Teaching for Social Responsibility in Portugal: Can students change the world?

This paper analyses students’ perceptions on issues related to Social Responsibility (SR) in the context of a Marketing Management undergraduate and a master course in a Portuguese institution of higher education. The aim of... [ view full abstract ]

This paper analyses students’ perceptions on issues related to Social Responsibility (SR) in the context of a Marketing Management undergraduate and a master course in a Portuguese institution of higher education. The aim of this paper is to explore how students perceive SR related concepts.

Two focus groups have been carried out with students that attend an undergraduate Marketing Management course in Portugal and participated in real campaigns for SR actions. A grounded theory approach is being used to analyse the data. The study analyses students’ perceptions regarding SR both generally and in the higher education context, the importance of integrating SR in the course curriculum, and students’ perceptions before and after two SR campaigns. The aim of this research is to improve the learning experience and thus the effectiveness of the SR application in practice.

It seems that higher education institutions may have a crucial role in creating and developing the SR skills of their students. Results show that there is a need for a coherent conceptual plan throughout the entire curriculum, so that students can make the links between the different disciplines. This is necessary to facilitate the holistic transformation towards more responsible and sustainable business.