Curriculum greenwashing in business statistics education: Institutional decoupling in responsible management education

Business schools increasingly state commitments to responsible management education (RME), yet institutional commitment may not be consistently reflected in pedagogical change. This study examines curriculum greenwashing as a possible divergence between RME language in curriculum artifacts and corresponding evidence in teaching practice and student learning, without assuming deliberate intent. Drawing on institutional theory and decoupling, we test whether signatory status in the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is associated with declarative, procedural, and consequential integration in undergraduate business statistics courses. Longitudinal multilevel data were collected from 215 students and 45 faculty members across 30 institutions across three waves. PRME status was positively associated with RME content in syllabi, whereas associations with reported teaching and student learning gains were not detected. Faculty-reported practices were positively associated with student learning gains. The PRME status × faculty quantitative teaching self-efficacy interaction was positive but did not reach conventional statistical significance; exploratory probing indicated a positive PRME association only at high self-efficacy. The study contributes a three-level audit framework for evaluating how institutional RME commitment is reflected across curriculum representation, reported teaching practice, and student learning, while underscoring the value of evidence beyond syllabus language alone.