“SUSTAINABILITY” AND THE JUNIOR BUSINESS MANAGERS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONFORMATION PROCESSES AT BUSINESS SCHOOLS IN BRAZIL AND IN FRANCE

Abstract

Abstract

This paper discusses how neophytes in the field of business management have been shaped according to the principles of “corporate sustainability”. The sociologicalanalysis focuses on the business schools social space. The discussion of the results is based both on the political sociology of the institutions and on the dispositionalist tradition, organized in two analytical axes: 1) a sociogenetic and comparative reconstruction of “corporate sustainability” courses from FGV-EAESP and HEC-Paris, based on documentary research; 2) an analysis of the narratives of students and graduates from both schools, which enrich the understanding of the socialization process in the “corporate sustainability”. The results point to an international strategy based on the supporters’ conformation on the cause of “corporate sustainability”. Therefore, this process can be seen as decisive in order to understand not only the institutionalization of the sustainable perspective in the economic field, but also the gain of strength of the “sustainable development” model promoted by the UN.