business students’ perception of environment sustainability in gcc universities

This study is set out to investigate business students’ perception of various aspects of environment sustainability in Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) universities and whether their perception is determined by their personal characteristics. To achieve this objective, 750 questionnaires were distributed to business schools students studying at Kuwait University, Gulf University for Science and Technology (Kuwait), Qatar University, UAE University and King Saud University (Saudi Arabia). 400 questionnaires returned completed, resulting in 53% usable response rate. The results of the questionnaire analyses revealed that the participants program of study as well as special environmental courses that they took at the university are the most important sources of their environment knowledge. The participants believe environment sustainability is achieved by optimizing the use of existing resources in a responsible manner that provides an endless balance. The participants further pointed to measures such as indefinitely conserving resources and living on returning the earth's natural resources instead of consuming them as being very important to protect environment. The participants indicated that environmental problems are made by industrial countries and they have the responsibility to tackle them. They, however, consideored environment protection a global issue and ought to be addressed by the United Nations. They ascertain that environment can be protected by tackling air and water pollution, toxic waste and loss of forests and species.all