Principles For Responsible Management Education Research Articles

Hidden curriculum in student organizations: Learning, practice, socialization and responsible management in a business school

For many students, education does not simply mean obtaining a university degree and, consequently, a good job; rather, there is also a need to attain personal satisfaction and a sense of responsibility for the community in which one lives. In the business school that we studied, we observed that learning not only occurs in the formal education program but also is complemented by operations in the nine existing student organizations, which constitute much of the school's hidden curriculum. This research entailed a survey with a qualitative approach. Analyzing the keyword answers of the students, 91% affirmed that they dealt with ethical concerns, corporate social responsibility and sustainability in student organizations. Based on the content of the other answers of the questionnaire, it can be concluded that students are creating their own learning content in student organizations in varied subjects to meet demands unmet by the formal curriculum. The student organizations are a fertile field for reflecting on and practicing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and learning the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). The students of the surveyed student organizations demonstrated a predisposition to social impact actions, thus ensuring their responsibility, ethics, interest in sustainability and awareness of society.

Crafting Responsible Management Practices in Business School Learning Outcomes: An Indian Case Study

Management education is increasingly facing societal demands for becoming responsible business. Many management institutions have therefore become involved in embedding sustainable development as part of responsible management education into their academic system. This was also due to use of ‘responsible management’ as one of the important criteria in the international accreditation process and thus leading to greater acceptability amongst its target audience. The United Nations (UN)-supported Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative is an important catalyst for the transformation of management education in this direction. The research was based on analysis of around 60 peer-reviewed articles in the field of responsible management education to understand important categories where the institution can commit for implementation of sustainable development. The next part of research focuses on studying the declarations, charters or initiatives for higher education for sustainable development. Further, the research for this article was built upon discussions on implementation of PRME in designing the student learning outcomes (SLOs) for management education. The article intends to study the case of one institute from North India that has made an attempt to adopt the six (plus one) principles of PRME into the curriculum design for its Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). The article serves as an instrument to help higher education institutions (HEIs) that are planning to adopt PRME as it explains the processes, challenges and benefits of implementing PRME throughout the system.

Through the Eyes of a Whistle-Blower: How Sherry Hunt Spoke Up About Citibank's Mortgage Fraud

In 2011, Sherry Hunt was a vice president and chief underwriter at CitiMortgage headquarters in the United States. For years she had been witnessing fraud, as the company bought billions of dollars in mortgage loans from external lenders that did not meet Citi credit policy and sold them to government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). This resulted in Citi selling to GSEs such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pools of loans that were considerably defective and thus likely to default. Citi had also approved hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of defective mortgage files for U.S. Federal Housing Administration insurance. After reporting the mortgage defects in regular reports, notifying and working closely with her direct supervisor (who was subsequently asked to leave Citi after alerting the chairman of the board to these issues) to stop the purchase of defective loans, leaving anonymous tips on the FBI's and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's websites, and receiving threats from two of her superiors who demanded that she change the results of her quality control unit's reports, the shy and conflict-avoidant Hunt had to decide who she should tell about the fraud, and how.The case gives students the opportunity to recommend how Hunt should proceed based on their analysis of the stakeholders involved. To aid instructors, the case includes Kellogg-produced videos of Hunt—the only on-camera interviews she has ever given—explaining what happened after she reported the fraud to Citi HR and, later, the U.S. Department of Justice. Within the case, students are also briefly exposed to legislation and bodies pertinent to whistle-blowing in the United States, including the Dodd-Frank Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the SEC Office of the Whistleblower.This case won the 2014 competition for Outstanding Case on Anti-Corruption, supported by the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), an initiative of the UN Global Compact. Analyze stakeholders' motivations to prepare counter-arguments to the resistance one might encounter when reporting unethical behavior Write a script for who to tell, how, and why Discuss how incentive structures, management, and culture play roles in promoting or hindering ethical behavior in organizations Identify behaviors that help a whistle-blower be effective Gain experience resolving ethical dilemmas in which two values may conflict, such as professional duty and personal ethics

Benchmarking corporate social responsibility against principles for responsible management education

Universities are educating students to become future leaders, managers and entrepreneurs. The need to incorporate and develop corporate social responsibility within university programs is necessary for future decision makers. We benchmark corporate social responsibility curriculum against the Principles for Responsible Management Education in two different contexts: a Mexican University and a Canadian University. Through a comparative case study process, we find that both programs have similarities and differences with PRME on issues of perceiving corporate social responsibility as a strategic management tool that adds value to the organisation, the role of entrepreneurs and the responsibility they have towards the different stakeholders, as well as the globalisation phenomena and the foundations of social responsibility. The paper contributes insight into how higher education institutes play a role in developing and preparing students as stakeholders who can not only ensure standards of corporate social responsibility but also how social responsibility is maintained.

Benchmarking corporate social responsibility against principles for responsible management education

Universities are educating students to become future leaders, managers and entrepreneurs. The need to incorporate and develop corporate social responsibility within university programs is necessary for future decision makers. We benchmark corporate social responsibility curriculum against the Principles for Responsible Management Education in two different contexts: a Mexican University and a Canadian University. Through a comparative case study process, we find that both programs have similarities and differences with PRME on issues of perceiving corporate social responsibility as a strategic management tool that adds value to the organisation, the role of entrepreneurs and the responsibility they have towards the different stakeholders, as well as the globalisation phenomena and the foundations of social responsibility. The paper contributes insight into how higher education institutes play a role in developing and preparing students as stakeholders who can not only ensure standards of corporate social responsibility but also how social responsibility is maintained.

The Role of UN Principles for Responsible Management Education in Stimulating Organizational Learning for Global Responsibility Within Business Schools

In recent years, The United Nations (UN)-backed Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) has emerged as a learning platform for business schools to encourage co-operation at teaching, research, and institutional level with other business schools across the world to deal with global responsibility issues at economic, social, and environmental level. In this context, we interview Jonas Haertle, the current head of the UN PRME, to understand how this initiative may stimulate organizational learning for global responsibility within business schools. We base this interview on a conceptual model that highlights the different learning steps to become a responsible organization and the influence of internal and external factors on this learning process. Jonas underlines that beyond the necessary commitment of the dean and of faculty members, international academic networks may contribute to accelerate the development of responsible management education.

Opportunities and Challenges for CSR Mainstreaming in Business Schools

Extant literature has highlighted that business schools have been accused of promoting an educational ethos that emphasizes shareholder value and the pursuit of short-term profits and thereby preparing overly competitive future generations interested in profit maximization. This paper highlights the importance of integrating CSR into the mainstream of business schools' curricula, arguing for the responsible role that business schools should play but also emphasizing the strategic case for such integration. The paper analyzes the main challenges and opportunities that both hinder and facilitate mainstreaming of CSR at the heart of the business school curriculum and the role that the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) can potentially play in this regard. The paper illustrates these drivers and constraints in the context of one specific business school in Lebanon that has successfully experimented with CSR mainstreaming, leading to a nuanced reflection on the possibilities of a real paradigmatic change in the context of higher management education at this critical juncture and what it is going to take to catalyze a real transformation beyond “bells and whistles” and mere rhetoric.

Understanding Responsible Management: Emerging Themes and Variations from European Business School Programs

Our literature review reveals a call for changes in business education to encourage responsible management. The Principles for Responsible Management Education were developed in 2007 under the coordination of the United Nations Global Compact, AACSB International, and other leading academic institutions for the purpose of promoting responsible management in education. Literature review shows that responsible management as such remains undefined. This gap in literature leads potentially to an absence of clarity in research, education, and management, regarding responsible management among scholars and practitioners. The aim of this research is to develop a preliminary definition of responsible management, exploring the use of the term in literature and practice. Its objective is to define the main characteristics of responsible management aimed at creating a platform for discussion so as to help organizations clarify their own vision of responsible management. It builds on preliminary findings from literature review that responsible management remains undefined. As business school students are primary stakeholders in management education and are future management leaders, and as there have not been empirical studies to date that examine business school students’ understanding of responsible management, a qualitative study was conducted with European business school students concerning their understanding of the term. A framework summarizing perceptions of responsible management characteristics and broad approach of responsible management definition were created and used to introduce a draft theoretical platform for discussion on this topic.

Understanding Responsible Management

Our literature review reveals a call for changes in business education to encourage responsible management. The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) developed in 2007 under the co...

Abrahamic Tone-at-the-Top: Righteousness and Justice, Tzedek vvMishpat, Caritas in Veritate

Abraham’s leadership by example provides a template for business leaders to implement a tone at the top based on a balance of tzedek/tzedakah (righteousness/charity) and mishpat (justice). The former expresses a generosity of spirit required of leaders, while the latter expresses the pursuit of truth which is equally important. Catholic Social Teaching expresses the same concept as Caritas in Veritate (charity in truth). Pope Francis similarly addressed accountants in 2014 and urged them to go beyond professional notions of objectivity to embrace creativity in helping achieve social solidarity. We also connect the concepts of righteousness and justice to the prophetic tradition. Finally, we provide contemporary examples of the difference between righteousness and justice. We conclude by contrasting righteousness as exemplified by Hans Kung’s Global Economic Ethic Manifesto with the more justice-oriented United Nations Global Compact, and Principles of Responsible Management Education.

The Role of Gender and Age in Business Students’ Values, CSR Attitudes, and Responsible Management Education: Learnings from the PRME International Survey

As demand grows from various stakeholders for responsible management education (RME) in business schools, it is essential to understand how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and RME are perceived by various subgroups of business students. Following the principles of theories on moral orientation and moral development, we examined the role of gender and age in determining four indicators of business students’ moral approach (i.e., values, CSR attitudes, corporate responsibility priorities, and suggestions toward RME) in the context of business schools committed to RME and CSR. Based on nearly 1300 responses to a survey, conducted with the United Nations-supported principles for responsible management education, we show that overall, female students placed a higher value on ethical responsibilities than male students. Female students were also more welcoming than male students regarding curriculum changes that were focused on CSR-related studies (or RME). In addition, older age groups ranked transcendent values and positive CSR attitudes higher than younger age groups. We also found that the subgroups of the age variable could better discriminate the differences in choices made by the respondents between the four indicators of students’ moral approach. The implications of our findings to RME, business schools, and other stakeholders are discussed.

The Integration of Sustainability in the Business Curricula of Cebu Universities and Colleges: A Review

This study investigates the extent by which Cebu universities and colleges have incorporated the issues of sustainability and environment management in their business and management programs’ curricula. The RA 9512 (2008 Act to Promote Environmental Awareness and Education) mandates the integration of ‘environmental education in its school curricula at all levels . . .’ In the global front, the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Management Education (2008) challenges management educators to ‘develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society...’ The curriculum prospectus of 41 undergraduate programs of 8 schools were gathered through the collection of brochures and web-based research. These were analyzed to evaluate whether the curricula have full programs, with sustainability or environment management as the majors, or at least offer subjects on sustainability or its equivalent. The document analyses reveal the nonexistence of sustainability-related programs as well as the absence of stand-alone environment management courses. The study concludes the urgency of underscoring education for sustainability courses in the business curricula. Recommendations include the redesign of the business curricula, integrating sustainability principles and practices. By urging policy makers and school administrators, business and management graduates become better equipped to decide and manage resources, cognizant of the earth’s limited resources. Keywords-Education for sustainable development, environment education, UN PRME, RA 9512, qualitative design, Philippines

Amplifying a Relational Ethic: A Contribution to PRME Praxis

AbstractWestern economically driven instrumental ethics fuel the dominant institutional logic in many business schools and are associated with the negative social and environmental situation widely linked to the mode of global development. Other ethical framings have been subordinated, marginalized, or denied. Through the explicit commitment of prominent international certifying bodies of management education, educators, researchers, and practitioners will be encouraged to give increasing effect to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). The PRME is a United Nations‐led, institution‐level mechanism for reorienting the direction of business schools and for increasing both educator and student capacities to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable mode of development globally. We propose greater emphasis be given to various forms of relational ethics from which to guide the functional aspirations of institutions. We explore the creative opportunity for institutional change by contrasting the prevailing Western economically driven instrumental institutional logic with indigenous ethical framings. We draw upon Seo and Creed's conceptual framework of institutional change to discuss two films—Mann v. Ford and Waste = Food—to bring greater attention to the generative potential of indigenous perspectives in institutional praxis. Our examples could equally invite an application of other systems of relational ethics that have been overshadowed by the current domination of economic instrumentalism in almost all realms of decision making. We conclude by providing some teaching resources that can be used or adapted for geographical‐ or disciplinary‐specific attention to the issues we raise.

Indigenous wisdom and the PRME: inclusion or illusion?

Purpose – The Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) are a United Nations led initiative that includes a mandate to engage with voices generally marginalized in business classrooms. The voices of Indigenous peoples are among such marginalized voices. Inclusion of indigenous worldviews offer opportunities to enhance the capacity of the PRME to contribute to more just and sustainable management and development of humanity. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – PRME Principle One inspires opportunities to integrate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) and through this confluence, contribute to manifesting the espoused aspirations of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) – i.e. the transformation of poverty and environmental degradation toward universal human and environmental thriving. Findings – Greater attention to relational ethics through critical pedagogy encourages reflection on the paradoxes of the market logic that permeates management education. The outcome in practice of this logic appears to result in ever increasing disparity. Its unfettered trajectory risks both people and planet. An indigenous call to respect all life, including that of the planet, brings the principles of universal inclusiveness to light in a compelling way. Originality/value – This essay is unique in its call to construe together the PRME, UNGC, Business Reference Guide (BRG), and the DRIP to progress aspirations of inclusiveness and sustainability; and contribute indigenous worldviews for their intrinsic value in critical reflection on the damage caused by the market logic endemic to management education.

Responsible management education for a sustainable world

Purpose– The reforms in business schools based on the Ford and Carnegie Foundation reports (Pierson, 1959; Gordon and Howell, 1959) have been very successful in embedding management in a research-based body of knowledge, thereby elevating the academic status of business administration. These reforms, however, did nothing toward making management more socially trustworthy or management education more responsible. In the light of the pressing economic, social and environmental crises the world is facing, the feeling is spreading that not only business and economics but business schools also need to change fundamentally, if they want to be a provider of solutions to these crises and thereby keep and regain their legitimacy. The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of the fundamental challenges facing the role of business schools and their contributions in the areas of education, research, managing faculty, and role of the business school. It presents suggestions what responsible management education for a sustainable world could and should look like.Design/methodology/approach– The paper builds on the existing literature on the needed changes in business schools and has been written as part of a large international project, the 50+20 initiative (www.50plus20.org), which was developed by a broad coalition of organizations with the World Business School Council for Sustainable Business (WBSCSB), the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) and the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) at its core and 16 business schools and organizations from all around the world as supporters (Muffet al., 2013).Findings– Business schools need to transform themselves fundamentally, if they want to be a provider of solutions to the crises of responsibility and sustainability and thereby keep and regain their legitimacy.Originality/value– The paper pulls together insights from a diverse area of literature and develops practical conclusions.

Sustainable development: the UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN Global Compact, and the common good

For business to flourish, society must flourish. In today's global economy, business serves the common good not only by producing goods and services but also by reaching out to the many who are not even in the market because they lack marketable skills and the resources to acquire them. Sustainable Development: UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN Global Compact, and the Common Good contains twenty-two essays that document the work of Western companies, working through the UN Global Compact and its Principles of Responsible Investment and the Principles for Responsible Management Education, to shape more peaceful and just societies. Seven case studies by leading businesses and private-public partnershipsincluding Microsoft, Merck, Sumitomo Chemical, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Novartis, and Levi Straussoutline their projects, especially those advancing the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) designed to alleviate dire poverty. Twelve chapters reflect on some of the conceptual issues involved with the MDGs, and the three concluding essays examine the future of the UN Global Compact, of the Millennium Development Goals, and of the role of business enterprise in society. The United Nations Global Compact is a major initiative in the worldwide effort to ensure the fair distribution of the enormous wealth generated by the globalization of corporate capitalism, an initiative of interest to all nations, corporations public and private, and the present and future citizens of the world. This volume comprises original contributions from the foremost scholars in the field. These papers are the state of the art in the scholarly examination of the international efforts on the part of private enterprise to assist in economic development and forging peace. Lisa H. Newton, Fairfield University

Integrating Human dignity and Human Rights governance as a new management education paradigm

This paper proposes an alternative management education model guided by the Ledesma-Kolvenbach (L-K) model and the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). Its main contribution is a...

Aligning the PRME

Productive relationships between business schools and corporate organizations provide fertile ground for bringing business leaders, faculty, students, and community partners face-to-face with contemporaries abroad to foster development of responsible global leadership competencies. While well-orchestrated multicountry collaboration offers unique opportunities for many stakeholders to gain life-altering perspectives, embedding international field work and experiential pedagogy in a business curriculum is not without risk. Utilizing content analysis, this study provides evidence of the development of five specific responsible leadership competencies as a result of experiential learning through international study trips across three different academic years and student cohorts. These immersive study abroad experiences were designed to integrate cross-disciplinary course content through first-hand examination of global practices in social, financial, and environmental management in context while aligning MBA pedagogy with all six Principles for Responsible Management Education.

Responsible management education in UK business schools: Critically examining the role of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education as a driver for change

As examinations of the ethics of business practice have increased so too have questions regarding the role of business schools. A key aspect of this re-evaluation has been the emergence of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education, reflecting the growing emphasis upon ‘soft regulation’ and voluntary action within new governance frameworks around responsible business practice. This article focuses upon the changing nature of responsible management education within UK business schools and examines the potential role of Principles for Responsible Management Education in shaping these developments. The article examines the findings of two surveys of responsible management education conducted in 2006/2007 and 2009/2010, and qualitative data derived from case studies of five Principles for Responsible Management Education signatory schools. The article questions whether there is any direct evidence for Principles for Responsible Management Education as a driver of curriculum change. It suggests that its primary impact may lie with its facilitative capacity and the ability of active faculty members in utilising this capacity.

“Paradigm Change” or No Real Change At All? A Critical Reading of the U.N. Principles for Responsible Management Education

Proponents of the transformative potential of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) claim that their adoption could lead to a “paradigm change” in business schools, thus addressing many of the sustained critiques of the sector in recent years. However, this claim and the PRME themselves have to date not been subjected to systematic scrutiny from a Critical Management Education perspective. Applying a critical discourse analysis methodology, this article evaluates how business schools and management education are positioned in key PRME documentation and the Sharing Information on Progress reports of U.K. business school signatories to the PRME. A key finding is that the PRME discourse assumes and promotes a problematic understanding of management education that includes a positioning of business schools as servants of the corporate sector. The impact of this and other assumptions undermines any “paradigm change” claim. Conclusions identify potential discursive and organizational strategies to nurture a more critical, learning-centered PRME discourse.