Shaping tomorrow's managers: The influence of university education on economics students' attitudes toward corporate social responsibility and labor unions

Abstract

University education significantly shapes individual values and views, influencing future managers' approaches to CSR and labor relations. This study, employing a survey and experimental vignette methodology, examines the impact of university education on economics students' attitudes toward CSR and organized labor. Our results indicate that while overall attitudes toward CSR remained stable, students showed a slight shift toward profit orientation when faced with real‐life managerial scenarios. There was also a decline in support for labor unions over the academic year, possibly due to neoliberal perspectives in teaching. A key finding is the emergence of a profit‐oriented mindset among economics students, reflecting broader managerial considerations. The study underscores the importance of examining how theoretical knowledge translates into practical decision‐making contexts and suggests the need for a nuanced understanding of CSR and labor union attitudes among economics students, thereby contributing to the discussion on higher education's role in shaping future business leaders.