The role of Attitudes and Self-Efficacy in Business Education for a Sustainable World

The paper presents the role of two fundamental psychosocial variables in explaining human behavior, which impacts business education. These variables are facilitators or blockers of educational purposes, for example, to make our planet a more sustainable place. Attitudes are evaluations people make of others, things, situations, and concepts. Attitudes form a cognitive map in individuals to interpret the world and respond in that direction. Attitudes are based on beliefs, which can be modified if they are wrong, and this can be done with objective information. Self-efficacy is an individual´s confidence in his or her abilities to execute a particular task. Self-efficacy influences how people think, feel, and act and therefore their achievements. Self-efficacy is a generative capability in which cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral skills must be organized. Self-efficacy regulates human functioning through motivational, affective, and decision-making processes. Additionally, it influences a person´s perception of self-improvement or self-weakening in the face of difficulties. The primary goal of the educational system is to impart knowledge and develop skills that enable students to recognize and reach their full potential. Business schools have the challenge to make students effective at achieving business results, equipping them with the competencies for the demands of their future works, the attitudes to impact the world positively, and the self-efficacy to make it possible. Business education is aligned with the concept of sustainability, which also has an interest in preserving our planet and increasing awareness of the proper use of resources. The paper is supported by a systematic review of studies in business education and its priorities in the period 2015-2021 in two databases, Scopus and Web of Science.