Mapping the evolution of business and management education for sustainable development: a bibliometric review of research (1996–2023)

Abstract

Purpose: This review paper aims to establish empirical benchmarks and offer scholarly insights into the evolution of literature in business and management education for sustainable development between 1996 and 2023. Design/methodology/approach: This study identified 513 Scopus-indexed documents. The associated bibliographic data underwent a systematic review employing descriptive statistics, citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis and science mapping. Findings: The study reveals that more than 96% of publications have emerged since the United Nations introduced the Principles for Responsible Management Education in 2007. Contributions to the field come from authors in 74 countries, though only a quarter of these are from developing nations. The key focus areas in the literature include sustainable development goals, corporate social responsibility, responsible management education and ethics, with Industry 4.0 technologies leading the frontier of research. Moving forward, future studies should explore a broader range of experiential pedagogical approaches and examine topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion, emerging technologies, accreditation, university rankings and the psychological factors shaping business and management education for sustainable development. Originality/value: This study offers a comprehensive review of the knowledge base. It sheds light on overarching trends in scholars’ research and proposes future research directions to deepen our understanding and advance research and practice in the field.