CHAPTER 9: Assessing Corporate Social Responsibility Education in Europe: Trends and Comparisons

There is growing evidence of European translations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) from its American roots. This chapter presents and discusses findings from the Second European Survey of CSR Education in 2007. It finds overall growth in CSR education in European business schools by several measures (including enrollments, modules, and programs) since the First European Survey of CSR Education in 2003. It provides insights into different drivers of European CSR education, particularly the importance of individual faculty and school-level CSR research capacity. Although there has been a growth in the importance of university leadership and student demand as key success factors, faculty interest and dedicated teaching and research centers are regarded as the most critical success factors overall. Our evidence also points to a maturation of CSR as an academic field within European business schools, both in terms of in-house teaching capacity, the consolidation of CSR research, and the integration of CSR issues into other business school courses. Comparisons are made with findings from a similar study of leading business schools, a worldwide cohort of business schools, and business schools within different national business systems.