Identifying responsible business competences

In today’s world, business is not limited to economic sustainability alone; it requires ethical, social and environmental sustainability. As businesses grow, managing responsibility across the entire supply chain becomes increasingly complex. As a result, employers expect international business graduates to demonstrate responsible business competences when operating in global business contexts.

This article is based on observations from teaching, project supervision, student mentoring, development projects and interactions with partners at Haaga-Helia. The focus is on identifying the responsible business competences that appear essential for international business graduates aiming to remain competitive in professional roles.

Critical thinking for responsible business

In a world with easy access to information and limited ability to verify its credibility, it becomes imperative to think critically (Chara-DeLosRios et al. 2025). At Haaga-Helia critical thinking is tied directly to assessment criteria in our international business courses. Students are expected to question assumptions and critically analyze the information.

For instance, students analyse a case study, compare information from multiple sources to evaluate reliability or produce reflective essays examining the reasoning behind their own decisions and identifying potential biases. In research and development projects, and company projects, students work with inconsistent or incomplete information, assess risks and consider longer implications of business operations.

Our students work on real-world challenges provided by companies and develop solutions to address them. Such experiences highlight the importance of critical thinking and making decisions without perfect data, thus mirroring the professional challenges that our business graduates are expected to encounter.

Stakeholder-oriented thinking for responsible business

Stakeholder-oriented thinking is an important skill in responsible business decision making (Chandler 2022). Our graduates need to learn how various stakeholder groups, including employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and regulators impact business outcomes. They learn strategies to prioritise stakeholder needs responsibly, and balance interests when making strategic decisions.

In project work, students learn about stakeholder identification. After learning theoretical models, students’ awareness of stakeholder prioritization deepens most effectively while focusing on case studies or practical examples of businesses. Team discussions also play an important role in deepening stakeholder awareness and prioritization.

Business ethics for responsible business

Another important competence in responsible international business is ethical decision making. Business ethics, a well-recognized field of study, teaches students the skills to make ethical decisions even when companies face ethical dilemmas in various phases, such as sourcing, partnerships or market entry. Cultural interpretations also shape responsible business conduct. While business must uphold normativism, in practice, they find a balance between normativism and relativism (Cavusgill, Knight & Riesenberger 2017).

Responsible and ethical decisions are not perfect solutions but are based on sound reasoning and accountability. Companies make informed decisions based on ethical guidelines as they may face situations that require balance rather than following idealistic principles (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2021). Therefore, in our international business courses, we teach students the ability to justify their decisions based on ethical guidelines.

For example, students evaluate actual company scenarios to determine how competing interests, such as profit, sustainability and social responsibility, should be balanced, and they justify their choices and defend their reasoning in class presentations or reflection papers.

Responsible decision making across cultures

In international business, responsible cross-border decision-making is essential and learning it is mandatory. Human beings are very different culturally, and therefore, we need to be sensitive while addressing issues in varied cultural contexts (Cavusgill, Knight & Riesenberger 2017).

Through projects, students learn how to work in multicultural teams and navigate the differences. They learn differences in regulations and enforcement across countries: for instance ethical or sustainability frameworks, data privacy rules, anti-corruption enforcement or sustainable sourcing requirements can differ widely between countries. Through project work and lectures, our students also learn to carefully balance between global standards and local practices. For instance, through case studies, students learn to determine how international ethical or sustainability standards can be adapted to local business contexts.

Furthermore, by working in multicultural teams, our students are initially exposed to multiple value systems and decision-making logic across cultures, which in turn foster future responsible decision-making across cultures.

Responsible international business is an evolving competence

As our graduates enter workforce with training in all competences above, they are well-equipped to prosper in the global business environment. However, it is important to note and understand that responsible international business is a continuously developing professional competence that needs attention and updating.

Through professional development and reflective learning, business graduates need to refine these responsible international business competences, and adapt as global business practices and ethical standards evolve.

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