Corporate social responsibility-embedded business education enhances employer brand attractiveness through sustainability orientation, responsible leadership competencies, and green psychological climate

Growing attention to sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) has increased expectations for business schools to develop future leaders capable of addressing environmental, social, and ethical challenges. Grounded in Social Learning Theory, Situational Theory, and Signaling Theory, this study examines the association between Corporate Social Responsibility-Embedded Business Education (CSRBE) on Employer Brand Attractiveness (EBA) via Sustainability Orientation (SO) and Responsible Leadership Competencies (RLC), while assessing the moderating role of Green Psychological Climate (GPC). Data were collected from 648 MBA graduates from business schools in South India and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that CSRBE is positively associated with SO, RLC, and EBA. Significant indirect associations between CSRBE and EBA were observed through SO and RLC, with the indirect pathway showing RLC comparatively stronger. GPC negatively conditions the direct association between CSRBE to EBA through SO, indicating that this pathway weakens at higher levels of GPC. The findings advance the literature on CSR education, sustainability, leadership development, and employer branding by demonstrating how CSR-embedded management educational experiences enhance employer attractiveness through both attitudinal and competency-based mechanisms.