Sustainability in Management Education: Identifying andPrioritizing Critical Success Factors Through ISM-MICMACAnalysis

Abstract

Sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations have moved from the periphery to the core of corporate strategy, creating growing pressure on business schools to embed sustainability as a formal subject rather than a peripheral elective. This paper synthesises evidence from twelve Scopus-indexed studies published in outlets such as The International Journal of Management Education, the International Journal of Management Reviews, Sustainability, and Frontiers in Education, to identify the factors that determine whether a sustainability course succeeds within a university curriculum, including cases where students undertook ESG or sustainability projects as part of their coursework. Twelve recurring factors were extracted through a structured narrative review and analysed using Interpretive Structural Modelling and MICMAC (Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement), which classifies factors by driving power and dependence power. Leadership commitment, structural policy support and dedicated funding emerge as the strongest drivers, while experiential project-based learning depends heavily on these enablers. The paper offers a prioritised roadmap for universities planning to introduce sustainability courses.