United Nations Principles Research Articles

From Capacity to Capability? Rethinking the PRME agenda for inclusive development in management education

Building on Sen’s capabilities approach this paper focuses on the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) to assess whether current developments in management education have the capacity to contribute to the promulgation of an inclusive development that moves beyond the discourse of ‘growth’ and ‘income’. Arguing that PRME in its current form reproduces a dominant market logic, and lacks the sensitivity to difference as captured in the plural quality of Sen’s capability approach, we conclude by suggesting a PRME agenda for management education that contributes to inclusive development as human wellbeing, rewriting it in terms of capabilities.

Flexible education in Australia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the extent to which the South Australian flexible learning option (FLO) secondary school enrolment strategy supports some of the most vulnerable and disengaged students to simultaneously engage in secondary- and higher-education, skills and work-based learning; second, to explore the degree to which this FLO enrolment strategy addresses the United Nations (UN) principles of responsible management education and 17 sustainable development goals.Design/methodology/approachThe approach includes a practice perspective, field-notes and documents analysis.FindingsThis paper finds the flexibility inherent in the FLO enrolment strategy goes some way to addressing inequity in education outcomes amongst those who traditionally disengage from education and work-based learning. Findings also highlight ways in which the FLO enrolment strategy addresses some of the UN principals and 17 goals.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper supports the work of HESWBL by calling for future research into the long-term benefits of flexible education strategies that support HESWBL, through exploring the benefits to young people, from their perspective, with a view to providing accountability.Social implicationsThe paper offers an example of a way a practice perspective can explore an education strategy that addresses “wicked problems” (Rittel and Webber, 1973). Currently, “wicked problems” that pervade member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development include intergenerational poverty, under-education and unemployment.Originality/valueThis paper is valuable because it explores from a practice perspective, how a secondary education enrolment strategy supports vulnerable students engage in their secondary schooling, while simultaneously supporting students achieve higher education, skills and work-based learning.

The impacts of environmental, social, and governance factors on firm performance

PurposeThe ESG factor, which consists of environmental, social, and governance factors, represents the non-financial performance of a company. United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment invites investors to consider ESG issues when evaluating the performance of any company. Moreover, nowadays, the contribution of corporations towards sustainable development is a major concern of investors, creditors, government, and other environmental agencies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of ESG factors on the performance of Malaysian public-limited companies (PLC) in terms of profitability, firm value, and cost of capital.Design/methodology/approachA total of 54 companies are selected from Bloomberg’s ESG database that has complete ESG and financial data from 2010 to 2013. This study conducted panel data regressions such as the pooled OLS, fixed effect, and random effect.FindingsBased on the regression results, there is no significant relationship between individual and combined factors of ESG and firm profitability (i.e. ROE) as well as firm value (i.e. Tobin’s Q). Moreover, individually, none of the factors of ESG is significant with the cost of capital (weighted average cost of capital, WACC), but the combined score of ESG positively and significantly influences the cost of capital (WACC) of a company.Practical implicationsAs this is a new study on Malaysia, the findings of this study will be useful to investors, SRI analysts, policy makers, and other related agencies.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first empirical study to examine the impact of ESG factors on the performance of Malaysian PLC in terms of profitability, firm value, and cost of capital.

An Exploratory Study of Ethics, CSR, and Sustainability in the Management Education of Top Universities in the Arab Region

This research aims at exploring the status of integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher management education in the Arab region. The universities in the Arab region have lately emphasized internationalization in their educational policies, aiming at improving their regional and global presence, as a major part of their national reforms. Such transformations will never take hold if education systems are not reformed to foster citizenship, ethics, and social responsibility. Therefore, the study adopted qualitative content analysis of the top 40 business schools that are ranked based on the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings in the Arab Region in 2016, as well as schools acting as signatories of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). To analyze the integration of ESD at all educational levels, the relevant literature commonly emphasized upon the adoption of Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Sustainability (ECSRS). Hence, the content analysis involved critical identification of pre-selected keywords under the ECSRS theme throughout the sampled universities’ online content and “Sharing Information on Progress” reports, in light of institutional, curricular, and instrumental levels, expanding the work of Setó-Pamies and Papaoikomomou (2016). The results revealed that ECSRS is outlined in the sampled universities’ strategies mainly through their mission statements. ECSRS is incorporated to a great extent in the curriculum of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the form of obligatory and elective courses. Yet, student extracurricular activities did not receive equivalent devotion. As for ECSRS research, over half of sampled universities had dedicated research centers mainly focusing on environmental sustainability, in addition to issuing sporadic publications on various ECSRS topics. Integrating ECSRS in university outreach is still considered marginalized.

Going against the grain: emotional labour in the face of established business school institutional logics

ABSTRACTThe institutionalisation of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in business schools involves a normatively challenging change project. Drawing on the institutional work and emotional labour literatures, this paper reports on the findings of a qualitative study into the emotional labour that underpins the practices of PRME advocates in 24 UK business schools. While acknowledging institutional gains, findings highlight the emotional consequences including exhaustion and isolation experienced when seeking to disrupt dominant sector and organisational logics. The study demonstrates the potential value for both academic change agents and supportive management of insights derived from the recent ‘emotionalising’ of institutional work research.

Preaching to the Unconverted – A Cosmopolitan Framework of PRME's Influence on Student Satisfaction

The United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) are conceptualized as a cosmopolitan initiative that may increase student satisfaction. In cosmopolitanism, responsibility is derived from a universal concern for humanity. I ask: (1) Does PRME implementation contribute to student satisfaction? (2) Does the answer to the first question depend on students’ values? These questions are answered with survey data from 324 students at the Chinese campus of a PRME champion school. I find that PRME implementation is positively associated with student satisfaction. However, universalism values negatively moderate this effect. Understanding universalism values as an indicator for a cosmopolitan mindset, the results suggest that cosmopolitan students, ‘the converted,’ expect responsible management education, while those who are less cosmopolitan, ‘the unconverted,’ perceive it more strongly as an added value that increases their satisfaction. For business schools, the results imply that the increase in students’ satisfaction from ‘preaching’ PRME is particularly high for ‘the unconverted’. This suggests an argument for PRME implementation as this both benefits students and creates a business case for the implementing school.

Insights into responsible education for sustainable development: The case of UWE, Bristol

In this paper, we argue that it is opportune to revisit profound questions about the purpose, nature and value of higher education in society at a juncture where the context of higher education has been significantly influenced by the global sustainability agenda and responsible management education imperatives (United Nations (UN) Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME), UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Global Compact, UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), etc.). We take Holman’s (2000) work on models for management education and his recommendations as our point of departure in critically examining the practice of embedding ESD and UN PRME (as two complementary schemes) in our institution. We explore the nature and interrelationships of Holman's 5 axioms of management education (epistemic, pedagogical, management-as-practice, social, and organisational) in order to provide a reflective account of our experiences and elucidate deeper understandings of what responsible education for sustainable development may mean in practice. The arguments presented here are grounded in both practical theorising stemming from related literature and concrete empirical illustrations generated through our observations and reflections as participants (in our roles as PRME Leader, ESD champion and SD programme leader) in the PRME/ESD initiatives. We have demonstrated that embedding ESD responsibly across a HE institution is a complex, emerging, evolving and non-linear process of addressing simultaneously the curriculum content, power, structures, identity, values, and external checks and balances. Therefore, a critical attention is needed to all 5 axioms and assumptions that are at play and has to be facilitated by a combination of educational activism, informal academic collaboration, formal measures and reporting, and practical skills of maintaining legitimacy and ownership of creative and innovative pedagogic models while negotiating the meaning of those to align with the institutional priorities.

Context and the institutionalisation of PRME: The case of the University for the Common Good

This study assesses the significance of the degree of senior management commitment in determining the adoption and implementation of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). A case study of a Scottish PRME signatory institution confirms the suggestion in the literature that top-down commitment is a key driver of the implementation of PRME, but also suggests that the nature and shape of this commitment is likely to vary from Institution to Institution. It is concluded that attention to the local context and prevailing organisational circumstances is required to explain the timing of institutional commitment to PRME, the specific challenges that business school leaders face as they strive to institutionalise PRME, and the types of strategy employed.

Responsible management education: Mapping the field in the context of the SDGs

This paper examines the field of Responsible Management Education (RME) in the context of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), situating the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME) in relation to a range of associated initiatives and organisations using a light, Bourdieusian theoretical framing. The emergence of the SDGs as a frame or doxa for RME and the role of UN PRME as an agent in this field is explored in the context of the literature on how business schools have delivered on sustainability and responsibility imperatives. The field of RME is partially mapped, loosely categorising actors and initiatives as membership or affiliation networks, teaching and learning initiatives and student-centred or student-led groups. Their differing aspirations are discussed, and tentative conclusions are drawn on the extent to which the SDGs are acting as a unifying paradigm, and on the future roles that UN PRME may play in the field.

India’s Stance and Renewed Commitment to UN Peacekeeping

The United Nations (UN) adopted UN Peacekeeping, during its initial years, to restore international peace and security. As the world body celebrated 70 years of its existence in 2015, UN Peacekeeping continues to play an important role in maintaining peace and security, by protecting civilians and preventing human rights violations arising from violence and conflict. India has emerged as one of the frontrunners in the shared responsibility of ushering in peace and stability in the world, under the umbrella of the UN. It has adhered to UN principles and has shouldered the responsibility of providing troops, financial assistance and other requirements necessary to bring about peace. But of late, India has lamented that the UN Security Council is not heeding, and sidesteps, the voice of the contributing countries in the planning and administering of peacekeeping missions. Thus, the basic objective of this article is to examine India’s stance on peacekeeping in the wake of growing clamour to allow contributing countries a role in decision-making. It also analyses the rationale behind India’s renewed commitment towards UN peacekeeping in current times.

Well-Being Opportunities

This paper identifies opportunities for increasing individual wellbeing to provide a basis for its measurement and improvement. Opportunities for increasing wellbeing exist in the private, non-profit and government sectors by introducing elements of network governance to complement, restrain and improve the operations of hierarchical organisations. Identifying elements of network governance provides a statistical basis for quantifying wellbeing. This also provides a basis for assessing the degree that signatories to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment are honouring their commitment to encourage their investee firms to improve their operations and wellbeing of their stakeholders.

Capturing complexity in how configurations of firm Internal Orientations impact corporate social performance outcomes: Breaking from the dominant logic of symmetric-variable to asymmetric-case-based theory and testing

This study exemplifies how an asymmetric and case based (configurational) research approach (using fuzzy state logic and complexity theory) is useful for conceptualization and explanation of complex topics and heterogeneous outcomes. The study here analyses the recipes (condition combinations) for Internal Orientation constructs (IO: strategic intent, CSP management, strategic orientation and industrial standards) among multi-national companies (MNCs) indicating “high” levels of corporate social performance (CSP) and the “United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment” (UNPRI) ESG factor framework (Environment, Social-human rights, and Governance) – separately and as a whole. The study applies a mixed methods research design and includes comparing ESG with financial performance across a “Top-100 Sustainable Companies Index” (n = 82 of MNCs trading on the Swedish stock exchange). The study's findings support the core tenets of complexity theory; all four IO constructs affect a high E or S or G outcome but not all three outcomes in combination.

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.

Determinants of CSR Standardization vs. Localization: Empirical Evidence from Korean MNEs in China

The globalization and standardization of CSR actively took place after the implementation of ISO 26000 in November 2010. Ever since, Korean firms have increasingly issued CSR reports conforming to the Global Reporting Initiative, as there is an increasing urge to join the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). While previous studies about corporate social responsibility have been focused mainly on its financial benefits and determinants, firms have faced CSR standardization, one of the most effective strategies for MNEs, a topic that has not been covered adequately in existing studies. To address this research gap, this study investigates institutional theory and the resource-based view suggesting a relationship between MNEs’ resources and standardization of CSR. Using several FDI datasets of Korean MNEs from 2011 to 2012 in China, we conducted regression analysis. The findings of this study indicate that R&D capabilities, dispatch of expatriates, size of parent firm and subsidiary influenced standardization of CSR. The results also suggest that headquarter officies and subsidiaries take on different roles in CSR standardization.

Opposing Colonialism: the Women's International Democratic Federation and decolonisation struggles in Vietnam and Algeria 1945–1965

ABSTRACTThis article argues that the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) was a major force in promoting anti-colonialism after 1945. The article traces how and why the WIDF came to support anti-colonialism from the mid-1940s to 1965. Part of the answer lies in the cosmopolitan vision and background of the membership of the WIDF that included increasing participation from nationalist and communist women from Asia and Africa. By sharing their views on colonial oppression the WIDF as a whole came to recognise the links between colonial oppression and women's oppression. Focusing on Vietnam and Algeria, this article analyses the strategies the WIDF used in its anti-colonial activism. One strategy was to document the effects of colonialism on the women of Asia and Africa and to publicise their experiences of ongoing colonial wars. A second WIDF strategy was to provide a platform for women from colonised countries to promote anti-colonialism through its congresses and appeals and by lobbying the United Nations (UN), especially in relation to the violation of UN conventions and principles. The article presents a new history of transnational anti-colonial activism.

An Integrated System of National and International Remedies for Crimes under International Law

Ten years’ ago, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Basic Principles on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law (UN Basic Principles or Principles). 1 The Principles were intended to codify existing international norms and standards on the right to a remedy and reparation for violations that cut across international human rights, criminal and humanitarian law. 2 The scope of the Principles include the duty to prevent violations; to conduct an effective, prompt, thorough and impartial investigation ‘against those allegedly responsible’ and to provide victims with ‘equal and effective access to justice’ and ‘adequate, effective and prompt’ reparation. 3 The Preamble to the UN Basic Principles underlines the importance of addressing remedies ‘in a systematic and thorough way at the national and international levels’. 4 This statement is not developed further within the Principles and has not been explored comprehensively in the academic or policy literature. The term ‘national’ is also not defined although a distinction must be made between ‘national’ for the purpose of ‘local remedies’ and foreign national courts. This new book proposes to fill this gap by posing three questions. First, to what extent does the existing national (including foreign national) and international infrastructure provide a comprehensive system of remedies? Secondly, can the system be developed to fill gaps and in what way? Thirdly, how should the relationship between national, foreign national and international remedies be conceived? Should it be linear in solely focusing on access to international or foreign national remedies where local remedies fail or should it also be iterative with international and foreign national remedies seeking to feedback into local remedies as a means of reactivation?

The political-legal nexus in EU counter-terrorism: an assessment of the two-track influences between the EU and the UN

ABSTRACTIn the construction of the European Union's (EU's) counter-terrorism legal system, United Nations instruments and principles enter in the EU law sphere and pave the way for further developments both due to its legal force and to its role as agents of socialisation of security norms. At the same time, as this article demonstrates, the principles of EU constitutionalism, fundamental pillars in the EU's legal system, have been the sources of judicial decisions that ultimately impacted on the standards of fundamental rights protection in the UN framework. This article investigates the mutual influences between the EU and the UN in the field of counter-terrorism. It argues that although the impact of UN norms on EU counter-terrorism policies is more significant than the opposite, the EU has also revealed capacity to influence the UN in certain counter-terrorism procedures. Considering the sensitivity of counter-terrorism and EU's characteristics as an external security actor, the findings of the research conducted here can be seen as counter-intuitive, enabling new discussions on the EU's security actorness.

OLDER PERSONS

Background: The Older Persons (OPs) are the knowledge and experiencebanks who hand over their life experiences to run society to the youth to further take up thesociety for the continuity of life and its progressive upward mobility. Objective: The aim of studywas to explore the interrelationship of older persons’ health care and social protection in thelight of United Nations Principles for Older Persons in Rawalpindi city. Study Design: CrossSectional Study. Materials and Methods: Structured questionnaire was developed to collectinformation on Older Persons’ health, economic and psychological status. In this regard, anextensive questionnaire was designed and pre-tested vigorously. Place & Duration of Study:The data collection was done in various union councils of Rawalpindi city. The study durationwas three months and lasted from September 2013 to December 2013. Results: Family isconcerned about the welfare of OPs but the financial liabilities. In 82.8% cases children werefound to be caring whereas in 17.2% cases kids were totally forgetful. 46% OPs were primarilynursed by their spouses and 34% by sons or daughters. 44.3% OPs still managed their financialaffairs. In 66% case no secondary financial facility was provided by the government. 28.9%cases were those where OPs requested help from other sources. Conclusions: The IslamicJurisprudence, Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and UN Principles demand thegovernments and states to intervene in the situation and make sure that the OPs are enjoyingequal access to independence, (social) participation, care, self-fulfillment and dignity.

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.