Global Business and Human Rights

Globalization includes the promise of economic development and wellbeing for all. However, from the early days of international trade until today this scarcely came without unfavorable, sometimes dreadful consequences for humans, be it slavery in colonial crop plantations, health and safety risks for coal miners throughout industrialization or, more recently, discrimination of factory workers in sweatshops. With an ever more complex framework of human rights establishing around the world and stakeholder expectations towards business conduct, managers of modern companies need to find ways for their organizations how these comply with laws and regulations on the international arena and to manifest as responsible corporations. This course delivers a fundamental understanding of the connections between business conduct and human rights in a globalized world for an audience, who are generally interested in globalization and human rights and for individuals who are working at such interfaces in companies, civil society, intergovernmental or government organizations. In this course we illustrate the various connections and impacts between globalization, company activities and human rights from an ethical, historical, cultural and legal perspective. It gives an overview of important institutions and their role in the discussion about human rights, and on relevant concepts, approaches and tools that companies use to address and manage human rights.

• * Understand, how business activities of companies in different industry sectors are linked to human rights issues in a globalized world* Reflect, which perspectives are relevant to understand the links between global business and human rights issues* Know, which organizations worldwide engage in addressing human rights issues in their connection to companies and business activities* Analyze, which concepts, approaches and tools business companies in different industry sectors may use to manage their impact on human rights issues

• There are no formal prerequisites for this course. Familiarity with basic concepts of business administration and management is an asset.