The PRME Secretariat makes no representation concerning, and does not guarantee, the source, originality, accuracy, completeness or reliability of any statement, information, data, finding, inter-pretation, advice or opinion contained within this publication. This publication is intended strictly as a learning document. The inclu-sion of examples does not in any way constitute an endorsement of the individual academic institution or organization by the PRME Secretariat. The material in this publication may be quoted and used provided there is proper attribution. Copyright 2010 United Nations Global Compact Office For more information on the Principles for Responsible Management Education please visit: www.unprme.org Designer: Tannaz Fassihi

The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) are a United Nations-supported initiative to promote and inspire responsible management education and research in academic institutions around the globe.

Why PaRticiPatE?Consider these findings from the 2010 UN Global Compact – Accenture Study of over 750 Chief Executive Officers1:

● Sustainability and corporate responsibility have become business-critical: 93% of respondents believe that sustainability issues are important or very important to the future suc-cess of their business.

● Recent crises have increased the business value of sustainability: 80% of CEOs believe that the economic downturn has raised the importance of sustainability as an issue for top manage-ment, while 74% say that they have aligned it more closely with core business.

● Management education has a vital role to play in driving progress: 88% of CEOs surveyed believe that to reach a “tipping point” — the point where sustainability is embedded within the core business strategies of the majority of companies globally — it is important that educational systems and business schools equip future leaders with the mindsets and skills needed to man-age sustainability.

The Principles for Responsible Management Education initiative supports these efforts by:

● Providing a framework for business schools and other academic institutions to position them-selves as innovators and leaders in integrating sustainability and long-term value creation into management curricula and research. Participating in PRME helps to be “ahead of the curve” in the race to the top.

● Giving participants access to a global learning community of like-minded academic leaders and faculty.

● Serving as a means to recognize an organization’s efforts to incorporate sustainability and corporate responsibility issues in teaching, research and internal systems.

Who PaRticiPatEs? ● As of December 2010, over 340 management-related academic institutions participate in the PRME initiative;

● 28 of the Financial Times’ top 100 business schools participate in PRME;

● PRME is a global initiative with one third of participants each based in Western Europe and North America respectively and the remaining third based in Latin America, Eastern Europe and CIS, Australasia, Africa and the Middle East.

1 http://bit.ly/2010CEOStudy; see also Adapting to a changing context: The role of management education (PRME, Ashridge, EABIS 2010):http://bit.ly/adapting_mgteducation

How to Get Started and Implement tHe prIncIpleS

For many participants, PRME has been a catalyst for initiatives already in progress within the academic organization. While for others, joining PRME has started a process to develop a new framework. In some instances, the organization’s leadership started the process; in other circum-stances, faculty or students were the driving force. All approaches are valid and show that there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

The initiative embodies a voluntary set of principles. It is important to note, however, that each PRME participant can start with implementing those principles which are more relevant to the organization’s specific value-creation strategies and capacities.

Not all principles may be as relevant to each organization. The organization may begin focusing on the ones that most support their mission. Although each academic institution has to find its own approach to implementing the PRME, there are some general good practices:

*percentage indicates PRME participants in a particular region as of December 2010

the commitment of top administrators to the implementation of the prme is a first, crucial aspect for progress

JoInprme

IdentIfY

developInteGrate

aSSeSS create a vISIon

IdentIfY… key stakeholders to help in the initial steps of adoption and implementation of the PRME (e.g. faculty, students, outside stakeholders)

create a vISIon… and identify the key aspects of the orga-nization’s activities that can be changed and what must be achieved in terms of the organization’s operations and services (curriculum, research and advocacy)

develop… the operating, accountability and reporting systems to put the vision into practice

InteGrate… and align efforts across the organi-zation and in its key decision-making processes (e.g. the organization’s opera-tions, curriculum or research) by forming a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary approach team, including administrators, faculty and students

aSSeSS… at a minimum every 24 months and share progress with all stakeholders

3% AustRAlAsiAla trobe GSm in Australia has drafted short and long-term plans involving all the departments (e.g., Marketing, Finance, HR, logistics), estab-lishing well defined progress indicators to monitor PRME efforts.

9% lAtin AMERicAInstituto Superior de adminis-tração e economia fundação Getulio vargas has been engaged in specific activities to promote un-related initiatives in Brazil. “stand-up and Do Your Part for the MDGs Against the Differences” has been truly engaging and provocative.

4% ME AnD AFRicAthe University of dubai made an effort to align and embed course learning outcomes on Responsible Management with course objectives across all disciplines. in addition to assessment tools to track student learn-ing the university has included a PRME re-lated item in the student evaluation form of faculty performance. this helps to engage all faculty, and allows students to show their perceptions of faculty commitment and delivery on Responsible Management-related topics in each course.

30% noRtH AMERicAat mendoza School of Business at notre Dame university, MBA students examined the role of business in rebuilding war-torn societies in places such as sarajevo and Beirut.

10% EAstERn EuRoPE AnD cisIedc-Bled School of management established and coordinates the activities of the Global compact local network slovenia, which in-clude research-based dialogue and educational programs on how to integrate sustainability and social responsibility into competitive advantage.

10% AsiAChina Europe International Business School (CEIBS) has been actively involved with chambers of com-merce, often joining forces to create visibility and dialogue on responsible management-related topics

34% wEstERn EuRoPElondon Business School holds morn-ing breakfast meet-ings and night forums on csR-related topics to have a daily and continuous dialogue with executives.

hoW Was PRME DEvEloPED?

The PRME initiative was developed in 2007 by an international task force of sixty deans, university presidents and official representatives of leading business schools and academic institutions. PRME was launched at the 2007 UN Global Compact Leaders Summit at the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

PRME StEERIng CoMMIttEE

EFMD

“ As a leader, i think it is important to appreciate the differences in cultures, the differences in the way people think and the way they behave. it’s very important as opposed to simply being strong in analytics and strong in risk management. These are important skills of business, but most im-portantly to be successful in the global context is an understanding in the differences of peoples and championing those differences to make the best company you can.” — John Fernandes, CEO, Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)

“ EFMD’s interest in the firm’s role in society and the implications for management education and development goes back to the 1970s and 1980s. it gained renewed impetus with EFMD’s  partnership agreement with the UN Global Compact resulting in the joint creation of GRli and the launch of the Principles for Responsible Management Education. As a PRME co-convener and member of the Steering Committee, EFMD is committed to supporting the embedding of the Prin-ciples as part of its overall mission to promote and enhance excellence in management develop-ment in Europe and worldwide.” — Eric Cornuel, Director General & CEO, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD)

“ Our strategic partnership with the Principles for Responsible Management Education underpins the Association of MBA’s commitment to promote responsible management. As a member of the PRME Steering Committee, the Association actively supports and promotes the mission of PRME initiative ‘to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and thought leadership globally’. PRME has made a significant contribution to the Association’s accreditation criteria review 2010 which will enable the Association to  play a significant role in the worldwide sustainability imperative.” — Sharon Bamford, Chief Executive, Association of MBAs (AMBA)

“ CEEMAN’s value platform which celebrates diversity, culture and values, fosters creativity and in-novation and rewards results achieved and impact made, inspire our association, its members and all our learning partners for a holistic approach to business education and leadership develop-ment. it is business schools’ mission to develop responsible leadership in line with the Principles for Responsible Management Education and to contribute to a sustainable and better world.”— Danica Purg, President, CEEMAN, Association of Management Development Institutions

“ when asking MBA students in latin America about social responsibility, students associate this concept with the idea of managing the firm’s social and environmental impacts through interna-tional standards and by addressing the views of different stakeholders. in this context ClADEA and PRME can reach together ambitious goals to contribute to society.” — Jorge Talavera, Execu-tive Director, Latin American Council of Management Schools (CLADEA),

FURthER inFoRMation

For further information, please visit www.unprme.org or contact the PRME Secretariat at:

PRME SecretariatC/O Foundation for the Global Compact801 2nd Avenue, 2nd FloorNew York, New York 10017

Email: PRMESecretariat@unprme.orgMr. Jonas Haertle, Head, PRME Secretariat (haertle@un.org)Ms. Lisle Ferreira, Manager, PRME Secretariat, (Ferreira@unglobalcompact.org)

hoW to Join?

In order to join to the PRME initiative, an academic institution is asked to:

● Complete a short online questionnaire that asks for background information about your organization and

● Send a signed letter of support by the organization’s highest executive to the PRME Steering Committee.

More information and a template letter of support can be accessed on the PRME website at http://www.unprme.org/how-to-participate

There is no financial cost to become a PRME Signatory.

“ it is vital to go beyond ‘traditional’ CSR if we are to transform management education and the core curriculum. As more companies seek to innovate and to build dynamic capabilities around sustainability, they will require new managers and leaders equipped to manage the growing com-plexities and pressures in their business environment. This has profound implications for institu-tional change in business schools worldwide – a challenge that has not yet been accepted on a global scale.” — Gilbert Lenssen, President, The Academy for Business in Society (EABIS)

“ we need to move from a global business education community which focuses on making our students the best in the world, to making them the best for the world.” — Mark Drewell, Chief Executive, Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI),

“PRME offers a terrific template for innovators in business education across the globe.”— Judith Samuelson, Executive Director, The Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program

“ Students are a real driving force in curriculum change at universities. More and more students every year don’t want just any job they want a job that is responsible and will change the world.”

— Liz Maw, Executive Director, Net Impact

“ Business leaders have to have a much deeper understanding of global issues, of cultural issues, of the soft issues which are not monetary by nature; environmental, social and governance issues. i consider these non-financial issues increasingly important to make what you could call a clever good leader that can navigate the global landscape.”— Georg Kell, Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact, which also hosts the PRME Secretariat.

PRME is generously sponsored by: Graduate Management Admission Council

PRinciPlE 1

PURPOSE: we will develop the capabilities of students to be future gen-erators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy.

PRinciPlE 2

VAlUES: we will incorporate into our academic activities and curricula the values of global social responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United Nations Global Compact.

PRinciPlE 3

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

PRinciPlE 4

RESEARCH: we will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of cor-porations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value.

PRinciPlE 5

PARTNERSHiP: we will interact with managers of business corporations to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environ-mental responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.

PRinciPlE 6

DiAlOGUE: we will facilitate and support dialog and debate among educators, students, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organizations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability.

we understand that our own organizational practices should serve as ex-ample of the values and attitudes we convey to our students.