Leading Global Networks Initiate Collaboratory for Responsible Management Education

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The advancement of globally responsible leadership, practice, and responsible management education is set to benefit greatly from the creation of a world-class project incubator and collaborative laboratory by the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) Foundation—jointly implemented by the GRLI and UN Global Compact's PRME initiative—in strategic partnership with AACSB International, EFMD, and the United Nations Global Compact.

The new "Collaboratory" on responsible management education is already facilitating deeper collaboration and improved efficiencies in the responsible management education ecosystem, while demonstrating the stewardship role that the GRLI's strategic partners play as the leading global business and management education networks.

"With the launch of this new Collaboratory, the GRLI significantly strengthens our role as a purpose-led, partner-driven, and project-oriented movement. By widening our network of strategic partners, and co-operating more closely with initiatives such as the UN Global Compact's PRME, we will accelerate the aggregate impact of transformative management education on business, society, and the natural environment," says John North, managing director of the GRLI.

The Collaboratory is meant to identify and realize synergies from complementary PRME and GRLI activities, as well as to avoid duplication of offerings. "This new partnership has the potential to generate more efficient and impactful engagement of the Parties and their respective networks," says Jonas Haertle, Head of the PRME Secretariat of the UN Global Compact Office.

Since its formation in 2004, the GRLI has stayed true to its mandate of being a movement that encourage, support and incubate sustainability and responsible leadership initiatives on a global scale. This platform has given rise to projects—already in partnership with PRME and other networks—such as the Sulitest (an online sustainability literacy test championed by Kedge Business School in France); AIM2Flourish (an online platform for sharing untold positive stories on business as an agent for world benefit, championed by the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, USA); and the 50+20 Agenda (a vision and global movement focused on transforming management education in order to serve people, the planet and profit).

The experience of GRLI Partners in nurturing and growing programmes from idea to activation combined with its unique emphasis on Whole Person Learning, will act as a resource and guide for the actions of the Collaboratory, and will facilitate the conception and development of new ideas and initiatives in responsible management education.

The strategic partnership is guided by comprehensive terms of reference and a set of guiding principles, which act as a living document with milestones against which the Collaboratory's actions will be measured. Among its primary goals will be to co-facilitate the UNGlobal Compact's PRME Champions programme together with the PRME Secretariat over the course of this and next year.

"The Collaboratory will form an important part of our All Gathering Momentum (AGM) conference at Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick, Ireland in October 2016. With the theme 'Common Good, Common Ground', the AGM will offer an ideal opportunity for our partners, associates, and the PRME Champions to reflect on and shape the future direction and actions of the Collaboratory and its initiatives," says North.

AACSB International (AACSB)
Founded in 1916, AACSB is the world's largest business education network connecting academe with business. AACSB provides business education intelligence, quality assurance, and professional development services to more than 1,500 member organizations across 91 countries and territories. AACSB's Accreditation is the highest standard of quality in business education, with 775 business schools accredited worldwide. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA; its Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore; and its Europe, Middle East, and Africa headquarters is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.aacsb.edu.

EFMD
EFMD management development network includes over 860 institutional members from academia, business, public service and consultancy across 84 countries worldwide.  EFMD offers a range of services, including conferences and seminars around the world, surveys and the dissemination of knowledge, quality improvement and accreditation via EQUIS, EPAS, EOCCS and CLIP, as well as the EDAF mentoring programme and BSIS impact assessment system. Learn more at: www.efmd.org.

UN Global Compact and PRME
The United Nations Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative and a call to companies to align strategies and operations with 10 Principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) was launched in 2007 by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with a mission to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and thought leadership globally. Working through the Six Principles, PRME engages business schools to ensure they provide future business leaders with the skills needed to balance economic and sustainability goals, while drawing attention to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligning academic institutions with the work of the United Nations Global Compact.

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SOURCE The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business