Literature Review: Sustainability Attitudes of Business Students

This literature review examines the attitudes and understanding of undergraduate business students regarding sustainability. It analyzes three key studies: Eagle et al. (2015), which explores students' beliefs and attitudes, revealing a tendency to view sustainability issues as beyond personal control, and how course interventions can shift these perceptions; Reid, Petocz and Taylor (2009), which highlights the need for business students to have comprehensive sustainability knowledge and identifies varying levels of student understanding; and Hales and Jennings (2017), which focuses on the role of the triple bottom line approach in student understanding and the impact of a sustainable tourism course. The review concludes by emphasizing the importance of designing courses to empower students with knowledge of their roles and responsibilities in sustainability efforts, and the need for further research to address gaps in current understanding, especially in the context of business education.

Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW
LITERATURE REVIEW
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Introduction
The growing needs of sustenance mandated undergraduate students to contain an explicit
knowledge of the different issues and their roles in continuing with the activities. The literature
review is important for the identification of the behavior ad attitude of undergraduate students
towards sustenance.
Discussion
Eagle et al. (2015) research reflected the attitude of the undergraduate students towards
sustainability concerns. The research aims at identifying the beliefs and attitudes of the students
concerning the sustenance related issues that are being faced by the different organizations. The
longitudinal study expressed the behavior of the undergraduate students which is revealed
through a tendency of regarding the major issues beyond personal control and thereby
identifying it as a social responsibility. Eagle et al. (2015) also reflected on the change in the
mental setup of the students after the course that is being provided to them from the side of the
university. The identification in the changes in the mental setup of the students improved their
understanding of their responsibility in influencing the sustenance related activities.
Likewise, Reid, Petocz and Taylor (2009) opined that the business students must have a
comprehensive knowledge of sustenance with the objective of enhancing the operations for
retaining the ventures. In this relation, the author reflected on the certain set of skills that are
associated with the mental setup of the students. It has been noted through the study that some of
the students have a naïve conception on the different aspects of sustenance and their roles in
maintaining the same, which is similar to the research by Eagle et al. (2015). The current study
also added on the conception of the students aware of the sustenance related issues and the

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manner in which they might be administered. The delineation of the role of the business faculty
students, in this relation supported in identifying the different aspects of change in the overall
operations. The research also developed knowledge on ideas relating to inter-generational justice
which enhanced the likelihood of identifying the basic needs of sustenance.
On the other hand, Hales and Jennings (2017) stated in a research that the different
sustenance related needs of the organizations are supported through effective functioning of the
students relying on the triple bottom line approach. The research reflected on the necessity of
providing the students with an overview of the activities that might be considered by the same
with the objective of adhering to the triple bottom line approach and the manner in which it
brought about a change in their mentality. Hales and Jennings (2017) reflected that the
undergraduate sustainable tourism course was hosted with the objective of examining the
viewpoints of the students and thereby inducing a knowledge of the different sustenance related
operations that might be initiated by the same for adhering to the triple bottom line approach.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above study it might be stated that there are two types of students,
one who has knowledge on sustenance and one who does not, for whom the universities must
design courses to empower their knowledge on respective roles and responsibilities.

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References
Eagle, L., Low, D., Case, P., & Vandommele, L. (2015). Attitudes of undergraduate business
students toward sustainability issues. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher
Education, 16(5), 650-668.
Hales, R., & Jennings, G. (2017). Transformation for sustainability: The role of complexity in
tourism students' understanding of sustainable tourism. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure,
Sport & Tourism Education, 21, 185-194.
Reid, A., Petocz, P., & Taylor, P. (2009). Business students’ conceptions of
sustainability. Sustainability, 1(3), 662-673.