Every month, several new Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) reports come across my desk. These SIP reports are full of interesting and innovative projects aimed at embedding the Principles of PRME across campus. In this series of blogs, I will feature just a small selection of these projects taken from recently submitted reports. This month, we take a look at examples – as they fit into each of the Six Principles of PRME – from New Zealand, France, Belgium, South Africa, Brazil, Columbia and Canada.
- Purpose: Auckland University of Technology Business School, New Zealand
The Auckland University of Technology Business School’s mission is to prepare its graduates for the changing world. Social responsibility and ethics are built into learning goals in both the undergraduate and graduate levels with the goal of creating graduates that think and act ethically. Sustainability and responsible business practice is a key topic in the first semester of study with substantial papers on the topic required from students throughout their programme. Students are also required to reflect on their ethical decision-making and discuss processes or issues that they observed during their nine week work placement.
- Values: Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier Business School, France
GSCMBS has been granted the French diversity label (AFNOR), which is awarded to institutions that fight against discrimination and educate all students regardless of their origins and social situations. The school has integrated diversity into its mission, teaching, and research. It has a range of different programmes in this area including a network of referees for counseling that can accommodate each student and adapt curriculum according to their needs (such as disability, young parenting, top athlete, illness, stress needs, and so on). This topic is led by the Human Resources, Diversity, and CSR Direction Department at the school.
- Method: Louvain School of Management, Belgium
Since 2012, students from Louvain School of Management have organised the LSM Cup: Ethics in Business – a business game focusing on CSR. This inter-faculty, multidisciplinary game consists of solving case studies in realistic situations, by teams of four students from both the Bachelor and Master’s programmes. During the two-day event, students must address four different challenges presented by specific companies, applying the theme of corporate social responsibility to the main aspects of management: finance, marketing, sourcing and procurement, and strategy. The game is sponsored by a range of business and not for profit partners.
- Research: Gordon Institute of Business Science, South Africa
In 2013, the Gordon Institute of Business Science became the host organisation of the Network for Business Sustainability, South Africa, in partnership with the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town, increasing the academic community’s ability to support sustainable development in the economy through vigorous academic research into business challenges in sustainable development, conducted in partnership with leading private sector companies, non-profit organisations, and the South African government. The partnership is motivated by the need to enhance collaboration between business and sustainability researchers, and between practitioners and researchers, in South Africa and beyond.
- Partnerships: National Service of Industrial Apprenticeship in Parana in Brazil
SENAI in Parana is part of the Curitiba International Schools for Urban Sustainability (CISUS) Project. The project is a partnership, involving the City of Curitiba and a range of Universities in the city, which aims to produce and share knowledge, innovative ideas, and skills around sustainable cities. It is based on the city of Curitiba’s urban management experience, knowledge shared by respected educational institutions, innovation, and its constant search for improvements. The city intends to broaden the connection between industries and academic and professional knowledge, through experiences in urban sustainability. For SENAI, this is also an opportunity to connect students with planning and decision-making processes in sustainable urban management.
- Dialogue: Universidad EAFIT, Columbia,
In 2013, the Trade, Investment and Development Observatory was created with the support of the virtual institute of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). UNCTAD’s mission is to promote inclusive and sustainable development in international trade. The Observatory at EAFIT is organised by students from different schools across the university who regularly write short articles focused on UNCTAD’s work and policies. To find out more visit http://tradelatam.blogspot.com
+ Organisational Practices: British Columbia Institute of Technology, Canada
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) has a fund it calls the Revolving Fund for Sustainability, which provides no-interest loans for internal projects that save energy, conserve water, reduce waste, and/or lower operating costs. Additionally, their is a volunteer group of employees at the school, the Green Team, keen on inspiring change from the ground up. Following the team’s successful Heat Savers initiative that called on staff to combat wasted heat at BCIT, they are now in the midst of a new green commuting campaign, Commute Smart, which encourages students and staff to leave their cars at home and use public transport, bikes, carpools or their own two feet to get to campus.
PRiMEtime 