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School of Management and Law

Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)

The transformation into a sustainable society is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Business schools are called on to contribute. They must ensure that their students understand the interrelationships between their actions and ecological and social challenges, and that they reflect on their responsibility as future specialists and managers. Moreover, their graduates will need to know the models and tools that enable companies to understand and implement sustainability and social responsibility as a success factor. At the ZHAW School of Management and Law, we are aware of this task. Our lecturers, researchers, and staff have been committed to it for years. The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) are the ideal tool to develop our organization further in this respect. In 2014, the ZHAW School of Management and Law made a clear commitment by signing up to the PRME initiative.

The Seven Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME)

In December 2023 PRME launched the new version of the Principles that can support universities in the implementation of Responsible Management Education:

  • Principle 1: Purpose
    We advance responsible management education to foster inclusive prosperity in a world of thriving ecosystems.
  • Principle 2: Values
    We place organizational responsibility and accountability to society and the planet at the core of what we do.
  • Principle 3: Teach
    We transform our learning environments by integrating responsible management concepts and practices into our curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Principle 4: Research
    We study people, organizations, institutions, and the state of the world to inspire responsible management and education practice.
  • Principle 5: Partner
    We engage people from business, government, civil society, and academia to advance responsible and accountable management education and practice.
  • Principle 6: Practice
    We adopt responsible and accountable management principles in our own governance and operations.
  • Principle 7: Share
    We share our successes and failures with each other to enable our collective learning and best live our common values and purpose.

To the Principles

PRME Worldwide

PRME is a seven-principles, globally oriented initiative founded in 2007. PRME has the following objectives:

In the meantime, more than 800 universities from more than 85 countries have joined the initiative. It has one mission: "PRME is the UN Global Compact’s initiative to transform management education and develop the responsible decision-makers of tomorrow to advance sustainable development." And it has one vision: "To create a global movement and drive thought leadership on responsible management education."

The members of the initiative are organized in regional groups (“chapters”), which, as largely autonomous networks, look after the interests of the member universities in the various language regions. For the German-speaking countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, this is the PRME DACH Chapter. The DACH Chapter organizes regular events and other activities for its members and the interested public. These include DACH Chapter meetings, workshops for the DACH Working Panels, the PRME Research Conference, and the SDG Roadshows.

Some of the most experienced and dedicated universities are part of the PRME Champions Group for a period of two years. The mission of the Champions Group is to take a leadership role in thinking and acting in the context of responsible management education within the framework of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.

PRME at the SML

The ZHAW School of Management and Law joined the PRME initiative in August 2014. In the following, we present a selection of our activities to implement the seven Principles.

Why PRME?

PRME Sharing Information on Progress Report

News and Events

News

PRME and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Sustainable development has been the guiding principle of the United Nations since 1987. The Brundtland Report defines it as follows: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In September 2015, the United Nations adopted the "Agenda 2030" on Sustainable Development. This includes 17 goals – the Sustainable Development Goals.

Universities, as centers for innovation and as training centers for future decision-makers, play an essential role here. Management education, in particular, plays a decisive role. On the one hand, business schools educate the next generation of junior executives, who must be able actively to promote the transformation of companies. On the other hand, business schools not only impart knowledge and skills but also shape the attitudes and values of their graduates. Comprehensive integration of the Sustainable Development Goals in research and education is, therefore, essential for shaping sustainable development.

This is why the Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of everything we do in the context of PRME. All future activities of our PRME initiative are geared towards supporting the Sustainable Development Goals.

'We the People' for The Global Goals