Sustainability Focus for Competitiveness of Cross-disciplinary Business School

This paper explores the development of sustainability competitiveness in business education within a cross-disciplinary setting. With an estimated 13,000 business schools globally, these institutions play a crucial role in cultivating human capital and shaping future business leaders. In recent years, business schools have been transitioning from job acquisition channels to institutions that emphasize cross-disciplinary collaboration, which fosters creativity, innovation, and holistic problem-solving. However, this paper argues that merging disciplines is not enough to generate a sustainable competitive advantage. Instead, incorporating sustainability and climate change education into curricula can differentiate business schools, providing students with unique skills that are difficult to replicate. This study employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the competitiveness of business schools. The qualitative analysis investigates Sustainability Focus for Competitiveness of Cross-disciplinary Business Schoolthe significant institutional factors like accreditation determining competitiveness, while the quantitative analysis assesses the benefits of cross-disciplinary learning and sustainability. The results reveal that increased awareness of ESG education programs leads to a certain degree of competitiveness. Challenges remain in adopting a liberal arts approach for developing students' sustainability change capability. The paper concludes that building a competitive advantage through a sustainability-focused approach is critical for business schools to strategically and tactically outperform competitors in the long run. This approach can enhance the efficiency of the business world, establish connections and value appropriation that respect future-oriented design, and accelerate the adoption of sustainability tools across various industries.