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Event Report Principles for Responsible Management Education

Letter from the Global Forum Director

The Global Forum has long been a vibrant gathering for the PRME community, where ideas flourish and connections are forged. And while this year’s event was virtual, the power of collective impact and like-minded community shone brilliantly. The unwavering dedication of this community was evident as almost 800 passionate individuals gathered from around the globe, each at their computers, tablets, or smartphones, eager to connect and learn from one another. It was truly inspiring to see such a strong commitment to collective impact and mutual growth. Offering a more accessible and environmentally friendly format this year was not just a necessity but a privilege, reflecting our shared commitment to sustainability and inclusivity.

The vision for this year’s Global Forum was to accelerate the global collective impact of responsible management education. As we face unprecedented global issues - from climate change to social inequality to international conflict - fostering a new generation of responsible and innovative business leaders is urgently needed. Our panel sessions were designed to ignite transformative thinking and inspire concrete action. The disciplinary breakouts encouraged educators to integrate sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their specific business school disciplines. Through our award sessions, we showcased exemplary practices, demonstrating how the lessons learned within our community can be powerfully applied in (and sometimes outside of) the classroom. We felt the transformative power of knowledge exchange in these sessions and hope that you, too, departed with seeds of inspiration and ideas for meaningful change.

A gathering for the community cannot happen without the contributions of the community, all of which are extraordinarily voluntary. This year, several of our Chapter Chairs rose to the occasion, curating Eastern and Western Hemisphere programming that addressed local and regional challenges with insightful solutions. Our Disciplinary Track Chairs crafted dynamic and interactive discussions, illuminating new opportunities for classroom innovation. And our dedicated Signatory Members came prepared to engage, asking bold questions that sparked lively debates and proposing visionary paths forward. Together, we harnessed our collective strength, paving the way for a brighter and more sustainable future.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to have supported and contributed to this event. It was an honor to connect further with our community and I’m looking forward to doing so again soon.

CHEYENNE MADDOX

Lead of the 2024 Global Forum & Senior Manager of Communications, PRME

Executive Summary

The 2024 PRME Global Forum convened thought leaders, educators, and students to explore how business schools can drive the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key sessions included discussions on the transformation of business education through various disciplines, with spotlights on operations and analytics, marketing, management, and finance, as well as the crucial role of stakeholder engagement in fostering responsible leadership.

Highlights of the forum featured dynamic keynote speeches, interactive workshops, and collaborative networking opportunities. For the first time, the event featured content translated into all six official UN languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Mandarin, and Russian. The event emphasized the importance of integrating sustainability into business curricula, showcased successful case studies, and celebrated achievements in the field through various awards.

The forum underscored a collective commitment to sustainable business practices, highlighting the need for ongoing research, corporate partnerships, and policy support to achieve net-zero goals. Participants left with actionable insights and a renewed dedication to driving impactful change in management education and beyond.

About the Global Forum

The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Global Forum originated in 2008 as an event intended to bring together all of PRME’s stakeholders: students, faculty, deans, board members, and others, in discussion about the latest innovations and challenges in responsible management education. This year was the 12th edition of the Forum.

Accelerating Our Common Agenda

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collective responsibility. With the 2030 deadline approaching, urgent action is needed. This year’s theme sought to mobilize educators, researchers, deans, youth, and business leaders to swiftly develop solutions and implement necessary changes. To further embed this theme among our Signatory Members, the 2024 PRME Global Forum hosted disciplinary breakout sessions showcasing practical examples for classroom application.

OBJECTIVE

The 2024 PRME Global Forum’s strategic vision is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of responsible management education. It intended to bring together stakeholders from business, academia, the United Nations, the public sector, and the PRME community to accelerate the positive impact responsible management and business education can make on the leaders of tomorrow.

Event Overview

"It's not about teaching profit maximization but also teaching the soft skills, hard skills, etc. that can help to solve the world's challenges. We need a continuous loop of improvement through the sharing of best practice with students and alumni."

- Andrew Main Wilson, AMBA & BGA

Sponsors & Partners

Find more details on each of our purpose-driven partners and generous sponsors in this report's appendix.

Agenda

AGENDA STRUCTURE

PRME offered a variety of formats for Global Forum programming: plenaries, panel debates, keynote speeches, video messages, workshops, and even artistic performances like music and poetry to create an immersive and connecting experience for the in-person audience and virtual attendees. The workshops and parallel sessions allowed for multiple discussions and interactions at once on the topics previously addressed in the main stage and gave participants the option to choose a session based on their choice of interesting topics of concern and inspiration.

"We must develop the possibility of telling stories of what a bright future could be and what it would be like... then think about what we should do to get there."

- Kate Dundas, UN Global Compact Network Australia

WHAT WAS DISCUSSED

At the 2024 PRME Global Forum, discussions centered on the role of business schools in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sessions highlighted innovative strategies for integrating sustainability into education, transforming operations and analytics, and fostering responsible leadership. Topics included the impact of sustainable practices on marketing and international business curricula, the importance of stakeholder voices, and the role of research and corporate partnerships in achieving net-zero goals. The forum also celebrated achievements through various awards, emphasizing the collective effort towards a sustainable future.

"We talk a lot about the challenges of the SDGs but the real challenge is the people. We need to transform people and the way they look at challenges. This is why compassionate leadership is so important."

- Nirmala Peters-Mehendale, Kindness Unlimited

SESSIONS & RECORDINGS

Eastern Hemisphere

PRME Time

Western Hemisphere

"I really like the business discipline because we can borrow concepts and wisdom from other disciplines, voices from the field, way of life in the community, traditional wisdom from communities is the starting point for the research. Business discipline allows us to borrow toolkits from different areas, such as traditional wisdom from communities or other disciplines, to address these real world problems in the market place." 

- Srinivas Venugopal, Grossman School of Business, University of Vermont

Awards

FACULTY TEACHING AWARD WINNERS

PGS SUSTAINABILITY AWARD WINNERS

GLOBAL AWARD WINNER

REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS

“Our students are central to figuring out what avenues we need to prioritize. Our ability to place students at the center will be incredibly important to how we move the agenda forward.”

- Fanta Aw, NAFSA

RECOGNITION OF EXCELLENCE IN REPORTING AWARD WINNERS

Audience

"As educators, we are hosts of the space where students need to tackle so many complex topics. We host these students as they grapple with uncertainty and doubt caused by sustainability." 

- Beverley Hawkins, University of Exeter Business School

Marketing, Media & Promotion

PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES AND OUTCOMES

Promotional activities included a social media campaign advertising the nature and intention of the event, and session cards featuring speakers and their roles/titles. With the support of our partners and sponsors, PRME was able to expand the Global Forum’s reach past our usual audiences. This was done via blurbs in newsletters, promotional partner graphics, and marketing emails about the Global Forum.

PRME also leveraged a digital tool named InGo, which allowed both speakers and participants to share that they would be attending or speaking at the Global Forum on LinkedIn with a customized graphic featuring the participant’s name and photo.

*to be updated
*to be updated
"The largest challenge that exists is the trust sphere between private and other sectors - businesses, governments, and other players. Leaders more than ever should be perceived as trustful people to advance the SDGs." 

- Sanda Ojiambo, United Nations Global Compact

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT

For more information, contact info@unprme.org and follow us on social media:

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APPENDIX

2024 PRME GLOBAL FORUM SPEAKERS

2024 PRME GLOBAL FORUM SPONSORS

Cesim Business Simulations

Cesim helps educators improve student engagement and employability with a portfolio of fun, easy-to-use simulations. With fully integrated ESG decisions, students can incorporate sustainable development goals into their strategy while improving financial performance and delivering value for all stakeholders. Currently, Cesim has a strong portfolio of simulations in 10 languages for strategy, international business, marketing, project management, small business, and several industry-specific simulations that have been developed through collaboration with industry partners. In addition to higher education, we also work closely with industry and continuously provide simulation-based solutions for talent development needs.

Marketplace Simulations

Marketplace Simulations shapes future business leaders through immersive, competitive learning games. Our simulations are powered by real-world data, teaching students how to build businesses, direct supply chains, market brands, and even manage their societal impact. Over 1 million students have developed transformative business skills with Marketplace Simulations.

University of Exeter Business School

Located in the south west of the UK, the University of Exeter Business School is proud to have been a member of PRME since 2010, although these themes have been part of our School long before. With excellence in research and education focused around three core themes of environmental sustainability, responsible leadership and technological transformation as we seek to embody our ethos of ‘Leadership for a better world’.

Cabells

Cabells generates actionable intelligence on academic and medical journals for research and healthcare professionals. On the Journalytics Academic platform, an independent, curated database of more than 13,000 verified scholarly journals, researchers draw from the intersection of expertise, data, and analytics to make confident journal evaluations and publication decisions. In Predatory Reports, Cabells has undertaken the most comprehensive and detailed campaign against predatory journals, currently reporting on deceptive behaviors of over 17,000 publications. The Journalytics Medicine & Predatory Reports platform, our newest digital tool dedicated to the medical research community, provides submission guidelines, a suite of detailed metrics, historical trends, and more on over 7,000 verified medical journals spanning 37 disciplines, in addition to the full protection of Predatory Reports. By combining its efforts with those of medical and academic researchers and publishers, industry organizations, and other service providers, Cabells works to create a safe, transparent, and equitable publishing ecosystem that can nurture generations of knowledge and innovation.

Conestoga School of Business

Conestoga’s School of Business is one of Ontario’s best, providing numerous options, opportunities and pathways for you to complete, specialize or expand your business education, either full-time or part-time. Our career-ready graduates have the skills and knowledge to address real-world needs and make a difference in today’s rapidly changing business world. Here, you’ll learn more than just business skills and management theories. You’ll also have many opportunities to develop the critical thinking skills required to solve problems quickly and the specialized knowledge that will help shape your successful career.

Cornell S.C. Johnson School of Business

The Cornell SC Johnson College of Business harnesses the expertise of its exemplary constituent schools to prepare business leaders dedicated to sustainable, shared prosperity. The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, and the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration are acknowledged leaders in their fields. This combination of academic research, industry and community engagement, and undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs empower the college’s commitment to the responsible, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary future of business. The SC Johnson College community includes 232 research faculty, 46k alumni, and nearly 3,300 undergraduate, professional, and graduate students, working together in upstate New York, New York City, and around the world.

XJTLU International Business School Suzhou (IBSS)

Founded in Suzhou in 2013, XJTLU International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) is Triple Crown accredited and the largest English-language business school in China. As a 2023 PRME Champion school, we are committed to driving awareness and action on responsible and sustainable management education across China and internationally through our research, teaching and service. IBSS is a founding member of the PRME China Chapter and hosted the 8th RME research conference in 2021. We leverage our strong network of partners, thought leadership in areas related to ethics and sustainability, and our award-winning staff and student-led ERS initiatives, to generate continuous positive environmental and societal impact.

Sage

Sage is a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources with a growing range of technologies to enable discovery, access, and engagement. Believing that research and education are critical in shaping society, 24-year-old Sara Miller McCune founded Sage in 1965. Today, we are controlled by a group of trustees charged with maintaining our independence and mission indefinitely. We believe in addressing social impact, not just business success. Gaining insight from a breadth of diverse, global perspectives. And equipping students with future-facing skills, not just knowledge. Drawing from our renowned social science expertise, Business & Management from Sage covers a complete range of highly accessible products – from business theory and cases to skills development and simulations, research articles to textbooks, be it text, audio or video.

University of Birmingham

At Birmingham Business School, our vision is to promote curiosity and thought leadership for responsible business. Across our education and research frameworks, we are embedding a culture of responsible business and inclusive values, and stepping up to be key contributors to the responsible business agenda.

University of Canterbury Business School

​​With AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA accreditation, UC Business School holds the gold standard triple-crown of international business school accreditation. We are also the only PRME Champion Business School in New Zealand and the first in Australasia to be awarded the BSIS label for impact. We're in the Business of Making a Difference. Our vision is to advance knowledge and bring about positive change in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond through connected, world class, education and research.

University of Sydney Business School

The University of Sydney Business School is a world-class business school at the forefront of global business and management education, ranked in the top 1% of business schools worldwide. With a range of top-ranked programs and prestigious triple accreditation from AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS, we are internationally recognised, relevant and focused on today’s business environment.

Brennan School of Business at Dominican University

Recognized as the No. 1 best value in the Chicago area by the prestigious US News and World Report, we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality education at an affordable cost. Students choose the Brennan School because of its exceptional value. Approximately 500 students, with representatives from around the world, make up the student body. In recent years, the Brennan School of Business has expanded its global reach by partnering with top-ranked universities abroad to to advance student learning in Ireland, Spain and France while enriching communities in Nigeria and Chile. The business faculty is comprised of highly qualified professionals who are passionately committed to excellent and rigorous instruction. They ensure that students not only understand business theories but also the practical applications of the concepts being covered. They bring the material alive by leveraging their own significant experience in business.

Ivey Business School

The Ivey Business School at Western University is Canada’s leading provider of real-world, case-based business education. Drawing on extensive research and business experience, Ivey faculty provide the best classroom experience, equipping students, through Case-Method Learning, with the skills and capabilities they need to tackle today's leadership challenges. Beyond the classroom, Ivey students gain a global perspective on business issues, through international study trips, exchanges and practicums. Ivey is aiming to be the thought leader on sustainability, where academics, business, and governments come to understand and address the most critical sustainability challenges we face. The Ivey Business School has been a PRME signatory since 2008.

University of Dundee School of Business

The School of Business delivers research, teaching, and community engagement across Accounting and Finance, Economics, and Management and Marketing. We are one of the eight schools at the University of Dundee. Since becoming independent, in 2019, part of the school’s aspiration is to enhance its reputation, impact, and profile. Our vision is to develop innovative and responsible leaders for a sustainable future.

2024 PRME GLOBAL FORUM PARTNERS

United Nations Global Compact

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with 10 universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of UN goals. With more than 17,000 companies and 3800 non business participants based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, it is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world.

UNAI

The United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) is an initiative that engages institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting and contributing to the realization of the Organization's purposes and principles, including the promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution. Since 2010, UNAI has created a vibrant network of institutions of higher education, connecting students, academics, scientists, and researchers worldwide. There are over 1,600 member institutions in more than 150 countries that reach over 25 million people in the education and research sectors around the globe representing a global diversity of regions and a thematic wealth of disciplines.

PIR

The Positive Impact Rating (PIR) is the only rating measuring the positive impact of business schools. And it is the only student-based rating. It aims to change the focus of existing ratings from leading schools to be the best in the world to be the best for the world. The PIR was collaboratively developed and tested by an international task force of experts together with representatives from societal stakeholders between 2017 and 2019. The purpose of the PIR is to measure how business schools create societal impact by energizing the school and its culture; by educating responsible leaders; but also, by engaging publicly and being a role model institution.

RRBM Network

Responsible Research for Business and Management (RRBM) is dedicated to inspiring, encouraging, and supporting credible and useful research in the business and management disciplines. It is a virtual organization initially developed by a group of 24 leading scholars in 5 disciplines at 23 university-based business schools in 10 countries and now joined by a much larger community. We have support from many partners, including AACSB, EFMD, PRME, Aspen Institute‘s Business and Society Program, GRLI, and many business schools worldwide.

Network for Business Sustainability

The Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) is a non-profit advancing sustainable development to build a fairer and more environmentally sound future. NBS facilitates knowledge sharing across an international community of business leaders, scholars, students and policymakers to improve business practice. With these stakeholders, NBS co-creates free, evidence-based sustainability content that enables practical action. Our content focuses on 6 critical sustainability themes, from climate change to social justice. Each month, more than 40,000 people from around the world engage with these materials. NBS is housed at the Ivey Business School in Canada.