Personal Values and Attitudes Towards Corporate Sustainability: An Analysis of Saudi Arabian Business School Students

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the urgent need to understand how sustainability education and personal values shape the future workforce in Saudi Arabia, a key player in global business and energy markets. As sustainability becomes increasingly critical for international businesses, it is vital to examine how universities are preparing students and how personal values impact perceptions of sustainability – particularly in a country with massive global operations like Saudi Arabia. From an academic perspective, this research fills a critical gap as (to the best of the author’s knowledge) no previous studies have explored the integration of corporate sustainability (CS) into Saudi Arabian business curricula or analyzed students’ values and attitudes toward CS. This is especially the case when it comes to understanding whether and to what extent gender-based differences in values and attitudes exist. From a practitioner’s standpoint, understanding these dynamics is essential for businesses aiming to align corporate sustainability initiatives with the values of their future employees, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of sustainability programs on a global scale. This study focuses on two sets of analyses. First, this dissertation provides an analysis of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) curricula in Saudi universities to assess the integration of CS-related courses. Second, this dissertation focuses on a survey of 236 students from King Saud University to investigate personal values and attitudes toward CS. The curriculum analysis revealed that CS-related courses made up 15.73% of BBA major requirements, focusing on business ethics, sustainable business, and environmental studies. The survey results showed a gendered distinction: female students prioritized a broader set of values, such as achievement, hedonism, benevolence, and universalism, while male students emphasized achievement, security, and tradition. These differences shaped their attitudes toward economic and environmental sustainability, with both groups deeming social sustainability less of a priority. This research contributes to academic literature by highlighting the intersection of gender, personal values, and sustainability education in a rapidly developing context. It also provides practical insights for international businesses on how to tailor their sustainability initiatives to align with the diverse values of future graduates. Moreover, it agrees that gender differences in value attitudes toward sustainability tend to be rooted in Gender Socialization Theory, Social Identity Theory, Values Theory, and Moral Foundations Theory.