Since the inception of the UN-backed PRME initiative in 2007, there has been increased debate over how to adapt management education to train a new generation of business leaders capable of managing the complex demands faced by business and society in the 21st century. While the Six Principles provide a guiding framework, not many schools have successfully demonstrated broad scale implementation yet. The Rio Declaration of the 2012 PRME Global Forum included a call from the PRME community for the creation of a leadership group.
In 2013, PRME launched a two-year pilot group of engaged PRME signatories committed to working collaboratively to develop and promote activities that address shared barriers to making broad scale implementation of sustainability principles a reality. In the 2nd cycle (2016-2017), as leaders in the space of responsible management education, PRME Champions undertook advanced tasks and game changing projects that responded to systemic challenges faced by the PRME community, as well as to key issues identified by the United Nations and the UN Global Compact. In the 3rd Cycle (2018-2019), PRME Champions focused on taking transformative action on integrating the SDGs in curriculum, research and partnerships, with the aim to produce a comprehensive Blueprint for SDG Integration in Business Schools to be made available to the wider PRME community (first version expected end March 2020).
The mission of the PRME Champions group is to contribute to thought and action leadership on responsible management education in the context of the United Nations sustainable development agenda.
In so doing, PRME Champions commit to:
Participation in the Champions group enables highly engaged PRME signatories to:
As leaders in the space of responsible management education, PRME Champions commit to responding to the global systemic challenges identified by the UN SDGs. In September, representatives of the 2023 Champions cycle gathered in Lisbon, Portugal to address the challenges and opportunities facing responsible management education in the ‘Halfway through the 2030 Agenda’ sessions, specifically focusing on SDG 4.
Responding to this evidence, the PRME Champions agreed to draft a Manifesto, to call out to PRME Champions and PRME Signatories to reaffirm their commitment to accelerate the implementation of SDG 4 and the associated targets through research, education and advocacy.
Aalto University School of Business, Finland
Audencia Business School, France
Berlin School of Business and Innovation, Germany
Budapest Business University, Hungary
Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Canada
Cork University Business School (CUBS) and the Irish Management Institute (IMI), University College Cork, Ireland
CUNEF Universidad, Spain
Deakin Business School, Australia
EGADE Business School, Mexico
ESIC Business & Marketing School, ESIC University, Spain
Freeman College of Management, Bucknell University, United States
Goa Institute of Management (GIM), India
Gordon Institute of Business Science, South Africa
Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, University of Guelph, Canada
IEDC-Bled School of Management, Slovenia
International Business School Suzhou at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
International Institute of Management Development (IMD), Switzerland
Iscte Business School, Portugal
ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Universidade de Lisboa Portugal
John Molson School of Business, Canada
Keele University, United Kingdom
Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland
Kristianstad University, Sweden
La Trobe Business School, Australia
Loughborough Business School, United Kingdom
Newcastle Business School, United Kingdom
Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, United States
Queen's Business School, United Kingdom
School of Business, Government, and Economics, Seattle Pacific University, United States
School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
School of Business, Woxsen University, India
Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary's University, Canada
Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden
T. A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India
UC Business School, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Universidad Externado de Colombia, Colombia
University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons, Switzerland
University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), South Africa
University of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
University of Dundee School of Business, Scotland, United Kingdom
University of Nicosia, Cyprus
University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
University of Sussex Business School, United Kingdom
University of Winchester, United Kingdom
Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) School of Management and Law, Switzerland