Corruption, defined by Transparency International as “the misuse of entrusted power for private gain”, is recognized as one of the world's greatest challenges. It is a major obstacle to sustainable development because it diverts resources from their proper use. It has a significant impact on the private sector, preventing the promotion of necessary competition between large and small brands, leading to the creation of monopolies that not only harm consumers, but also pose serious legal and reputational risks. This undermines the integrity of everyone involved and damages the fabric of organizations and society.
In the current academic environment, corporate responsibility and sustainability have entered the mainstream of management-related education but are not yet embedded in it. The seven Principles of PRME, therefore emphasize a timely global call for universities, business schools and management-related academic institutions worldwide to progressively adapt their curricula, research, teaching methods, and institutional strategies to the new business challenges and opportunities.
In 2008, a group of universities and business schools formed a dedicated Working Group to address the integration of the UN Global Compact’s anti-corruption principle into academic and business discourse. Following the publication of an initial guidance report, the group has expanded to include additional member institutions and has become a dynamic community working together to promote integrity and combat corruption in the public, private, academic and third sectors.
The main activities of the Working Group are aligned with the seven Principles of PRME.
Teaching: Developing best practice guidelines and promoting curriculum change that integrates a business ethics approach with compliance as a fundamental component. The goal is to drive curriculum change through a two-pronged strategy. The vertical strategy focuses on stand-alone business ethics modules in open programs. These include lectures (with case studies, technical notes, etc.), presentations by experienced practitioners, discussions of ethical dilemmas with compliance officers, and short programs on evolving best practices in ethics and compliance. The horizontal strategy integrates business ethics into existing courses, such as governance and strategy topics (including stakeholder and trust theories) in business policy courses, and ethics and compliance risk as part of enterprise risk management (ERM) in finance courses.
Research: Promoting research and knowledge dissemination with a practical focus on business ethics, integrity and transparency, with the goal of contextualizing the discussion of these issues in each specific geographic region and providing practitioners with concrete tools to help them establish, enhance, and monitor effective ethics and compliance programs.
Working Methods & Deliverables
- Collaborative Curriculum Development: A comprehensive anti-corruption toolkit, piloted in several institutions, assists educators in integrating anti-corruption issues into their teaching. The toolkit is continuously refined based on user feedback and new pedagogical insights.
- Global dialogues & Conferences: Conferences, webinars and academic events serve as platforms for dialogue, knowledge sharing and showcasing progress in integrating anti-corruption into university and business school curricula.
- Research & Publications: Working group members actively contribute to the academic conversation through the publication of journal articles, books, educational materials, and case studies. The Working Group’s publications are part of the broader PRME book series, helping to shape thought leadership in responsible management education.
- Partnerships & Outreach: The Working Group collaborates with stakeholders across the UN system and other international organizations, the private, academic and third sectors to expand its reach and impact. It facilitates engagement with practitioners through formats such as the Integrity Talk Series.
The PRME Working Group on anti-corruption is chaired by Professor Dr Christian Hauser (PRME Business Integrity Action Center, University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons)
The goal of the anti-corruption work of the UN Global Compact is to address the needs of the business community in implementing the 10th principle of the UN Global Compact. The two Working Groups on Anti-Corruption of PRME and the UN Global Compact aim to contribute to greater coherence by supporting the alignment of existing initiatives and avoiding duplication of efforts.
In line with the goal of greater coherence, the two Working Groups on Anti-Corruption of PRME and the Global Compact seek to cooperate in the following ways:
- The Working Groups promote integrity pacts and collective action among leading companies in different sectors. These initiatives follow recognized best practice and are implemented through individual and sector-wide projects in collaboration with local and international business chambers.
- In collaboration with global business ethics organizations and networks – including platforms such as the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) – the Working Groups promote joint conferences and initiatives that foster the exchange of experiences and increase the collective impact of anti-corruption efforts.
- Local and regional networks are established to bring together academics, professionals and institutions committed to ethics, compliance and integrity. These networks also provide peer exchange opportunities for senior executives (CEOs, CFOs, COs) through workshops, webinars and face-to-face meetings, fostering practical dialogue and shared learning across sectors.
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