World Civic Forum: PRME Asian Perspective

Seoul, Korea Aim: Responding to a call for PRME initiatives in the year of 2009, Kyung Hee University School of Business plans to host a breakout session on “PRME: Asian Perspective” at the World Civic Forum, May 2009, Seoul, Korea. The World Civic Forum is an ongoing global forum addressing the global challenges the human faces today such areas as peace, human welfare, global justice and climate change. Its very first Forum, WCF 2009, will be coâ€organized by Kyung Hee University (Seoul, Korea), and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Thereafter, the WCF will be held biâ€annually, hosted by a higher education institution chosen by its International Board on the principle of shared ownership. The Forum is a global institution which fosters collaboration of academic institutions and their partners including international organizations, civil society organizations, governments, the business sector and the media. “PRME: Asian Perspective” deals largely with how to inspire and champion responsible management education in the Asian context. The session will be composed of three consecutive tracks. Track 1, “Meaning of social responsibility in the Asian context”, deals with what social responsibility means in the Asian context. The major theme is to discuss social responsibility in the Asian philosophy. Track 2 “Perspectives about social responsibility from business community” deals with what the perspectives from business community about social responsibility are in the Asian context. In this section, representatives of Asian business community will present what they think social responsibility is and what sorts of education it needs from business schools. Track 3 “Responsible management education in the Asian context” deals with what curricula Asian business schools should develop. This section also deals with what sorts of conceptual and empirical research should be conducted in order for Asian business schools to pursue responsible management education. In line, Deans of several Korean business schools will discuss how to pursue responsible management education. •Type of participants envisioned: Deans and Faculty of business schools in Korea and Asia. •Coordination: Kyung Hee University School of Business, in collaboration with other PRME member universities in Korea. Professor Yongâ€Seung Park •Expected outcomes: the primary purpose of this special session is to share and join the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a growing global platform to advance the concept of corporate responsibility and sustainability in management education, among Korean (Asian) business schools. In particular, this session will facilitate dialogue among various participants from universities, business establishments, NGOs, and government officials to consider, develop, and refine Korean (Asian) business schools’ planning for and implementation of sustainability and related strategic challenges. •Timeline: The World Civic Forum 2009 will be held for the period of May 5 – May 8, 2009, in Seoul, Korea. And one full day will be chosen for the breakout session “PRME: Asian Perspective” (including those three consecutive tracks) during this period.