha ha e in luenced in he
embedding o RME in all business schools in one coun y, Finland.
Ou ma e ials comp ised o s udy guides om 2017 o 2022 and 45
in e iews wi h acul y membe s who had pa icipa ed in o ganising
RME a hese uni e si ies. We ocused on one coun y because he
ins i u ional con ex g ea ly in luences and egula es he o ien a ion
o o ganisa ions, ei he en o cing o limi ing he embedding o sus-
ainabili y and esponsibili y (Kou ula, 2022; Sil aoja e al., 2020).
Many Finnish business schools pa icipa e in he PRME No dic chap-
e , whe e he adi ions o he No dic s akeholde app oach and
collabo a i e engagemen in managemen heo isa ion ha e been
iden i ied as he sha ed amewo k o RME (Ca oll & Nasi, 1997;
None e al., 2021; Pinhei o e al., 2019; S and & F eeman, 2015).
Howe e , no all business schools a e PRME signa o ies, and he
RME app oach a ies e en wi hin he PRME No dic chap e (None
e al., 2021). We a gue ha a comp ehensi e examina ion o how
educa ional ins i u ions in a con ex pe cei ed as “p oac i e in sus-
ainabili y” a e embedding RME is aluable o a global audience.
Ou analysis has wo esea ch objec i es. Fi s , we mapped he
hemes and e ms o sus ainabili y, e hics, and esponsibili y along-
side he di ision o economic, en i onmen al, social, and c oss-
cu ing hemes (Lozano & Young, 2013; Wu e al., 2010) by posing
he ollowing ques ion: How do Finnish business schools cu en ly
embed RME in hei educa ional p og ammes? Second, we analysed
he in e iew ma e ials o answe he ollowing ques ion: How does
(non- )engagemen wi h RME in he pas explain he p esen si ua ion?
Ou indings show ha RME is embedded bo h in a e ical
sense, e e ing o elec i e mino s and mas e 's p og ammes, and
in a ho izon al sense, which means ha a leas one manda o y
sus ainabili y- ocused o sus ainabili y- inclusi e cou se exis s o all
bachelo 's s uden s (Rusinko, 2010). We a gue ha he a ia ions
ha e esul ed om wo app oaches, au hen ici y- d i en emphasis-
ing esea ch and local con ex , and p es ige- d i en changes, empha-
sising acc edi a ions and ma ke o ien a ion as mo i es o RME (see
also Guillo in & Mangema in, 2018). While p es ige- d i en change
has sys ema ically esul ed in ho izon al RME, au hen ici y- d i en
change has ini ially esul ed in e ical RME.
Ou s udy makes wo con ibu ions o he exis ing li e a u e.
Fi s , au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en change appea inc easingly
as hyb id o e ime, wi h signi ican coexis ence o e ical and ho -
izon al RME in Finnish business schools. Second, he collabo a i e
engagemen o local acul y in RME is decisi e in how he embed-
ding o RME occu s. We discuss ou esul s and hei implica ions o
he gene al managemen o esponsibili y in o ganisa ions.
In he ollowing, we p esen a li e a u e e iew, ou selec ion o
ma e ials and me hods, ou indings, and, inally, ou discussion and
conclusions.
2 | LITERATURE REVIEW ON RME
P e iously, he s a us o RME has been examined, especially in Eu ope,
No h Ame ica, he Asia Paci ic egion (Beddewela e al., 2017; Bu
& Yonke s, 2004; Ch is ensen e al., 2007; Ma en & Moon, 2004;
Pain e - Mo land e al., 2016; Rasche e al., 2013; Wu e al., 2010),
and, ecen ly, in A ica (Ugwuozo , 2020). Me hodologically, s ud-
ies ha examined he embedding o RME ha e mos ly used su ey
da a (e.g., Ch is ensen e al., 2007; Ma en & Moon, 2004; Pain e -
Mo land e al., 2016; Ugwuozo , 2020) o seconda y da a such as
uni e si y websi e in o ma ion on s udy p og ammes and mission
s a emen s (Bu & Yonke s, 2004; Wu e al., 2010).
Resea che s ha e sugges ed ha RME is ending (Ch is ensen
e al., 2007; Ma en & Moon, 2004; Wu e al., 2010). Howe e ,
whe he signi ican mains eaming has occu ed is deba able
(Pain e - Mo land e al., 2016; Rasche & Gilbe , 2015). This di -
icul y in “walking he alk” has been connec ed o he a ailabili y
o esou ces and suppo i e en i onmen (Rasche & Gilbe , 2015).
In e nally, acul y a e o en suppo i e o RME, bu o ganisa ional o
esou ce- ela ed ac o s o en es ic hei oppo uni ies o ans-
o m in en ions in o p ac ise (Beddewela e al., 2017).
The o ganisa ion o educa ion i sel is he e o e impo an
and can be add essed, o example, h ough e ical and ho i-
zon al in eg a ion (Rusinko, 2010). The e ical app oach e e s
o specialisa ion in a limi ed numbe o disciplines and a gene al
emphasis on he op ional na u e o RME. This is o en e e ed
o as a na ow o discipline- speci ic app oach ha pa es he
way o u he de elopmen and acknowledgemen o he issue
(Rusinko, 2010). The ho izon al app oach has been a gued o ep-
esen a desi ed goal o he p ocess (Ceulemans & De P ins, 2010),
e e ing o a c oss- disciplina y app oach, whe e all s uden s a e
exposed o RME ega dless o hei disciplines. Con empo a y
esea ch has a gued ha RME appea s in a e ical sense, usu-
ally ia elec i es o mos s uden s (Pain e - Mo land e al., 2016).
Condi ions ha explain he dominance o he e ical app oach
a e po ayed as weak pedagogical se ings in la gely ins u-
men ally o ien ed business schools (Kea ins & Sp inge , 2003;
Pain e - Mo land, 2015) and wi h g owing specialisa ion and a i-
ance be ween business disciplines (Pain e - Mo land e al., 2016;
Rasche e al., 2013).
Howe e , a simple dicho omy o e ical and ho izon al s udies
does no e eal schools' con en o compe ence in e ms o RME.
O ien a ions owa ds RME is o en d i en by ex e nal p essu es
and acc edi a ion equi emen s. The alue o acc edi a ion lies in i s
po en ial o c ea e publici y and quali y assu ance, especially in he
in e na ional en i onmen , which should acili a e bo h s uden s'
and schools' success in he ma ke s (Engwall, 2007). Acc edi a ions,
such as EQUIS, AACSB, Associa ion o MBAs (AMBA), and Business
G adua e Associa ion (BGA) a e g an ed based on e idence o o gan-
isa ional missions and s a egies implemen ed in he pe o mance
o business schools. The acc edi a ion p ocess has been a d i e
o RME, pa icula ly since he inancial c isis o 2008, esul ing in
e- legi ima ion e o s o business school cu icula (Alajou sijä i
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3
AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
e al., 2018; Coope e al., 2014; Doh & Tashman, 2014; Rasche &
Gilbe , 2015; Wu e al., 2010).
Acc edi a ions as a d i ing o ce o RME a e no wi hou chal-
lenges. Alajou sijä i e al. (2018) wa ned ha acc edi a ions can ac
“nei he as a quali y imp o emen no compe i i e ad an age, bu
simply as a necessi y, which migh lead acc edi a ion agencies away
om accomplishing hei a icula ed missions o quali y imp o e-
men ” (p. 219). In a simila ein, Guillo in and Mangema in (2018)
claim ha he acc edi a ion boom has led o mass imi a ion ha has
placed less ocus on au hen ici y and he socie al impac o schools
and mo e on p es ige- seeking beha iou . Business schools compe e
o p es ige o a ac alen ed s uden s, acknowledged inancie s,
and epu able acul y membe s (Al esson & Gab iel, 2016). Also, i
has been a gued ha he embedding o RME a ies wi h di e en
acc edi a ions. Mo e speci ically, Wu e al. (2010) iden i ied ha
EQUIS was connec ed o mo e an “agg essi e” (p. 526; la ge numbe
o sus ainabili y- ela ed cou ses) bu e ical embedding o RME,
whe eas AACSB was connec ed o ho izon al RME.
While we acknowledge ha a ia ions may exis in he in luence
o di e en acc edi a ions on RME, in p es ige- d i en change, a en-
ion is paid o acc edi a ions ha is dis inc om he emphasis o local
con ex and au hen ici y. We unde s and he p es ige- d i en change
owa ds RME as a op- down o ien a ion ocused on acc edi a ions and
he inc eased communica ion (“ he alk”) on RME. Au hen ici y implies
c edibili y and being ue o onesel (Giddens, 1991). In a simila ein,
we iew au hen ici y- d i en change in RME as an ac i i y whe e jus i i-
ca ion goes h ough c edible esea ch ac i i y and emphasis on knowl-
edge (“ he walk”) ha helps o sol e no only business challenges bu
also socie al issues. In eali y, hese o ien a ions a e, howe e , likely
mixed. Also, being au hen ic in a socie al con ex is o en de ined by
powe ela ions such as mode n con ol sys ems (e.g., acc edi a ions),
a he han by mo al judgemen i sel (Giddens, 1991). Fo example,
o ganisa ions a e expec ed o communica e abou hemsel es in a
pa icula way o be conside ed as “au hen ic”, which is also likely o
d i e hem owa ds p es ige- o ien ed beha iou . Howe e , how such
de elopmen occu s o e ime is no well unde s ood.
We a gue ha assessing RME in one coun y enables an acknowl-
edgmen o condi ions ha explain he adop ed o ien a ions and hei
de elopmen s. Thus, we ocused on one so- called sus ainabili y-
o ien ed coun y whe e all selec ed educa ional ins i u ions a e public
uni e si ies and unde he same educa ion legisla ion, p o iding a mo e
cohe en pic u e beyond a ocus on single schools.
3 | METHODS
3.1  |  The con ex o managemen educa ion in
Finland
The wo d con ex emphasises a si ua ional and his o ical unde -
s anding o he en i onmen in which he ea u es o a sys em a e
ei he ep oduced o ans o med (A che , 1995, p. 11). The con ex
o highe educa ion in Finland has a s a e- go e ned na u e, wi h he
basic assump ion ha he same deg ees should ha e he same con-
en and quali y in each highe educa ion ins i u ion o e ing hem
(Ke unen, 2013; Wallenius e al., 2020). O he 14 uni e si ies in
Finland, en o e deg ees in business adminis a ion and economics
(Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e o Finland, 2019). The ci izens o
Finland (Eu opean Union) can s udy in Finland wi hou ui ion ees;
he la gely public inancial esou ces o Finnish uni e si ies a e de-
penden on, o example, he numbe o g adua ing s uden s, aca-
demic publishing in op jou nals, and in e na ionalisa ion ac i i ies
(Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e o Finland, 2019). The Finnish
highe educa ion sys em is pa o he Eu opean Highe Educa ion
A ea (EHEA), which has been en o ced especially wi h he legis-
la i e change called Uni e si ies Ac in 2009 (Be nd son, 2013;
Ke unen, 2013). Acco ding o he Finnish Na ional Agency o
Educa ion, mo e han 11,000 s uden s we e s udying business, ad-
minis a ion, o law in Finland in 2019. The ield o business s ud-
ies was also he mos sough - a e s udy op ion o applican s o
Finnish uni e si ies. Acco ding o a ecen epo on Finnish man-
agemen educa ion, sus ainabili y and e hical pe spec i es a e
con empo a ily common lea ning goals o business deg ee p o-
g ammes (Wallenius e al., 2020). Fu he mo e, i is no ed ha he
UN Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (SDGs) a e inc easingly agged
in he cu iculum and esea ch ac i i y o Finnish business schools
pa icipa ing he PRME ne wo k (None e al., 2021). Finance p o-
g ammes ha e been conside ed lagga ds in embedding esponsibil-
i y (Finland's Sus ainable In es men Fo um, 2017).
The uni s o analysis in his s udy a e uni e si y/business school
p og ammes ha g an bachelo 's and mas e o science deg ees in
economics and business, ollowing he educa ional c i e ia o he
Finnish Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e. Ten Finnish uni e si ies
o e deg ees in business and economics o a e (s andalone) busi-
ness schools wi h b oad basic compe encies in economics and busi-
ness adminis a ion subjec s (Kallunki, 2017). O hese uni e si ies,
Aal o Uni e si y (since 2009) and Tampe e Uni e si y (since 2019)
a e ounda ion- based uni e si ies, and Hanken School o Economics
is he only public s andalone business school in Finland. HELBUS,
he only p i a e business school in Finland, was excluded om
he sample because i s deg ees a e awa ded by he Uni e si y o
No hamp on, UK. In o ma ion o he sample schools is collec ed in
he Table A1 (all he ables a e in Appendix).
3.2  |  Da a and analysis
We used wo ypes o esea ch ma e ials. Fi s , we collec ed con-
secu i e s udy guides om business schools (2017– 2020 and 2020–
2022). The wo mos ecen s udy guides we e selec ed owing o
he imp o ed compa abili y be ween uni e si y cu icula and he
ha monisa ion o a join applica ion sys em o business school
educa ion. Second, o he pu poses o his s udy, he i s au ho
conduc ed 45 in e iews on o ganising RME (see Table A2) o un-
de s and he de elopmen al pa hs o RME and how he cu en si u-
a ion mani es s in educa ional planning and o ganising.
4
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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
All in e iews we e o ganised by i s sea ching o po en ial
con ac s h ough an in e ne sea ch and by asking o ecommenda-
ions om schola s o he ield. Each esea ch pa icipan ecei ed
a p i acy no ice and esea ch no i ica ion ollowing Eu opean Union
GDPR s anda ds. The in e iews we e conduc ed bo h in ace- o-
ace mee ings and phone o ideo mee ings, depending on he ag ee-
men made wi h he esea ch pa icipan . The a e age leng h o he
in e iew eco dings was 44.5 min. Se en people we e in e iewed
wice o o m a mo e comp ehensi e accoun o he de elopmen s.
E- mail communica ion wi h he esea ch pa icipan s p o ided cla -
i ying de ails on he cu en si ua ion and add essed unce ain ies
ha emained a e he in e iews. The in e iews deal wi h he
es ablishmen o RME in Finland, how s udy p og ammes o i s
cou ses had been ini ia ed, and how he esea ch pa icipan s de-
sc ibed he cu en s a e o RME in Finnish business schools.
The s udy guide analysis p o ides an answe o esea ch objec-
i e 1, and he analysis o he in e iew da a wi h he esul s om
esea ch objec i e 1 o ms he basis o esea ch objec i e 2. The
analysis o he s udy guides was pe o med as ollows: Fi s , we
de eloped c i e ia o da a d awing on STARS (Associa ion o he
Ad ancemen o Sus ainabili y in Highe Educa ion, 2019), a uni e -
sal sel - assessmen ool o uni e si ies ha has been e alua ed o
be among he mos comp ehensi e in e ms o educa ion (Ceulemans
e al., 2015; S ough e al., 2018). We coded he cou se ma e ials
by d awing on he 39 sus ainabili y- ela ed educa ional e ms de-
eloped by Wu e al. (2010) alongside he di ision “sus ainabili y-
ocused” and “sus ainabili y- inclusi e”. In a sus ainabili y- ocused
cou se, he key dimension o he sus ainabili y issue is usually
shown in he name o he cou se and plays a signi ican ole in he
cou se desc ip ion such as “In oduc ion o co po a e esponsibil-
i y”. Sus ainabili y- inclusi e cou ses indica e ha a dimension o
sus ainabili y issues is discussed in he cou se, bu he emphasis
is seconda y o he p ima y ocus o he cou se ( o u he de-
ails, see Appendix). Fu he mo e, we bo owed he dimensions o
“Economic”, “En i onmen al”, “Social”, and “C oss- cu ing hemes”
om he “Sus ainabili y Tool o Assessing Uni e si ies’ Cu icula
Holis ically” (Lozano & Young, 2013). We used hese dimensions
in he di ision o di e en sus ainabili y- ela ed e ms in he s udy
guide analysis.
Second, we analysed which concep s had been used, which
hemes domina ed, how bachelo 's and mas e 's le el educa ion
di e , whe he he s udies a e compulso y o olun a y, and how
he le els o sus ainabili y ocus and inclusi i y ha e de eloped be-
ween hese s udy guides. This p ocess esul ed in he con en o
Tables A3 and A4. He e, each uni e si y is p esen ed wi h i s bache-
lo 's deg ee, mas e 's deg ee, and sus ainabili y specialisa ion s udy
p og ammes cha ac e ised by he e ms associa ed wi h hem in he
assessmen . In Table A5 he sus ainabili y- ocused, sus ainabili y-
inclusi e, and “manda o y o all” cou ses a e o e ed o bo h s udy
guide pe iods.
Thi d, we used he in e iews o de elop his o ical na a i es o
he schools' pa hs o RME. We analysed he in e iews wi h wo ques-
ions in mind: wha key e en s led o a mo e explici ocus on RME in
he ins i u ion, when did his ake place and how did he in e iewees
pe cei e he cu en si ua ion? The da a sugges ha he embedding o
RME o igina ed in Finnish business schools om local esea ch in e es
and con ex , and educa ional ma ke s (i.e., acc edi a ions).
Fou h, we sea ched o he mos plausible explana ions o ou
esea ch objec i e 2, d awing on abduc i e easoning in he his o i-
cal na a i es (Man e e & Ke oki i, 2013). We de ined au hen ici y-
d i en change in embedding RME as a ising bo om- up om he
local con ex and he o iginal sou ce o ideas and ini ia i es o ha e
a unique impac . Acco dingly, RME change has been enabled by ex-
e nal unding o local educa ional e o ms. In he p es ige- d i en
change, he ocus is on he op- down implemen a ion o RME and
ex e nal jus i ica ion ha is culmina ed in he c i e ia o acc edi a-
ions ha p io i ise ma ke s o e he local and o iginal expe ise in
RME. This does no imply ha p es ige- d i en change would esul
in ha ing he s a us o a p es ige school, bu a he how ex e nal
alida ions and judgemen s guide schools o mimic he image o
p es ige schools. As a p es ige- d i en o ien a ion does no ha e a
equi emen o esea ch backg ound in RME ele an opics, his
dis inc ion be ween au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en changes has
con ex - sensi i e implica ions in he cu icula ou comes, and, o
cou se, app oaches end o mix.
While ou da a a e connec ed o single business school con-
ex s, we discuss he p esence o au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en
changes wi hou speci ying he school a hand. Ou pe spec i e o
analysis was a he coun y con ex le el, ha is, how he au hen ici-
y- and p es ige- d i en changes explain he embedding o RME in all
Finnish business schools longi udinally.
Ou esul s we e discussed in domes ic and in e na ional sem-
ina s, and ou analysis in ol ed a cons an p ocess o i e a ion, as
is gene ally done in quali a i e case s udies. We now mo e on o
p esen ou indings.
4 | FINDINGS: FINNISH BUSINESS
SCHOOLS AND RME
We compiled he main di isions in au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en
app oaches in Table A6. In he ollowing, we ou line he de elop-
men o Finnish business schools' RME o ien a ions, d awing on he
in e iew and s udy guide da a. We show how he au hen ici y- and
p es ige- d i en app oaches ha e in luenced he way he cu icula
embedding o RME has occu ed.
The au hen ici y- d i en change has o igins in a esea ch- and
acul y- led bo om- up o ien a ion esul ing e ical RME since he
1990s and inc easingly in he ea ly 2000s. The p es ige- d i en
change eme ged in he ea ly 2010s, and in he 2020s, all Finnish
business schools ha e embedded RME ho izon ally. Finally, we
show how he p esence o bo h au hen ici y- and p es ige-
d i en changes as hyb id culmina es how he RME appea s in
he Finnish coun y con ex . In e ms o hema ic emphasis in
RME, au hen ici y- d i en change has buil on a social dimension
and c oss- cu ing hemes. P es ige- d i en change has esul ed

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5
AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
in a wide ange o hemes, also inc easingly in he economic
dimension.
4.1  |  Au hen ici y- d i en change
4.1.1  |  Local con ex and he bo om- up RME
Fo hal o he s udied schools, he o igin o RME engagemen was
in he business s udies conduc ed in he 1990s, wi h opics such
as social esponsibili y, s akeholde heo y, business e hics, and
en i onmen al accoun ing. These s eams we e de eloped by in-
di iduals in he schools who conduc ed esea ch ac i i ies a ound
hese opics.
We' e had his heme o sus ainable de elopmen
in managemen and o ganisa ion al eady since he
ea ly 1990s and he e ha e been also ac i e col-
leagues in he accoun ing and inance. (In e iewee
12)
While he numbe o schola s in hese ields was ma ginal in he
1990s and un il he ea ly 2000s, he ocus on hese ields in he same
schools has con inued un il his day. Ano he common ea u e o hese
ini ia i es was he e o owa ds c oss- disciplina y collabo a ion be-
ween uni e si y acul ies/depa men s. Howe e , mos schools s ug-
gled o es ablish collabo a ion.
We p oposed his mas e 's s udy pa h o be he new
ounda ion o he whole deg ee p og am o business.
Un o una ely… well he e we e cou ses om co po-
a e law and insu ance sciences, bu , o example, he
ma ke ing was no willing o pa icipa e. Anyway, ou
idea was ha he app oach would be comp ehensi e.
(In e iewee 5)
The i s RME ini ia i es we e aimed a he ho izon al app oach,
bu as hey lacked wide ins i u ional suppo and we e dependen on
he ac i i y o key ac o s, hey became o ganised as elec i e e ical
RME. Only when he key igu es who had ini ia ed RME le he ins i-
u ions he p og ess in RME ended o s op empo a ily.
4.1.2  |  Unique esea ch backg ound building RME
The ea ly e ical RME was enabled by ex e nal esea ch unding
ha p o ided independence o esponsibili y- ela ed schola ship o
build expe ise and ul ima ely RME.
1990s ecession was di icul ime o Finland and
i s uni e si ies. The membe ship in Eu opean Union
since 1995 opened new oppo uni ies o applying
unding o esea ch and educa ion… bu i does no
mean ha he aim was only o do only some endy
hings wi h he new unding. The e was he socie al
need and we had al eady some knowledge on his (en-
i onmen al managemen ) ield. (In e iewee 2)
In addi ion o esea ch unding ha enabled he building o
RME, local uni e si y- wide ini ia i es enabled he es ablishmen o
e ical RME. In he 1990s, a Finnish uni e si y had an ini ia i e o
label i sel as an “en i onmen al uni e si y”. This local e en buil
he momen um o es ablishing c oss- disciplina y RME s udies ha
s ill exis oday.
In he end o 1990s, he e was an ini ia i e o label
(ou uni e si y) as an “en i onmen al uni e si y”
and we jumped in o his p ocess. Then we es ab-
lished he mino o sus ainable de elopmen ha
was a ailable o all. We also de eloped a cou se
“sus ainable business” (elec i e) which s ill exis s.
(In e iewee 34)
The PRME was globally launched in 2007. This immedia ely a -
ac ed wo schools whe e RME engagemen was au hen ici y- d i en,
and hey joined he PRME ini ia i e among he i s business schools
in he wo ld.
Au hen ici y- d i en change was enabled by local and unique e-
sea ch ideas, ex e nal unding, and local ini ia i es in uni e si ies.
The aim o he ini ia i es was collabo a i e and bo om- up, bu usu-
ally, hey we e no ye eady o ins i u ion- wide suppo ; he e o e,
hei ou comes we e o en e ical RME.
4.1.3  |  The p esence o au hen ici y- d i en change
in he 2017– 2022 s udy guides
The schools whe e ea ly au hen ici y- d i en changes occu ed
placed signi ican RME emphasis is on “so ” disciplines such
as managemen , in e na ional business, accoun ing, and c oss-
cu ing hemes. The excep ions a e he b oad mino s ha co e
a wide ange o opics such as peace, po e y, ecology, wa e , and
human igh s. Au hen ici y- d i en change appea ed o build es-
pecially he emphasis on social esponsibili y and e ical RME.
Only one school in ou sample es ablished ho izon al RME (wi h
a sus ainabili y- inclusi e cou se o all bachelo s uden s i s ap-
pea ing in he 2021– 2022 s udy guide) wi hou an acc edi a ion
p ocess.
4.2  |  P es ige- d i en change
4.2.1  |  Acc edi a ions jus i ying he op- down RME
In he 2010s, a e he new Uni e si ies Ac was enac ed, all
Finnish uni e si ies ha monised hei deg ee s uc u es o EHEA
6
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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
s anda ds (bachelo 's and mas e 's deg ees). This ha monisa ion
esul ed in inc eased compe i ion in educa ional ma ke s and
he ole o acc edi a ions, especially AACSB, gaining g ound in
Finnish business schools. The in e na ional amewo ks ha
helped con ince he school leade ship on he ele ancy o RME
we e AACSB, Globally Responsible Leade ship Ini ia i e (GRLI),
and PRME.
The socie al deba e on clima e change in ensi ied, and uni e si-
ies became inc easingly explici wi h ega d o sus ainabili y o e-
sponsibili y in hei s a egy documen s. The school- le el (AACSB)
acc edi a ion p ocesses began o push ho izon al RME. Schools'
o ganisa ional mission o sus ainabili y and esponsibili y mus be
shown clea ly in he implemen a ion.
Acc edi a ion (AACSB) p ocess has made hese (sus-
ainabili y) cou ses manda o y. (In e iewee 37)
The op- down equi emen s (AACSB eacc edi a ion)
I guess con inced some people also a e wa ds ha
yes we ha e o ha e his. I is impo an o ha e his
as lagship cou se on esponsibili y so as o be able o
show ou impo an s akeholde s ha we a e aking
his se iously. (In e iewee 21)
This e ec o he acc edi a ion p ocess was iden i ied in all schools1
and esul ed in ho izon al RME (a leas a he bachelo 's le el).
Cu en ly, all business schools in Finland a e a leas AACSB
acc edi ed o in he acc edi a ion p ocess. Some schools ha e also
unde gone o he acc edi a ions such as hose by he EQUIS, AMBA,
and BGA. All acc edi ed schools and some o hose ha a e s ill in
he p ocess o acc edi a ion a e also signa o ies o he PRME.
4.2.2  |  Tensions in op- down ho izon al
embedding o RME
Especially acc edi a ions “mains eamed” he ho izon al RME in Finnish
business schools, bu no wi hou p oblems. P es ige- d i en change
equi ed only he embedding o RME in he lea ning goals o cou se
desc ip ions and o he o icial documen s in he acc edi a ion p ocess.
Some imes, his esul ed in “ ac i ious” ho izon al RME es ablished op-
down o he acc edi a ion, wi hou much ocus on he ac ual con en .
And ha (a lec u e abou acc edi a ion p ocess) was
how we ealised ha esponsibili y is one o he hings
in he mission o he business school. Whe e is ha
augh in he bachelo le el? Nowhe e! Tha cou se
(social esponsibili y cou se es ablished in 2018) was
o ganised o i , and i was ac i ious o his pu pose.
(In e iewee 22)
Ano he si ua ion was ha acul y membe s wi hou p io expe-
ience in his a ea we e appoin ed ( op- down) o each RME.
I did no do my PhD on ha (sus ainabili y), bu I
ended up eaching his, which is g ea because I hink
i is a g ea opic and I like o each i . Howe e , I am
less o an expe han someone who has done he o
his PhD on his opic. In addi ion, I guess his is no
he only place whe e his happens. (In e iewee 33)
When I s a ed in his posi ion, sus ainable de el-
opmen app oach was no my main ield o compe-
ence. I needed o di e in o he li e a u e and he
hemes e y quickly o become eache in his opic.
(In e iewee 20)
These examples highligh he commonplace p oblems ha can
occu in o ganisa ional op- down ini ia i es, and knowledge on he
opic ha does no ac ually exis in o ganisa ions. Howe e , sus ain-
abili y has become so commonplace in socie al discou se ha i is no
easy o acul y membe s o decline he o e o each i as he opic
is supposed o be e e yone's conce n. In some cases (in e iewee 36),
uni e si ies ha e hen used ex e nal eache s o p o ide sus ainabili y
eaching om o he uni e si ies whe e such expe ise exis s.
4.2.3  |  The p esence o p es ige- d i en change
in he 2017– 2022 s udy guides
P es ige- d i en change has shaped he RME o ien a ion owa ds
p e iously unexposed “ha d” ields such as economics and inance.
“Sus ainable”, “ esponsible”, and “e hical” labels ha e inc eased no
only in he economics and inance elec i es bu also in manda o y
cou ses. P es ige- d i en change is shown in he use o e ms such
as ca bon, SDGs, ene gy, pollu ion, socially esponsible/sus ainable
in es ing, en i onmen al economics, and subp ime- / inancial c isis.
A sus ainabili y- ocused o sus ainabili y- inclusi e cou se is manda-
o y o he bachelo 's le el and some imes in he mas e 's le el em-
phasising ho izon al o ien a ion.
4.3  |  Au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en change
as hyb id
4.3.1  |  Tendency owa ds hyb id o e ime
Towa ds he end o he 2010s he p esence o p es ige- d i en
change inc emen ally inc eased in all schools including hose wi h
au hen ici y- d i en backg ound. Also, in schools wi h p es ige-
d i en change he local au hen ici y has s a ed o ake shape as
local schola s ha e engaged in RME- ela ed esea ch (in e iewee
31). Cu en ly au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en change coexis as
hyb id in mos schools. The p es ige- d i en change has o en ac ed
as he ins i u ion- wide suppo o he c oss- disciplina y embedding
o RME ha was missing in he ea ly days o au hen ici y- d i en
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7
AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
ini ia i es. Especially he AACSB p ocess has gi en an ins i u ional
manda e o en o ce RME ac oss disciplines.
Pa ly because o he on- going acc edi a ion p ocess
(AACSB), we ha e discussed in he business school
how o bes in eg a e sus ainabili y in o all s udy
p og ams. Fo example, should we use ou exis ing
sus ainable business cou se, o should each discipline
o ganise his con en on i s own? (In e iewee 34)
The combina ion o ea ly au hen ici y- d i en change wi h c oss-
disciplina y engagemen has occasionally esul ed in a cu iculum
wi h a b oad co po a e esponsibili y mino a ailable o all s uden s,
sus ainabili y specialisa ion acks in he mas e 's p og ammes, and
manda o y cou ses o all bachelo 's and mas e 's s uden s. In such
con ex , he school's acc edi a ions (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA, and BGA)
and engagemen wi h he PRME ha e enabled he s a egic le e aging
o RME since ea ly 2010s (in e iewees 1 and 17). Fo example, one
manda o y mas e le el sus ainabili y- ocused cou se was explici ly
de eloped due o “Assu ance o Lea ning”, which is pa o he AACSB
acc edi a ion. In his cou se, mas e s uden s mus engage wi h neigh-
bou ing disciplines and discuss he c oss- disciplina y ele ance o
SDGs in hei cou se assignmen s (in e iewees 1 and 17). This and
o he RME ini ia i es ha e esul ed in unexpec ed new openings.
We a e ac ually also inding ou ce ain hings ha we
did no e en know ha we e he e! I has been an in-
e es ing p ocess. Things a e going o wa d in a good
di ec ion mos ly slowly, bu hey ha e been going o -
wa d so long ha now we can say ha we ha e good
in eg a ion (o RME). (In e iewee 1)
4.3.2  |  Human in e ac ion
The c oss- disciplina y coope a ion and human in e ac ion appea ed
in ou da a as a heme ha di ided he schools whe he and how he
embedding o RME cu en ly occu ed. In o he wo ds, he s uc-
u al engagemen wi h acc edi a ions in p es ige- d i en change ap-
pea s as he s a ing poin o human in e ac ion ha can esul in
new au hen ici y and c oss- disciplina y collabo a ion owa ds RME.
The app oach o collabo a ion appea s o be decisi e in human in e -
ac ion and how i esul s in RME.
In one o ou sample uni e si ies, bo h he business school
and school o enginee ing o e ed RME- ela ed s udies. While he
business school buil i s p es ige- d i en change du ing he 2010s
owa ds “au hen ici y” (inc easing ela ed esea ch), i was in he
school o enginee ing whe e he opic o iginally eme ged in he
ea ly 2000s. Ac i e coope a ion be ween uni s did no , howe e ,
ake place when he in e es in RME eme ged in he business school.
These business and sus ainabili y opics a e augh in
wo sepa a e (schools)— his is why business s uden s
isi us and ake ou (enginee ing) cou ses— ha a
leas wi hin he school o enginee ing hese hings
(sus ainabili y schola ship) a e done, which hey ( ield
o business) a e now s a ing o ocus on as a depa -
men o as a school. (In e iewee 19)
In ano he example a school wi h au hen ici y- d i en o igins and
hyb id condi ion wi h acc edi a ions and PRME in he end o 2010s
had ex ensi e RME in he cu iculum bu non- exis ing coo dina ion o
hese s udies. The RME econs uc ion ha occu ed in la e 2010s and
ea ly 2020s o igina ed om collabo a i e indi idual in e es .
When I s a ed (2017)— suddenly I lea ned abou all
he exis ing s udies in esponsible business and his
mino , which you a e e e ing o, ha had no p o-
esso le el o any hing else, any coo dina o . Then I
said o ou ice dean, “Hey, I would be happy o ake
cha ge o his.” (In e iewee 29)
On he basis o ou indings, he embedding o RME has been de-
penden ul ima ely on he people and p inciples in ol ed in his ac-
i i y. Ac i e acul y can c ea e change, bu wi hou c oss- disciplina y
coope a ion, he ou come can be ine ec i e o discon inuous e en in
hyb id condi ions.
4.3.3  |  The hyb id p esence in 2017– 2022
s udy guides
The change be ween he 2017– 2020 and 2020– 2022 s udy guides
show an inc easing ho izon al embedding o RME and inc easing use
o “economic” RME e ms. This could be explained wi h inc easing
p es ige- d i en change in all schools. In addi ion o ho izon al RME
he p esence o au hen ici y- d i en change has inc eased o held
s able he numbe o sus ainabili y- ocused o - inclusi e cou ses
alongside schools' g owing esea ch ocus on he hemes.
4.4  |  Summa y o indings
Ou i s objec i e was o examine how RME appea s in he cu icula
o Finnish business schools. In 2022, all business schools had a leas
one manda o y sus ainabili y- ocused o sus ainabili y- inclusi e
cou se a he bachelo 's deg ee le el. Mos business schools o e
ex ensi e e ical RME, bu s uden s can comple e he deg ee e-
qui emen s wi h one basics o managemen (sus ainabili y- inclusi e),
co po a e esponsibili y, o business e hics cou se. Au hen ici y-
d i en change appea s in he use o “social” RME e ms, and p es ige-
d i en change appea s especially in “economic” e ms.
Ou second objec i e was o examine how he (non- )engagemen
in he pas explains he p esen . He e, we iewed he signi icance o
con ex , ha is, local e en s and ini ia i es, in how he embedded-
ness o RME has occu ed. We applied Rusinko's (2010) amewo k
8
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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
o sus ainabili y in eg a ion and Guillo in and Mangema in's (2018)
au hen ici y- /p es ige- d i en change in he examina ion o RME de-
elopmen . We conclude ha RME is cu en ly being o ganised as
hyb id o au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en change, bu i is la gely a
ques ion o school con ex and p inciples in he human in e ac ion
ha explain he a ie ies in he hyb id app oach.
The di ision o au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en changes o e
explana ions how and why he RME has de eloped in a ie y o
ways. In he au hen ici y- d i en change, he local con ex and ex-
pe ise build o e ime, whe eas p es ige- d i en change can b ing
swi and isible ans o ma ions. P es ige- d i en change has how-
e e o e come he complexi y o c oss- disciplina y coope a ion
connec ed o ea ly au hen ici y- d i en change. Top- down p ocesses
enable he es ablishmen o new manda o y RME cou ses o all. Bu
his can esul in si ua ions whe e cou se con en is seconda y, o
he eache s does no eel com o able wi h hei inadequa e expe-
ience in RME.
Las ly, i is usually he hyb id o hese app oaches ha culmi-
na es in comp ehensi e e ical and ho izon al RME solu ions.
5 | DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Ou s udy was conduc ed o examine how Finnish business schools,
which a e all esea ch- o ien ed ins i u ions, ha e embedded RME.
We analysed he schools' bachelo 's and mas e 's p og ammes
alongside condi ions ha his o ically explain he di e ences be-
ween schools. Ou indings summa ise he he e ogeneous embed-
dedness o RME. We now discuss ou main con ibu ions o he
RMLE li e a u e, which also ha e p ac ical implica ions.
Fi s , he ecen li e a u e has a gued o he impo ance o ac-
knowledging he condi ions ha d i e he embeddedness o RME.
Whe eas some s udies ha e a gued ha ex e nal p essu es ha e
been c ucial o he adop ion o RME (see Alajou sijä i e al., 2018;
Coope e al., 2014; Doh & Tashman, 2014), o he s ha e sugges ed
ha leade ship and he in luence o acul y champions a e also
c ucial in enabling pedagogical change (Rasche & Gilbe , 2015;
Soli ande e al., 2012). Also, he e ical o ho izon al RME o ien-
a ion was sugges ed o ollow he acc edi a ions o schools (Wu
e al., 2010). Howe e , he li e a u e has no explained in de ail
he in luences o a ious condi ions o e ime. Ou esul s show
how schools ha ha e buil on au hen ici y- d i en change ha e
ini ially designed hei cu icula wi h e ical RME h ough s ong
esea ch o ien a ion, mainly using indi idual champions' in e es s
and a ge ed esea ch unding. These condi ions a e qui e di e -
en om he condi ions c ea ed by acc edi a ions and op- down
o ien a ion. Acco dingly, as a esul o p es ige- d i en change,
RME has aken place h ough ho izon al embeddedness. Howe e ,
schools whe e au hen ici y- d i en change has occu ed ha e la e
o en s eamlined hei RME o co e he ho izon al app oach,
e en wi hou acc edi a ions. Mo e impo an ly hough, ou da a
show ha no school has begun om he ho izon al app oach wi h-
ou acc edi a ions. Al hough he ho izon al app oach is gene ally
pe cei ed as a p e e ed mode, we a gue ha such claims also
need o be judged in e ms o he esea ch compe ence wi hin he
gi en school and he amoun o exposu e a ailable h oughou
s uden s' s udy pa hs. Mo e speci ically, e en when a p og amme
includes one o wo compulso y cou ses on sus ainabili y, does
his mean ha sus ainabili y is highly embedded o mains eamed
(see also Pain e - Mo land e al., 2016)?
Second, ou da a indica e how au hen ici y d i en change o-
wa ds RME has la gely elied on ins i u ional en ep eneu s and he
“ac i i ies o ac o s who ha e an in e es in pa icula ins i u ional
a angemen s and who le e age esou ces o c ea e new ins i u ions
o o ans o m exis ing ones” (Magui e e al., 2004, p. 657) wi hin
he school con ex . In addi ion, ime and con ex ha e c ea ed a
s a egic po en ial o acul y o b ing change o hei o ganisa ions.
No only ha e hese indi iduals sough o ans o m he con en
and cu icula o schools, bu hey ha e also u he in luenced RME
h ough esea ch. This has also been a na u al choice in a con ex
whe e all domes ic business schools a e clea ly esea ch o ien ed.
Fu he mo e, his “human ac o ” is also essen ial in la e s ages o
RME de elopmen . Wi hou schola ly collabo a ion, RME is ha dly
becoming embedded be ween di e en uni s.
Ou s udy has also indica ed simila challenges in he business
school con ex ha business o ganisa ions ace when implemen -
ing esponsible managemen , such as lack o compe ence and
esou ces. The ques ion hen is no only abou he agency o indi-
iduals o de elop RME bu also abou how he ins i u ion suppo s
esea ch engagemen ha has he po en ial o build au hen ici y
in RME beyond minimum- le el ex e nal equi emen s (Guillo in &
Mangema in, 2018). We de elop he Guillo in and Mangema in (2018)
a gumen o RME con ex by sugges ing ha while he au hen ici y
in RME appea s mo e o iginal han uni o m condi ions de i ed om
acc edi a ions and ankings, nei he o hese o ganisa ional condi-
ions exis as a pu e o m. Ou indings sugges ha empo al ex-
amina ion is c ucial; p es ige- d i en change can c ea e incen i e o
mo e au hen ic o ien a ion and au hen ici y- d i en RME does no
disappea when engaged wi h p es ige- d i en change. Au hen ici y
and RME- enabling esea ch could be help ul in o e coming he “no
in en ed he e” synd ome (Soli ande e al., 2012, p. 353), which has
been iden i ied as a signi ican ba ie in embedding RME. The ques-
ion o u u e esea ch is how o build au hen ic esea ch- based
compe ence in RME so ha he whole o ganisa ion, ega dless o
disciplines, can collabo a e in his amewo k.
Ou s udy has also manage ial implica ions. Ou s udy shows
how bo om- up ini ia i es c ea e new knowledge bu o en clash
wi h ba ie s be ween uni s. And e en hough he op- down adop-
ion o esponsibili y ends o s eamline he o ganisa ion mo e
quickly, i may un eil he gaps ha he o ganisa ion holds in ha ing
he equi ed knowledge. Also, a solu ion o pu chase he “ espon-
sibili y knowledge” ia ex e nal specialis s may signal esponsibili y
unc ions as an ou sou ced ac i i y. E go, ou ecommenda ion o
o ganisa ions is o aim o au hen ici y and a ield- speci ic app oach
in embedding esponsibili y. I is i al o manage s o u ilise a i-
ous e ms such as e hics, esponsibili y, and sus ainabili y as bounda y
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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
TABLE A4 Responsible managemen educa ion ela ed e ms in Finnish business Schools' 2020– 2022 s udy guides
Uni e si y Economic En i onmen al Social C oss- cu ing hemes
S andalone cou ses and specialisa ion
s udy p og ammes on sus ainabili y
Aal o En i onmen al economics BM,
ex e nali y M, sus ainable
inance M, sus ainable
in es ing B, inancial c isis B,
ci cula economy BM, ESG
M, de elopmen economics
M, sus ainable g ow h
M, economic g ow h BM,
consump ion BM, g een inance
M, ESG M
Biodi e si y B, en i onmen al
law M, pollu ion BS, clima e
change BM, was e B, na u al
esou ces BM, ecology
S, ene gy BM, g een BM,
ecycling B, enewable B,
euse B, ca bon M, wa e M
Inequali y BM, popula ion
B, employmen BM,
labou M, po e y M,
gende BM, cul u e BM,
co up ion M, di e si y
BM, human igh s M
Sus ainabili y BM, co po a e
esponsibili y BM, CSR
BM, e hics BM, sus ainable
de elopmen BM, sys ems
hinking BM, holis ic M,
iple bo om line BM,
go e nance M, ansi ion
BM
“Co po a e esponsibili y and e hics”
(3 ECTS, o all B), specialisa ion
ack “Sus ainabili y Managemen ”
and “C ea i e Sus ainabili y” (CS) a
mas e 's p og am and a mino
Hanken Financial c isis M, ci cula economy
BM, ESG M, capi alism
B, economic g ow h B,
consump ion BM, p oduc ion
M, ESG M
Clima e change BM, ecology
M, ene gy BM, g een BM,
ecycling M, enewable BM,
ca bon BM
Employmen BM, labou
BM, po e y B, gende
BM, cul u e BM,
di e si y M, peace B
Sus ainabili y BM, co po a e
esponsibili y B, CSR BM,
e hics BM, sus ainable
de elopmen BM,
go e nance BM, ansi ion
BM
“In oduc ion o Co po a e Social
Responsibili y” (6 ECTS o all
B), “Global Compe ence: Social
Responsibili y ac oss Business
S udies” (3 ECTS o all M)
“Co po a e Responsibili y”
s udy module, specialisa ion
acks in mas e 's p og ammes:
“In e na ional S a egy and
Sus ainabili y”, “Humani a ian
Logis ics”, “Logis ics and
Co po a e Social Responsibili y”
JSBE Socially esponsible in es ing M,
ci cula economy BM, economic
g ow h BM, consump ion BM,
p oduc ion BM, deg ow h S
Biodi e si y S, en i onmen al
law S, pollu ion S, clima e
change BM, was e S, na u al
esou ces S, ecology BMS,
ene gy S, ecosys em S, g een
S, enewable BM, sea S,
wa e S, land S
Local communi y S,
inequali y BM,
employmen BM,
po e y B, gende BM,
cul u e BM, di e si y
BM, peace BM
Sus ainabili y BM, co po a e
esponsibili y M, CSR BM,
e hics BM, sus ainable
de elopmen BM, sys ems
hinking S, holis ic BM,
go e nance BM, ansi ion
M
“In oduc ion o Responsible
Business” (4 ECTS o all B),
mas e 's p og amme “Co po a e
en i onmen al managemen ”
(CEM)
LUT Ci cula economy M, ma ke
economy, economic g ow h B,
consump ion B, p oduc ion BM
En i onmen al law S, pollu ion S,
clima e change S, was e MS,
na u al esou ces S, ecology
S, ene gy S, global wa ming
M, g een MS, ca bon MS,
wa e S
Labou BS, cul u e M,
di e si y M
Sus ainabili y BM, co po a e
esponsibili y MS, CSR
M, e hics BM, sus ainable
de elopmen BM,
go e nance BM, ansi ion
BS
“In oduc ion o Co po a e Social
Responsibili y and Sus ainabili y”
(6 ECTS o all B), “Sus ainable
Business”, “En i onmen al
Technology”, “En i onmen al
Responsibili y” mino s
OBS En i onmen al law S, ecosys em S Labou M, cul u e M,
di e si y M
Sus ainabili y M, co po a e
esponsibili y B, e hics BM,
sus ainable de elopmen
BS, in e disciplina y MS,
go e nance M
“Globally Responsible Business” (6
ECTS o all M) “En ep eneu ship”
mino wi h ocus also in SDG's

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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
Uni e si y Economic En i onmen al Social C oss- cu ing hemes
S andalone cou ses and specialisa ion
s udy p og ammes on sus ainabili y
TUNI Consump ion BM, en i onmen al
economics B, ci cula economy S
Pollu ion S, clima e change B,
na u al esou ces S, ene gy
M, ecosys em S, enewable
B, wa e S, ene gy S
Employmen BM, labou
BM, po e y B, cul u e
BM, di e si y B
Sus ainabili y BM, co po a e
esponsibili y B, CSR BM,
e hics BM, sus ainable
de elopmen B,
go e nance BM
“Thema ic Module in Responsible
Business and Sus ainabili y”
B, mas e 's p og ammes
o “Responsible Business”,
“Leade ship o Change -
Go e nance o Sus ainable
Change” mino s “Sus ainable
de elopmen ” (Facul y o Social
Sciences), “Ci cula Economy”
(Facul y o Enginee ing and
Na u al Sciences)
UEF Ci cula economy M Labou B, cul u e BM Sus ainabili y BM, e hics
BM, in e disciplina y M,
go e nance BM
“Responsible ma ke ing” (6 ECTS)
manda o y in Kuopio campus B,
elec i e o Joensuu campus B
TSE Financial (banking/subp ime) c isis
BM, e hical issues in inance
and esponsible in es ing
BS, ESG M, de elopmen
economics S, economic g ow h
B, p oduc ion BM, ESG B
Pollu ion S, clima e change B,
na u al esou ces S, ene gy
M, ecosys em S
Inequali y BS, employmen
BM, labou B, po e y
BMS, gende S, cul u e
BMS, co up ion M,
human igh s BM
Sus ainabili y BM, co po a e
esponsibili y BM, CSR
BM, e hics BM, sus ainable
de elopmen BS, sys ems
hinking S, in e disciplina y
BM, go e nance BM,
ansi ion MS
“Responsible Business: an
In oduc ion”, “E hical ques ions in
business”, “Responsible business”,
“Accoun ing T ends and Co po a e
Social Responsibili y” (discipline
speci ic cou ses). Mino s o
“Sus ainable de elopmen ” and
“Responsible business”.
UVA inancial C isis M, Co po a e
esponsibili y and e hics in
inance M, sus ainable in es ing
M, sus ainable g ow h M,
consump ion B, p oduc ion B,
En i onmen al law B, ene gy
BM, g een M, enewable M
Inequali y B, gende M,
cul u e B, co up ion B,
di e si y BM,
Sus ainabili y M, co po a e
esponsibili y M, CSR M,
e hics BM, sus ainable
de elopmen BM, holis ic
B, go e nance BM,
ansi ion B,
“In oduc ion o Business Law and
Business E hics” (3 ECTS o all
B), Sus ainable de elopmen and
e hics in business” (3 ECTS o
all). “Co po a e Responsibili y and
E hics in Finance”
Åbo Akademi Ex e nali y M, sus ainable inance
M, sus ainable in es ing B,
inancial c isis B, ci cula
economy S, deg ow h S
Biodi e si y S, en i onmen al
law S, clima e change S,
was e S, ecology S, wa e S
Labou B, po e y BMS,
equali y B, gende BMS,
cul u e BS, co up ion M,
di e si y B, peace S
Sus ainabili y BM, e hics BM,
sus ainable de elopmen
S, in e disciplina y S,
go e nance BM
“Sus ainabili y s udies” mino
Abb e ia ions: B, bachelo ’ le el s udies; M, mas e 's le el s udies; S, only in sus ainabili y specialisa ion s udies.
TABLE A4 (Con inued)
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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
TABLE A5 The sus ainabili y- ocused, he sus ainabili y- inclusi e, and he manda o y cou ses. S udy guide pe iod 2017– 2022
Bachelo s deg ee Sus ainabili y- ocused cou ses Sus ainabili y- inclusi e cou ses Manda o y sus . cou se o all
change om 2017– 2020 o
2020 onwa dsUni e si y in 2017– 2020 2020- >in 2017– 2020 2020- >in 2017– 2020 2020- >
Aal o 3 8 6 5 1 1 inc eased 4 cou ses
Hanken 3 8 2 6 1 1 inc eased 4 cou ses
JSBE 32217a1 1 inc eased 16 cou ses
LUT 2 2 3 2 2 2 dec eased 1 cou se
OBS 1 2 5 3 2 2 dec eased 1 cou se
TUNI 8 5 1 4 0 1 inc eased 1 manda o y
cou se
UEF 1 2 1 2 1 1 inc eased 2 cou ses
TSE 911 2 6 1 1 inc eased 6 cou ses
UVA 1 2 3 2 1 2 inc eased 1 manda o y
cou se
Åbo Akademi 3 1 4 1 1 1 dec eased 5 cou ses
To al 34 43 29 48 11 13
Mas e s deg ee Sus ainabili y- ocused cou ses Sus ainabili y inclusi e cou ses Manda o y sus . Cou se o all M change om 2017– 2020
o 2020 onwa ds
Uni e si y in 2017– 2020 2020- >in 2017– 2020 2020- >in 2017– 2020 2020- >
Aal o 21 22 4 8 0 0 inc eased 5 cou ses
Hanken 12 77 81 1dec eased 4 cou ses
JSBE 14 16 220a0 0 inc eased 20 cou ses
LUT 88711 0 0 inc eased 4 cou ses
OBS 2 2 1 1 1 1 S able
TUNI 6 6 2 1 0 0 dec eased 1 cou se
UEF 0 2 1 0 0 0 inc eased 1 cou se
TSE 2 7 6 6 0 0 inc eased 5 cou ses
UVA 7 6 3 1 0 0 dec eased 3 cou ses
Åbo Akademi 0 0 3 4 0 0 inc eased 1 cou se
To al 72 76 36 60 2 2
No e: Rela ionship o Uni ed Na ions Sus ainable De elopmen Goals men ioned in mos o he cou ses.
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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
TABLE A6 Au hen ici y- and p es ige- d i en change in embedding esponsible managemen educa ion
Key hemes in embedding esponsible managemen educa ion (RME) O ganising o RME O ien a ion
Local con ex and he bo om- up RME
“We' e had his heme o sus ainable de elopmen in managemen and o ganisa ion al eady since he ea ly 1990s and he e ha e been
also ac i e colleagues in he accoun ing and inance.” (In e iewee 12)
“We p oposed his mas e 's s udy pa h o be he new ounda ion o he whole deg ee p og amme o business. Un o una ely… well he e
we e cou ses om co po a e law and insu ance sciences, bu , o example, he ma ke ing was no willing o pa icipa e. Anyway, ou
idea was ha he app oach would be comp ehensi e.” (In e iewee 5)
“— we had possibili ies o coope a e c oss- disciplina y (in es ablishing esponsibili y mino ).” (In e iewee 1)
Bo om- up, local con ex , o en
wi hou ins i u ion- wide suppo
Au hen ici y-
d i en
Unique esea ch backg ound building RME
“1990s ecession was di icul ime o Finland and i s uni e si ies. The membe ship in Eu opean Union since 1995 opened new
oppo uni ies o applying unding o esea ch and educa ion— ” “— bu i does no mean ha he aim was only o do only some endy
hings wi h he new unding. The e was he socie al need and we had al eady some knowledge on his (en i onmen al managemen )
ield.” (In e iewee 2)
“In he end o 1990s, he e was an ini ia i e o label (ou uni e si y) as an ‘en i onmen al uni e si y’ and we jumped in o his p ocess. Then
we es ablished he mino o sus ainable de elopmen ha was a ailable o all. We also de eloped a cou se ‘sus ainable business’
(elec i e) which s ill exis s.” (In e iewee 34)
“We es ablished he esea ch g oup o esponsible managemen ( ha became la e he o ganise o esponsible business mas e 's
p og amme) a e we ecei ed he unding om Academy o Finland.” (In e iewee 5)
O iginal esea ch and ex e nal unding,
local ini ia i es in he schools,
e ical RME (specialisa ion and
expe ise)
Acc edi a ions jus i ying he op- down RME
“Acc edi a ion (AACSB) p ocess has made hese (sus ainabili y) cou ses manda o y.” (In e iewee 37)
“The op- down equi emen s (AACSB eacc edi a ion) I guess con inced some people also a e wa ds ha yes, we ha e o ha e his. I is
impo an o ha e his as lagship cou se on esponsibili y so as o be able o show ou impo an s akeholde s ha we a e aking his
se iously.” (In e iewee 21)
”— Un il hen we had hough ha ‘i ( esponsibili y) is he e somewhe e, and we ce ainly ha e hese g een hemes in he cou ses he e and
he e’, bu hen (du ing he AACSB eacc edi a ion p ocess) we ealised ha his is no enough. We needed o ha e he esponsibili y
explici ly and clea ly in he cu iculum.” (In e iewee 28)
Top- down, acc edi a ion d i en P es ige- d i en
Tensions in op- down ho izon al embedding o RME
“And ha (a lec u e abou AACSB acc edi a ion p ocess) was how we ealised ha esponsibili y is one o he hings in he mission o he
business school. Whe e is ha augh in he bachelo le el? Nowhe e! Tha cou se was o ganised o i , and i was ‘ ac i ious’ o his
pu pose.” (In e iewee 22)
“I did no do my PhD on ha (sus ainabili y), bu I ended up eaching his, which is g ea because I hink i is a g ea opic and I like o each
i . Howe e , I am less o an expe han someone who has done he o his PhD on his opic. In addi ion, I guess his is no he only place
whe e his happens.” (In e iewee 33)
“When I s a ed in his posi ion, sus ainable de elopmen app oach was no my main ield o compe ence. I needed o di e in o he
li e a u e and he hemes e y quickly o become eache in his opic.” (In e iewee 20)
“— and damn i ! I need o call (one o he ew eache s o en i onmen al accoun ing in Finland) ‘could you come isi he e?’” (In e iewee 36)
Ho izon al RME (manda o y o all)
wi h(ou ) exis ing esou ces/
esea ch backg ound
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AALTONEN and SILTAOJA
Key hemes in embedding esponsible managemen educa ion (RME) O ganising o RME O ien a ion
Tendency owa ds hyb id o e ime
“Pa ly because o he on- going acc edi a ion p ocess (AACSB), we ha e discussed in he business school how o bes in eg a e
sus ainabili y in o all s udy p og ammes. Fo example, should we use ou exis ing sus ainable business cou se, o should each discipline
o ganise his con en on i s own?” (In e iewee 34)
“We a e ac ually also inding ou ce ain hings ha we did no e en know ha we e he e! I has been an in e es ing p ocess. Things a e
going o wa d in a good di ec ion mos ly slowly, bu hey ha e been going o wa d so long ha now we can say ha we ha e good
in eg a ion (o RME).” (In e iewee 1)
“The wo big new ends in inance (in 2021) ha a e g owing in impo ance a e FinTech on one side – and hen he e is his sus ainabili y
a ea in which I am in ol ed (also as a eache o manda o y o all cou se ha was es ablished du ing AACSB p ocess). So, I would say
ha a lo o my colleagues a e now doing esea ch in CSR (co po a e social esponsibili y) and s u ha hey ha e no been conside ing
in a all be o e.” (In e iewee 31)
Coexis ence o o iginal RME con ex
and acc edi a ions esul inc easing
ho izon al and e ical RME
Au hen ici y-
and
p es ige-
d i en as
hyb id
Human in e ac ion
“These business and sus ainabili y opics a e augh in wo sepa a e (schools)— his is why business s uden s isi us and ake ou
(enginee ing) cou ses— a leas wi hin he school o enginee ing hese hings (sus ainabili y schola ship) a e done, which hey ( ield o
business) a e now s a ing o ocus on as a depa men o as a school.” (In e iewee 19)
“When I s a ed (in 2017)— suddenly I lea ned abou all he exis ing s udies in esponsible business and his mino , which you a e e e ing
o, ha had no p o esso le el o any hing else, any coo dina o . Then I said o ou ice dean, ‘Hey, I would be happy o ake cha ge o
his.’” (In e iewee 29)
“When we ask hem ( acul y in o he disciplines) ‘a e you in eg a ing esponsibili y?’ and hey say ‘yes we a e doing i ’ and each ime we ask
his hey go u he in doing i .” (In e iewee 17)
(Lack o ) Collabo a i e engagemen
and de elopmen o RME
TABLE A6 (Con inued)