For the global business school community, the twenty-first century inaugurated a season of introspection. As global sustainability concerns grew in prominence, critical debate about the purpose of business and its role in society could not be left without an educational response. At the same time, however, it raised the question of whether business schools were at all ready to equip their students for leadership in a world faced by crucial economic, social, and environmental challenges. The answer is not self-evidently positive. Various authors grapple with questions on the purpose of business schools and their relationship with business and society. This empirical study examines the influence of EQUIS accreditation standards on business school practices in the areas of institutional strategies, programmes, faculty, research, and development, as well as in responsible management education at large. Although accreditation is not the only factor that determines what business schools believe, do, and become, it is an important shaper of the direction in which they will find their way forward in the face of twenty-first–century management education imperatives. This has especially become the case since the inclusion of ethics, responsibility, and sustainability (ERS) in the revised EQUIS standards. The analysis is drawn from a qualitative multi-case study where the author outlined a theoretical framework by developing an understanding of the organisational responses to EQUIS standards, using interviews and document review as the primary source of information. The case study included private, public, stand-alone, and university-embedded business schools. The findings show that business schools engage in a variety of ERS activities in their research and education portfolio. However, different stakeholder expectations pressure business schools to become more ethical, responsible, and sustainable, which leads to a decoupling of the schools’ “ERS talk” from their “ERS actions”. The decoupling can be seen as the consequence of a school’s translation, editing, and imitation activities in order to appear committed to society’s demands. Despite budget constraints and limited autonomy, public business schools seem to be more engaged in ERS education and research as compared to private institutions. Also, a multidisciplinary environment further supports ERS development as compared to stand-alone business schools. The research proposes core changes and developments that business schools may take into consideration to provide a systematic response to EQUIS ERS standards and criteria.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-04-25T17:15:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Gabrielle da Motta Varga_.pdf: 2301374 bytes, checksum: f116d643a4c013d95c4db6621d56ccf9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T17:15:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gabrielle da Motta Varga_.pdf: 2301374 bytes, checksum: f116d643a4c013d95c4db6621d56ccf9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-31 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Este trabalho tem como objetivo central buscar a compreensão do surgimento de um novo consumidor. Trata-se de um consumidor responsável que atua como agente ativo, articulando recursos e discursos culturais que impactam em mudanças no mercado. A compreensão deste fenômeno foi possível através de um contexto específico, onde consumidores do Rio Grande do Sul passaram a boicotar a marca de água mineral Crystal, que faz parte do portfólio da Coca Cola. Mais do que apenas resistir, este movimento de resistência emergido da própria sociedade implicou em mudanças no mercado, tais quais adoção de um novo critério para o processo de decisão de compra de água mineral, redução do domínio da Coca Cola nos canais de distribuição e criação de novo critério de diferenciação de marca dentro do mercado. Para estudar o fenômeno é seguida uma abordagem interpretativista. A estratégia de coleta de dados adotada pelo estudo foi multimétodo, buscando reunir informações oriundas de diferentes atores com o objetivo de ganhar uma compreensão mais ampla acerca do fenômeno. Foram realizadas entrevistas com quatro públicos diferentes: consumidores, canais de venda, engarrafadora e experts. A pesquisa documental utilizou fontes como jornal impresso, dados de rede social, televisão, websites, blogs, fotografias, entre outros. Todos os dados foram reunidos e analisados através da combinação de duas técnicas: análise de conteúdo e análise de discurso. Os resultados apontam evidências do surgimento de um consumidor responsável oriundo de um movimento de resistência que teve sua origem dentro da própria sociedade, em um movimento bottom-up. Foi identificado também o importante papel da moralidade na criação de um cenário propício para o surgimento de movimentos de resistência e como instrumento fundamental dentro da argumentação do sujeito consumidor. / This study aims to comprehend the emerging of a new consumer. The consumer concerned is a responsible one that acts as an active actor, articulating cultural resources and speeches that impact and cause changes in the market. The understanding of this phenomenon was possible due to a specific context, where consumers in Rio Grande do Sul started boycotting the mineral water brand Crystal, which is part of Coca Cola’s portfolio. More than simply resist, this resistance movement emerged from the society itself led to changes in the market, such as the adoption of new criteria to the purchase decision process of mineral water, reduction of Coca Cola’s dominance in the distribution channels and the establishment of new criteria to differentiate the brands in the market. In order to study this phenomenon it was follow an interpretative approach. The data collection strategy embraced by the study was the multi-method, seeking to gather information from different actors aiming to a broader comprehension concerning the phenomenon. Interviews were conducted with four different publics: consumers, sales channels, bottler and experts. The documental research was carried out using sources such as printed newspaper, data from social network, television, websites, blogs, photographs, among others. All data was pooled and analyzed by combining two techniques: content analysis and discourse analysis. The results point to evidence of the emerging of a responsible consumer coming from a resistance movement that had its origin inside the society itself, in a bottom-up movement. It has been also identified the important role of morality in the creation of a particularly suitable scenario for the emerging of resistance movements and as a fundamental argumentation instrument by the subject consumer.

Submitted by Jailda Nascimento (jmnascimento@pucsp.br) on 2016-10-31T14:18:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Vivian Aparecida Blaso Souza Soares Cesar.pdf: 101672307 bytes, checksum: 7a59e3f6e86baacb712da75cce39a997 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-31T14:18:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vivian Aparecida Blaso Souza Soares Cesar.pdf: 101672307 bytes, checksum: 7a59e3f6e86baacb712da75cce39a997 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-09 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico / This study evaluates minimum aspects of Production, Consumption and Environment during periods marked by UN warnings between 1972- Stockholm Conference, 2012- Rio+ 20 and 2015- cop21 in Paris. The complex thought of Edgar Morin runs this trajectory in which were needed efforts of reconnection of knowledges: engineering, smarts technologies, consumer behaviour, smart cities, sustainability, environment, and other networks that are hidden and what we seek to unravel. Structured in five meta themes: Sustainability, which discusses the genealogy of the concept and its incorporated levels by businesses, governments, the UN and civil society; Consumption and the Environment, which indicates who are consumers in contemporary society and shows how our relationship with the consumer is transforming our ways of living and housing; Sustainable technologies, smart cities and Smart cities lifestyle,reported through case studies and interviews in order to point outthe lack whatthis course for what really how as technologies to contribute to sustainability in cities.With the intention to expand the vision and perceptions of readers,we use the intertextualityfeature- visual,infographics, stories and essays, mixing fiction with photos and video "Smart Cities: Transformations in Progress" - nintroducing the reader to several narratives of sustainability in contemporary times / Este trabalho avalia os aspectos da Produção, Consumo e MeioAmbiente durante os periodos marcados pelos alertas da ONU entre 1972-Conferencia de Estocolmo, 2012- Rio +20 e 2015- COP21 em Paris. 0 pensamento complexo de Edgar Morin percorre essa trajetória, em que foram necessários os esforços da religião de saberes: engenharias, tecnologias smarts, comportamento dos consumidores, cidades inteligentes, sustentabilidade, meio ambiente, redes e outros que estao ocultos e que procuramos desvendar. Esstruturado em cinco metatemas:Sustentabilidade, que discorre sobre a genealogia do conceito e as dimensoes incorporadas por empresas, govemos, ONU e a sociedade civil; Consumo e Meio Ambiente, que aponta quem é o consumidor na sociedade contemporanea e apresenta como a nossa relação com o consumo foi transformando os nossos modos de viver e habitar; Tecnologias Sustentaveis, Smart Cities e Estilo de Vida nas Cidades lnteligentes,relatados por meio dos estudos de casos e entrevistas com o intuito de apontar o que falta neste percurso para que realmente as tecnologias contribuam com a sustentabilidade nas cidades.Na intenção de ampliar a visao e as percepção dos leitores, utilizamos o recurso da intertextualidade-recursos visuais, infograficos, contos e crônicas, que misturam ficção e fotografias, e o video "Cidades lnteligentes: transformações em curso - para aproximar o leitor das diversas narrativas da sustentabilidade na contemporaneidade

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions les concepts de durabilité et de responsabilité à l’ère de la numérisation, époque marquée par l’émergence de nouvelles technologies numériques de rupture. Nous cherchons à identifier dans quelle mesure les technologies numériques peuvent contribuer aux objectifs de durabilité et de responsabilité et comment une technologie numérique spécifique peut faciliter l’atteinte de ces objectifs.Ces critères nous ont conduits au choix de la fabrication additive, plus communément connue sous le nom de « technologie d'impression 3D » (3DP). Observée à travers du prisme conceptuel de l'innovation responsable, notre étude dévoile au travers de ses principaux résultats certains des mystères que revêtent les 3DP auprès du grand public. En combinant le concept d'innovation responsable avec une technologie numérique spécifique, nous avons adopté une approche de recherche utilisant la théorie enracinée pour suivre les processus d'adoption/diffusion actuels à partir du terrain, et identifier les utilisateurs précurseurs et influents du domaine des 3DP. Ainsi, les principaux résultats peuvent être divisés en deux thèmes, dans un premier temps pour expliquer les caractéristiques des systèmes sociotechniques dans lequel la 3DP est située et, dans un deuxième temps, discuter des avantages et des défis sociaux, économiques et environnementaux de 3DP pour le grand public. Dans la seconde partie, la première section, consacrée aux caractéristiques du système sociotechnique, se concentre sur le processus d'adoption actuel, l'identification des utilisateurs influents prenant forme dans la culture ‘Maker’ et dans les espaces de coworking. Cette section présente également les caractéristiques actuelles de ces primo utilisateurs et les particularités de 3DP pour le grand public, telles que le déséquilibre hommes-femmes pour les utilisateurs actuels, et la manière dont contribueront la 3DP au développement de nouveaux produits. La seconde section de nos principaux résultats offre une analyse détaillée des avantages et des défis sociaux, économiques et environnementaux spécifiques de 3DP au niveau consommateur.Ces résultats indiquent qu'il existe une attente sociétale croissante auprès des 3DP pour adoucir les systèmes de production actuels et aboutir à des logiques de production plus durables. Par conséquent, les opportunités économiques offrent la possibilité de développer de nouveaux services et produits dans le marché des 3DP, caractérisé par une forte expansion et de faibles barrières à l'entrée, qui séduisent une grande variété de petites et moyennes entreprises (PME). Enfin, la nature environnementale des 3DP au niveau consommateur, même si elle offre des possibilités prometteuses pour préserver les ressources, optimiser la production, maîtriser l’obsolescence planifiée et recycler et réutiliser les matériaux, fait toujours face à un certain nombre de problèmes, qui limitent les apports environnementaux dans le cas d’une adoption de masse. Les contributions théoriques correspondent principalement aux spécificités du processus d'adoption des 3DP au niveau consommateur, à l’identification des caractéristiques des primo utilisateurs et des utilisateurs influents, mais aussi aux implications en termes de développement durable, sujets rarement traités dans la littérature en gestion. Nos principales conclusions apportent également des informations détaillées aux praticiens qui peuvent mener leurs activités entrepreneuriales, en mobilisant ces technologies pour améliorer les modèles d’affaires existants ou en développant des produits et services entièrement nouveaux. Les législateurs peuvent tirer parti des informations sur les pratiques 3DP actuelles et élaborer des politiques pour soutenir la recherche et l'innovation dans le domaine des 3DP ou pour identifier les menaces potentielles pour le public, telles que les risques liés à la propriété intellectuelle ou les problématiques de standard. / This study investigates the concepts of sustainability and responsibility in innovation through the processes of digitalization, marked by the emergence of new disruptive digital technologies. We observe the link between the digitalization and sustainability to understand how a specific digital technology can lead to sustainable and responsible outcomes. These criteria led us to additive manufacturing, or more commonly known, 3D Printing (3DP) technology.We adopted a responsible innovation concept as a set of principles to guide our study on 3DP. Moreover, this study design enabled us to align responsible innovation with existing research methods such as grounded theory. Through a bottom-up research approach, we observed trajectories of the current 3DP adoption/diffusion process and identified early users within their sociotechnical environment where 3DP is currently available. This constituted a solid ground to discuss 3DP sustainable and responsible nature and related implications. Responsible innovation concept, 3DP technology and our research methods are described in the Part I of this document.Part II elaborates main findings that can be divided into two sections. In the first section, we present characteristics of the sociotechnical system, current adoption process, 3DP innovation characteristics, and identify lead users. Current lead users of consumer-level 3DP are seen in the form of Maker culture and the coworking spaces. We present the insights on this specific interaction between the 3DP and Maker culture, whilst also discussing characteristic gender imbalance and new product development.The second section offers detailed analysis of consumer-level 3DP social, economic and environmental implications. Social implications indicate that there is an increasing societal expectation where 3DP is expected to lead a transformation towards more sustainable means of production. Economic implications are concentrated on the business opportunities relying on the growing 3DP market. As an evolving and niche market, current expansion and low-entry barriers are attracting interest of Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) who develop new 3DP services and products. Lastly, even though with a promising potential to preserve raw resources, optimize production, tackle planned obsolescence, ensure recycling and reuse of materials, consumer-level 3DP still faces several environmental challenges. Possible rebound effect in energy and resources could lead to consequences that undermine its additive nature, where ecology is not a central topic for 3DP further development.Theoretical contributions of our study can be summarized in the specificities of consumer-level 3DP adoption process, characteristics of the early adopters and sustainability implications. These topics are scarcely covered in management research. Moreover, our key findings also provide detailed managerial contributions for the practitioners and the policy-makers. These can contribute to entrepreneurial activities that demand 3DP alignment with existing business models or development of new products and services based on this technology. Policy-makers can obtain insights on the current 3DP practices that can help guide policies to support research and innovation linked to 3DP technology. Our study insights can assist their understanding of possible threats hidden in Intellectual Property (IP), security and standardization issues related to 3DP technology.Finally, our main intention was to contribute to the ongoing scholar debate about the 3DP technology, digitalization and sustainability. For these purposes, we have developed a detailed thesis monograph offering a broad range of findings, whilst two fully published peer-reviewed publications, alongside several conference papers, ensure public visibility of our work. The published peer-reviewed articles are available in the Appendices section of this document.

The emergence of the mule's role as a beast of burden working in mountain tourism is founded on our appreciation of this species' great attributes as a means of transport in the mountain environment. Our appreciation of mules does not always extend to their care and welfare. This is particularly true of the mountain tourism industry in Morocco, where this study is situated. Why has there been a collective absencing of the mule from the consciences of those involved in this industry? In seeking to answer this question and in moving towards the question of how the mountain tourism industry can be more present to the mule and to mule welfare, this thesis explores the multiple ways in which we know the mule. Drawing on a ten-year engagement with the industry, extensive ethnographic fieldwork in the High Atlas and an Action Research initiative supporting tour operators as they develop and implement welfare policy and practice, this thesis explores how mule welfare can be viewed as emerging from a multiplicity of practices that, in failing to cohere, become subject to negotiation and ontological politics. An alternative community approach based on dialogue is evoked that might allow a consensus to emerge over how welfare should be practised. The thesis focuses on the quality of the relationship between mules and humans. It emphasises the importance of genuine meeting and dialogue and the need for spaces and places in which mules and humans can come together to identify how they can establish relationships based on mutual trust and understanding rather than on control and domination. In prototyping better relationships between mules, muleteers and their employers, this thesis offers the mountain tourism industry transformative pathways toward a more equitable and sustainable co-creative project.

A l’heure de préoccupations RSE croissantes, les entreprises développent de plus en plus des pratiques socialement responsables qui renvoient aux volets économique, social, environnemental, de gouvernance et des parties prenantes externes ; elles mènent donc un changement organisationnel responsable. Le changement organisationnel responsable est l’intégration progressive de (nouvelles) pratiques RSE et la définition d’outils pour piloter la performance globale. Un enjeu important consiste à (bien) communiquer sur les axes de progrès de l’entreprise en direction de ses multiples parties prenantes.Si la RSE intéresse de nombreux chercheurs, les travaux portant sur le changement organisationnel responsable et son pilotage dans le contexte de la PME sont moins abondants.Cette thèse se propose de répondre aux questions « comment se fait le changement organisationnel responsable dans les PME ? » et « quel outil opérationnel définir pour rendre compte des pratiques socialement responsables développées au sein des PME ? ». Une recherche-intervention dans une PME pendant six mois a permis de construire un processus de changement organisationnel responsable et un outil de performance globale. / At the time of growing CSR concerns, firms develop more socially responsible practices that refer to the economic, social, environmental aspects, governance and external stakeholders; they are leading a responsible organizational change. Responsible organizational change is the gradual integration of (new) CSR practices and the definition of tools to drive global performance. An important stake is to (well) communicate on the areas of progress in the direction of multiple stakeholders.If many researchers are interested in CSR, the work on responsible organizational change and its management in the context of SME are less abundant.This thesis proposes to answer the questions "how is responsible organizational change in SMEs? and "which operational tool should be defined to account for socially responsible practices developed within SMEs ? ". Six-month SME intervention research helped to build a responsible organizational change process and a global performance tool.

Resumo: A intensa convivência entre o ser humano e os animais de estimação não tem sido acompanhada pela adoção de posturas de posse responsável. Dentre os animais de estimação, cães e gatos são geralmente os de eleição, estando presentes em grande contingente dos lares. Ações educativas que alertem e conscientizem sobre zoonoses e sobre a responsabilidade de possuir animais são fundamentais na mitigação dos problemas de saúde pública; porém, antes da realização de qualquer programa, é imprescindível o conhecimento da realidade local. O presente estudo foi idealizado com o propósito de avaliar a população de cães e gatos, e o nível de conhecimento e comportamento sobre a raiva e posse responsável de animais de estimação, em bairros de níveis socioeconômicos contrastantes da cidade de Jaboticabal, Estado de São Paulo. De setembro a novembro de 2007 foram entrevistados 185 moradores dos bairros Jardim Patriarca, Jardim Paulista e Jardim Santa Rosa, e 197 moradores do bairro Nova Jaboticabal, totalizando 382 entrevistas. Para análise dos dados foram empregados o teste Qui-quadrado e a Análise de Correspondência Múltipla. Apesar do contraste socioeconômico, o nível de conhecimento dos entrevistados sobre posse responsável e raiva animal foi semelhante em todos os bairros estudados; entretanto, o melhor poder aquisitivo favoreceu maiores gastos com serviços veterinários, como atendimento médico e vacinações, e maior número de animais por residência. As informações obtidas respaldam a necessidade de realizar trabalhos educativos constantes sobre posse responsável e prevenção de agravos em toda a cidade, além do estabelecimento de um canal de comunicação entre veterinários e o governo municipal. / Abstract: The intense interactions between people and pets have not been accompanied by responsible ownership practices over the years. Dogs and cats are the pets of choice, and they are found in great amount of homes. It is crucial to put into practice educative actions on zoonoses and on responsibility of owning animals to mitigate public health-related problems. However, before their effectuation, it is necessary to assess the local reality. The present study aimed to assess owned-dogs and cats populations and to evaluate the level of knowledge of responsible pet ownership and rabies among residents of socially and economically contradictory neighborhoods of the city of Jaboticabal, State of São Paulo. From September to November, 2007, 185 residents of Jardim Patriarca, Jardim Paulista and Jardim Santa Rosa neighborhoods and 197 residents of Nova Jaboticabal were interviewed, giving a total of 382 interviews. Chi-square test and Multiple Correspondence Analysis were used for data analysis. Despite socioeconomic contradiction, the level of knowledge was similar. However, better levels of income favored greater expenses with veterinary care services, including vaccinations, and a greater amount of pets per household. Results recommend the need for constant educational actions on responsible pet ownership and injury prevention for all social classes of Jaboticabal, besides the establishment of a communication channel between private veterinarians and local government. / Orientadora: Adolorata Aparecida Bianco Carvalho / Coorientador: Antonio Sérgio Ferraudo / Banca: Luiz Augusto do Amaral / Banca: Maria de Lourdes Aguiar Bonadia Reichmann / Mestre

Since the mid-1990, promoting responsible fatherhood has remained on the national policy agenda, but fatherhood-related policy initiatives have yet to generate tangible outcomes for low-income communities. Almost 1 billion dollars have been allocated to address the combined efforts of marriage and fatherhood education, but the results have been minimal. Recent literature reveals a deep seeded legislative misunderstanding about the reasons behind low marriage rates among low-income couples. Contrary to popular cultural narratives that imply a blatant disregard for marriage, there is evidence that low-income couples respect the institution of marriage. Socio-economic barriers, however, inhibit that union from taking place. Despite this plausible explanation, policy-driven initiatives often employ program curriculums that seek to modify the behaviors of fathers by instilling in them the value of hard work as opposed to addressing the socio-economic circumstances they face. This partly stems from the broader cultural narrative and a related public perception that Black fathers are lazy and unwilling to work. Responsible fatherhood grantees have the potential to begin deconstructing negative perceptions of Black fathers by uncovering new information in these federally funded programs. Using qualitative interviews, this study utilizes a three-article style format to examine the presence of the dominant cultural narratives regarding Black fatherhood in Responsible Fatherhood policies and organizational narratives of the agencies tasked with policy implementation.

Green bonds are a type of bonds that are designated for investment projects that have a positive effect on the environment. Such projects could be preventing climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, increasing energy-efficiency, or improving waste management. Green bonds have risen considerably in issued volume in recent years. Sweden has been one of the forerunners in this development and the interest towards these products seems to be high among individual Swedish investors. Initially, investors in green bonds have been mainly financial institutions, but there are an increasing number of mutual funds, which are aimed for retail banking customers as well. Previous research in socially responsible investing has not paid attention to green bonds from the perspective of the private, individual investor. This study is aimed to study potential individual green bond investors in Sweden. The purpose of this study was to answer the research question of who the typical Swedish green bond investors are, based on demographic characters. As research sub-questions, the thesis also answered questions regarding perceived risk and return on green bonds, and the effect of environmental attitude and behaviour on potential green bond investments. The study was carried out as an Internet survey by means of a questionnaire directed to Swedish investors. In total, 66 respondents answered the survey, which was analysed by bivariate and multivariate methods. Among the demographic factors, two were found statistically significant, age, and parenthood. In this sample younger investors (age less than 39), were found to prefer investing in green bonds, compared to older investors. Secondly, the fact of being a non-parent turned out to be a distinctive feature of current and potential investors in green bonds. The results regarding the first research sub-question, showed that the individual investors do not perceive green bonds to be more or less risky or give more or less return than comparable conventional bonds. The second research sub-question regarding environmental attitude and behaviour, showed a significant difference between those who showed a strong pro-environmental behaviour, as opposed to those who showed a weaker pro-environmental behaviour. The conclusion about the influence of environmental attitudes was that it did not have an effect on potential green bond investments.

The concept of responsible sexual behavior (RSB) gained popularity when it was introduced in Healthy People 2010 as a leading health indicator. The Healthy People initiatives organize the top health priorities and create guidelines for improving the health of Americans. Promoting RSB was intended to address problems such as unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), however the guidelines never conceptually define behavior that would be considered sexually responsible. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation research was to examine how responsible sexual behavior (RSB) was defined in the context of public health literature, collegiate women, and rural women with the intention to contribute to a clearer conceptual understanding of RSB. First, an evolutionary concept analysis was conducted to define the attributes of RSB and develop a conceptual definition of responsible sexual behavior (RSB) as it applies to women 18 years and older who have sex with men from a synthesis of lay and public health literature. According to the literature, RSB is a desirable and deliberative pattern of behaviors that promote sexual health, manage risk, and foster respect of sexual partners within the context of community influences. This study also concludes that a purposeful redefinition maybe necessary to maintain a concept that is useful for guiding and evaluating sexual behavior. Second, a secondary data analysis was completed to identify college women definition of “sexual responsibility.” Data came from interviews collected as part of a mixed methods study of college women and unintended pregnancy. A total of 35 interviews were analyzed using within and across case methodology to derive a working definition of RSB for collegiate women. Women in this sample described being sexually responsible as self-advocating through actions that were consistent with personal goals and values while being aware of consequences that could threaten those goals or values. Actions included mindful partner selection, communicating boundaries, and preventing pregnancy. Women’s academic goals were closely linked to women’s sexual health decision making. Third, an exploratory descriptive study was completed to identify how rural women who have sex with men define RSB and to understand the role of the rural context on definitions and enactment of RSB. A total of ten rural Iowa women aged 18-29 participated in phone interviews. Within and across case analysis was used to describe the contextual influences of how rural dwelling women defined and enacted responsible sexual behavior. For rural women in this sample, RSB is understanding the consequences of sex and taking action to manage risks by preventing pregnancy and STIs, mindfully selecting of partners, and seeking appropriate resources. The social context of the rural environment acted as both a facilitator and barrier for women to acquire information enact RSB. In conclusion, RSB was an accessible concept for college and rural women to define and understand. However, the collective research indicated that a new definition of RSB was necessary to maintain its purpose in improving sexual and reproductive health. Thus, being sexually responsible is having an awareness of consequences and managing risks in a way that is reflective of a woman’s personal experiences, beliefs, values, and goals. How BSR is defined is fluid and subject to redefinition based on personal experiences and movement through the lifespan. Future research should focus on understanding how other populations of women define and manage BSR and that public health interventions and policy support women’s ability to be sexually responsible.