Responsible Management Education in Business Schools – High on principles but low on action: A systematic literature review

Abstract

In 2007, the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) were introduced by the United Nations to equip future business leaders with the skills, attitudes and beliefs needed to balance economic and sustainability goals in response to decades of unethical business practices. Business Schools across the globe have become signatories to PRME to indicate their support, but implementation of PRME initiatives remains variable. This paper is a systematic literature review that presents a synthesis of extant research from the past 15 years about PRME and barriers to implementation in Business Schools. The literature demonstrates positive impacts on students' prosocial behaviours, attitudes, and beliefs when PRME is embedded in tertiary business curriculum. However, PRME remains a ‘bolt on’ part of curricula, driven by individuals or small groups of impassioned academics. Academics attempting to embed PRME to improve the education of sustainable business practices are themselves labouring in an unsustainable academic environment. This suggests that authentic uptake of PRME by Business Schools around the world is far more complex than what the current literature depicts. The literature demonstrates that while Business Schools recognise PRME helps them deliver on their obligations to society, broader institutional support and reform is required before the value of PRME can be realised - as a vehicle through which business education can best serve society.