Responsible management education

The Millennium Development Goals of 2000 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2016 are ambitious goals set by the United Nations “to banish a whole host of social ills by 2030.” According to UN Secretary- General Ban Kimoon, “the 17 SDGs are our share vision of humanity and a social contract between the world’s leader and the people” and “they are a to-do list for people and the planet and a blueprint for success” as these 17 goals and 169 targets are set “to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle change over the next 15 years.”

The goals seek to address the three dimensions of sustainable development — social, economic and environmental — and encompass peace, justice, and governance. To meet these objectives, various stakeholders must work together to come up with innovative, influential, and impactful solutions. Thus, in 2000, the UN launched the Global Compact, which is “an initiative created to encourage businesses around the world to adopt socially responsible and sustainable policies” in order to “transform businesses into a force for social good.”

Most businesses, despite their ability to create jobs and transform lives, have not always advanced the interests of the common good and sadly, have focused on shareholder value maximization at the expense of the environment, the community, and the individual. But if businesses focus only on profit maximization, how can then they produce leaders who are sustainability- oriented? To have leaders who are responsible not only to their shareholders but also to the broader community, education must be a major factor in producing holistic business leaders and managers. With this in mind, the UN launched the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in 2007.

PRME was created to “transform management education, research and thought leadership globally” and “provide an engagement structure for academic institutions to advance social responsibility through incorporating universal values into curriculum and research.” It seeks to “develop a new generation of business leaders capable of managing the complex challenges faced by business and society in the 21st century.” The Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business (RVRCOB) of De La Salle University strongly sup-

ports the PRME goals and positions itself as a business school for the common good.

PRME celebrated its 10th year with a global forum entitled “Making Global Goals Local Business: Bringing the SDGs in Every Classroom” on July 18 and 19, in New York. As Dean of RVRCOB, I participated in this forum of likeminded individuals who have the passion to “support the global effort to achieve the SDGs” and “to shape the future of business and management education.”

The Global Forum took stock of the achievements of PRME signatories, which RVRCOB is a part of, and “raised awareness about SDGs and highlight their relevance for business and management schools.” Practical approaches to advance education for sustainability were discussed extensively, and the need for inter-disciplinarity was emphasized. Sustainability and interdisciplinarity can be achieved by engaging all stakeholders in the review and revision of business curricula.

For example, given the post K-12 scenario, RVRCOB has been vigorously improving and innovating both its graduate and undergraduate programs to create impact not only on the bottom line but also on the community and the individual.

Engagement is an important aspect of producing management education that is responsible and accountable. It is not enough that we teach students the hows and whys of managing for the common good. We would also like our graduates to make an impact on the world they live in. We call on industry to further hone our graduates to be sustainability-minded, and we ask governmental institutions to provide a nurturing environment that would enable budding entrepreneurs to thrive in a socially responsible ecosystem.

Responsible management education does not end inside the classroom. Its impact should be felt not just now, but in the years.

It is not enough that we teach students the hows and whys of managing for the common good. We would also like our graduates to make an impact on the world they live in.