An assessment of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Management at Massey University, New Zealand

Abstract

Although the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) was introduced in 2007, there is little or no research examining the impacts of PRME on its signatories. PRME introduced a Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) Policy in 2008 requiring its signatories to produce SIP reports on their progress on the implementation of PRME. The study aims to measure the impacts of PRME, influential reasons for supporting PRME, activities reported in 212 SIP reports written in English by 180 signatories and how PRME differs from other voluntary declarations on sustainability in higher education. The study comprises a six part methodological process, comprising; (1) surveying 171 signatories to examine impacts of PRME and influential reasons in supporting PRME, (2) the first part of content analysis of 212 SIP reports to examine the quality of reported activities, (3) the second part of content analysis of 212 SIP reports to examine the quality of reports, (4) the content analysis of the website information of six Australian non-PRME business schools to examine whether activities of the PRME signatories differ from those of non-PRME institutions, (5) examination of characteristics of the PRME signatories in terms of the size of institutions, locations, countries of origin, their accreditation statuses and academic membership in the United Nations Global Compact and (6) a comparative assessment of PRME and other declarations in the higher education sector. The study shows that PRME does not make significant changes in the activities of its signatories. The signatories do not understand the principles and their concepts due to lack of clarity of the concepts framed in the principles.