Available Teaching Resources
Decent Work in the Fishing Industry
Fair Recruitment of Migrant Workers
CONTACT
Julianna LaBelle, bhr@gbsn.org
About the teaching resources
Developing open-source teaching resources on labor rights in business
The International Labour Organization (ILO), the Global Business School Network (GBSN) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) join forces on the inclusion of labor rights in business school education.
Businesses face new and complex global challenges that business executives need to navigate to ensure business success. Increasing consumer awareness on human and labor rights, investment requirements on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, and a growing number of due diligence laws, require human rights expertise and new management skills.
Students are demanding that their business schools adapt quickly to these developments by incorporating human rights, including labor rights, into their curricula. They are also asking to be equipped with the necessary skills to take up their role as responsible business managers, decision makers, and global citizens.
The presented teaching resources are the result of an innovative collaborative process between academic researchers and instructors from business schools around the world and ILO’s labor rights experts.
How to use the teaching resource:
Open-source: All teaching resources are available as open-source that can be used as “plug-and-play” modules in class. The teaching resources are based on an adaptable slide deck and accompanying teaching notes. It also includes background readings for lecturers and students, such as media pieces, documentaries and academic research. Furthermore, there is a repository with additional resources, such as case studies, videos with topic experts, and adapted session outlines from instructors around the world.
No prerequisites: The standard slide deck that is part of the teaching resources is targeted at graduate students but can be modified for different levels (undergraduate, graduate, executive education). No prerequisites are required, although a basic introduction to human and labour rights might be beneficial. The template for the session outline fits courses on sustainable and responsible management, yet the teaching resource is explicitly meant to be used across disciplines.
A living document: Lecturers should feel free to adapt the resource to their needs, e.g., to different disciplines, geographic regions, or human rights deep dives. The teaching resources rely on feedback from lecturers from different countries and disciplines. Any feedback on experiences, additional material, or recommendations for improvement will be integrated into the document.
Memorandum of Understanding
In December 2022, the ILO, GBSN and UNIGE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their collaboration on business and human rights education. With the MoU, the partners seek to develop a comprehensive toolbox of resources and equip business schools with accurate and relevant material to teach 21st century management skills to their students.
“It will not be enough to form a new generation of human right lawyers, or to include optional courses on human rights in selected curricula. We need future business leaders equipped with the tools, knowledge, and expertise to recognize and address the changing realities of the world of work in a fair and just manner.”
Manuela Tomei, Assistant Director General, ILO
“To make a meaningful difference in addressing complex human rights challenges worldwide, business schools must work together and connect across sectors.”
Dan LeClair, CEO, GBSN
“To address human rights challenges in business and advance human rights in practice, it is foundational to train future leaders.”
Yves Flückiger, Rector, University of Geneva
Closing the gap between academia and business practice is relevant for both advancing labour rights in corporate practice and ensuring future business success.
By bringing together the International Labour Organization and a wide network of business schools from across the globe who are committed to transforming business education, this MoU creates opportunities to pool academic, policy-oriented and practical expertise on a variety of key labour issues that impact responsible business conduct. These issues include, e.g., child labour, forced labour, discrimination, lack of workers’ representation, social dialogue, labour migration and fair recruitment.
Contact
Aligning business school education with business practice is a joint effort. Feel free to reach out if you plan to use any of the resources in class, if you’d like to share your experiences with the resource, or if you have suggestions for new topics.
Julianna LaBelle, BHR@gbsn.org