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PRME Principles Refresh

About

Why Refresh the Principles for Responsible Management Education?

Since the Six Principles for Responsible Management Education launched in 2007, the world has changed significantly. Our PRME principles-based community has unitedly navigated through this fast-paced changing world, dealing with new and more complex challenges and contributing to cutting-edge solutions for the betterment of society and the planet. Responsible Management Education has moved to the spotlight of global debates as a critical factor in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

While these changes have brought PRME’s role within business schools into greater focus, PRME has also been sharpening and elevating its commitment to responsible management education through its strategic reviews in 2015 and 2019. The 2019 strategic review exposed the need to review the SIP (Sharing Information on Progress) Reports, which had become cumbersome and offered less value than they could. Established by the PRME Board in 2020 to review the SIP reporting system, the PRME SIP Impact Sub-Committee proposed changes not only to the SIP reports, which will be ratified in June 2023, but also recommended that the PRME Principles be lightly ‘refreshed’ to align with the proposed changes to the SIP reports and the changing business landscape. Some of the changes they recommended were to add principles that spoke to signatories' own operations and the commitment to continuous learning through the application of responsible and accountable practices into their own operations, which ultimately supports the implementation of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact in academic institutions around the world. They also proposed to make the Principles more declarative and assertive, rather than simply aspirational.

Following these recommendations, the PRME Board struck the PRME Principles Task Force (PPTF) to finalize the process of lightly refreshing PRME’s Principles. Starting with the SIP Impact Sub-Committee’s recommendations, PPTF has been capturing input of our global community to base its work. PPTF conducted focus groups with PRME community leaders and then solicit written feedback from all community members through an open survey. PPTF will then table the draft Principles to the PRME Board for ratification in October 2023 (see the process timeline below).

Objectives and Guiding Fundamentals

Central Objective of the Principles Refresh Process:

‘Light’ refresh of the PRME Principles, based on the previous recommendations of the 2015 and 2019 Strategic Reviews, SIP Review Sub-Committee, and consultations with the PRME community and partners.

The Principles Refresh Process Fundamentals:

  • Motivating Action
  • Streamlining Language
  • Fostering Knowledge Sharing
  • Guiding SIP Reporting system
  • Adding a Principle on ‘practices and operations’
  • Supporting the implementation of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact

PRME Principles Task Force (PPTF)

The PRME Board requested the creation of a PRME Principles Task Force (PPTF) on 4 October 2022 to finalize the Principles Refresh process recommended by the 2015 and 2019 strategic reviews and initiated by the SIP Impact Sub-Committee in 2020. The PPTF consists of five members representing the PRME global community:

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Tima Bansal

Chair, PPTF

Founder, Network for Business Sustainability

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Jim Walsh

Member, PPTF

Former President, Academy of Management

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Morris Mthombeni

Member, PPTF

Dean, Gordan Institute of Business Science

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Christiane Molina

Member, PPTF

Research Professor, EGADE Business School

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Isak Axelson

Member, PPTF

Former PRME Secretariat member, PRME Student Advisor at Stockholm School of Economics

Methodology

The PRME Principles Task Force (PPTF) has been building its work on the 2015 and 2019 PRME strategic reviews as well as the PRME SIP Impact Sub-Committee (created and approved by PRME's Board on 30 November 2020).

Since the PPTF's creation in October 2022 and the formal process approval by the Board during its last meeting on March 2023, the PPTF has called the PRME Community to engage in global consultations:

  • Focus Groups:
    • Several two-hour focus groups with 40+ participants from all PRME constituencies (Chapters, PGS, Champions, etc.) from 23 countries.

  • Survey:
    • Eighty-seven responses have been collected so far, yielding 195 pages of feedback.

    • Participants from 38 countries across all of PRME's constituencies and external partners

  • Communications and outreach:
    • PRME Newsletter announcements

    • Social Media posts

    • Email blasts

    • 2023 PRME Global Forum


We are grateful to the multitude of people, both named below and unnamed, for their support and participation in surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

  • Katell Le Goulven, INSEAD, France

  • Maria Jose (Majo) Murcia, Austral University, Argentina

  • Giselle Weybrecht, PRME, Australia

  • Dr Nilufa Khanom, Victoria University Melbourne, Australia

  • Anna Young-Ferris, The University of Sydney Business School, Australia

  • Suzanne Young, La Trobe University, Australia

  • Julie Wolfram Cox, Monash University, Australia

  • Katharina de Melo, FHWien University of Applied Sciences, Austria

  • Regina Obexer, MCI | The Entrepreneurial School, Austria

  • DI Roman H. Mesicek, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria

  • Ivo Matser, ABIS, Belgium

  • Priscila Borin de Oliveira Claro, Insper, Brazil

  • Gustavo Loiola, PRME Secretariat, Brazil

  • Paulo Speroni, PRME Secretariat, Brazil

  • Basma Majerbi, University of Victoria, Canada

  • Kristeen McKee, Cambrian College, Canada

  • Maxime Lakat, Re_Generation, Canada

  • Xuanwei Cao, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China

  • Ye Hang, PRME Secretariat, China

  • Gustavo Adolfo Yepes, PRME Chapter LAC Chair, Colombia

  • Roberto Gutiérrez Poveda, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia

  • Diego Gonzalez, Pacto Global Colombia, Colombia

  • Urs Jäger, PRME Board Member, Costa Rica

  • Felipe Perez, INCAE, Costa Rica

  • Ifigenia Georgiou, University of Nicosia, Cyprus

  • Jeremy Moon, CBS, Denmark

  • Virginia Lasio, Espae Graduate School of Management - Espol, Ecuador

  • Jorge Rodriguez, ESPAE, Ecuador

  • Ghadeer Mohamed Badr Eldin Aboul Ela, Future University, Egypt

  • Sherwat Ibrahim, PRME Chapter Africa Chair, Egypt

  • Marwa El Maghawry, Future University in Egypt, Egypt

  • Hagar Adib, German University of Cairo, Egypt

  • Radwa Morsi, ESLSCA University, Egypt

  • Salma El Masri, ESLSCA University, Egypt

  • Hadia Fakhr ElDin, British University of Egypt, Egypt

  • Rania El Guindy, Université Senghor, Egypt

  • Dr. Ann Hindley, Liverpool John Moores University, England

  • Ann Parchment, Surrey Business School (University of Surrey), England United Kingdom

  • Krista Finstad-Milion, PRME Chapter France-Benelux Chair, France

  • Robin Jund, France

  • Tapie, GRLI, France & Singapore

  • Maritza Arbaiza, GAIA Business School, Guatemala

  • Michael Yeboah, Kumasi Technical University, Ghana

  • Elisabeth Fröhlich, PRME Board Member, Germany

  • Ruth Areli García León, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Germany

  • Alexander Herzner, Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden, Germany

  • Divya Singhal, Goa Institute of Management, India

  • Siddharth Chauhan, PGS Regional Leader in Central and South Asia, India

  • Maeve Houlihan, University College Dublin, Ireland

  • Sara Piacentini, Rome Business School, Italy

  • Marzhan Berniyazova, KIMEP University, Kazakhstan

  • Aigerim Kaumenova, Almaty University, Kazakhstan

  • Mumbi Wachira, Strathmore University Business School, Kenya

  • Priya Sharma, PRME Board Member and PRME Chapter ASEAN+ Chair, Malaysia

  • Daniel Lago Okomo, Dut Vocational Training Centre (DVTC) and the Maoni Network, Kenya

  • Brendon Mahere, PGS Regional Leader in Africa, Marrocco

  • Victoria Gonzalez, CETYS, Mexico

  • Mirjam Minderman, TIAS School for Business and Society, Netherlands

  • Oreva Atanya, Lagos Business School, Nigeria

  • Jason Miklian, PRME Working Group on Business for Peace Chair, Norway

  • Alfredo Estrada, Universidad de Lima, Peru

  • Benito L. Teehankee, De La Salle University, Philippines

  • Emilina Sarreal, De La Salle University, Philippines

  • Elżbieta Karwowska, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland

  • Magdalena Kaczkowska-Serafińska, Vistula University, Poland

  • Ekaterina Ivanova, PRME Working Group in Sustainability Mindset, Russia

  • Evgenia Pashkevic, IBS RANEPA, Russia

  • Jill Bogie, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), South Africa

  • John North, GRLI Foundation, South Africa

  • Mark Smith, Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa

  • Hayley Pearson, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS, South Africa

  • Jane Usher, Milpark Business School, South Africa

  • Chimene Nukunah, Milpark Business School, South Africa

  • Shaun Berry, Milpark Business School, South Africa

  • Gia Whitehead, Tsiba Business School, South Africa

  • Sholina Durga, Richfield University, South Africa

  • Maria Valle, CUNEF Universidad, Spain

  • Patricia Enríquez Nistal, CUNEF Universidad, Spain

  • Philippe Du Pasquier, BSL Business School Lausanne, Switzerland

  • Christian Baumgartner, University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons, Switzerland

  • Agata Stachowicz-Stanusch, Canadian University Dubai, UAE

  • John Katsos, American University of Sharjah, UAE

  • Alec Wersun, PRME Global Chapter Council, UK

  • Jonathan Louw, PRME Chapter UK & Ireland Chair, UK

  • Dr. Mohamed Saeudy, University of Bedfordshire, UK

  • Cathy d'Abreu, Oxford Brookes University, UK

  • Georgina Gough, UWE Bristol, UK

  • Professor Kleio Akrivou, University Of Reading, Henley Business School, UK

  • Petra Montan-Hill, PRME Working Group on Climate Change and Environment, UK

  • Elizabeth Collier, PRME Chapter North America Chair, USA

  • John Paul Goodwin, Learning Economy Foundation, USA

  • Megan Elizabeth Buchter, Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management, USA

  • Michael Pirson, PRME Working Group on Humanistic Management Chair, USA

  • Meredith Storey, PRME Secretariat, USA

  • Sianne Powe, PRME Secretariat, USA

  • Sophie Kacki, PRME Secretariat, USA

  • Isabel Rimanoczy, PRME Working Group Sustainability Mindset, USA

  • William Chisholm Schulz III, Walden University, USA

Former Principles

Preamble

As institutions of higher education involved in the development of current and future managers we declare our willingness to progress in the implementation, within our institution, of the following Principles, starting with those that are more relevant to our capacities and mission. We will report on progress to all our stakeholders and exchange effective practices related to these principles with other academic institutions:

P1 Icon Purpose

Principle 1 | Purpose

We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy.

P2

Principle 2 | Values

We will incorporate into our academic activities, curricula, and organisational practices the values of global social responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United Nations Global Compact.

P3

Principle 3 | Method

We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes and environments that enable effective learning experiences for responsible leadership.

P4

Principle 4 | Research

We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value.

P5

Principle 5 | Partnership

We will interact with managers of business corporations to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.

P6

Principle 6 | Dialogue

We will facilitate and support dialogue and debate among educators, students, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organisations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability.