Human Rights and Business

Summer 2011 (S4180Q)

Class presentation and Sign-up Sheet

Presentation topics and the class session to which they relate are indicated below. Sign
up for a presentation topic as soon as possible in order to secure your topic of choice.

Preparation: In preparing for your class presentation, your starting point should be the
assigned and optional readings from the Course Outline. Depending on your topic, you
may also need/want to look at other material, or consult the Business & Human Rights
Resource Centre website: www.business-humanrights.org You may use PowerPoint to
support your presentation.

Length: Class presentations should be succinct and to the point, and no more than 12
minutes. A strict time limit will be enforced.

Discussion: Develop two discussion questions that you will pose to the class at the end
of your presentation to engage the class on your topic.

Summary: At the class in which you make your presentation, please hand in a copy of
your slides or a one- page bullet-point summary of the main points made during your
presentation.

Grading: The grade on the class presentation will account for 30% of the course grade
and will be based on how well you demonstrate an understanding of the subject,
whether you cover the key points accurately and comprehensively and are able to
explain them in your own words, and the clarity of the presentation in terms of structure
and content.

Date Presentation Topic Student

Introduction
May 24 No presentation
The Role of the Corporation in Society
May 26 No presentation
The History of Business & Human Rights/ Business Case for Human Rights
May 31 No presentation
The Business and Human Rights Framework – Part I
June 2 No presentation

The Concept of “Corporate Complicity”

Present the debate surrounding Caterpillar and its sale of bulldozers to
the Israeli government. Is Caterpillar complicit if the bulldozers are
June 7
used to raze Palestinian settlements in the Occupied Territories?
Present both sides.
Present the situation of Yahoo! and Google in China. Through their
action and/or inaction, were these companies complicit in human rights
abuses? Present both sides.
 Present the case of Swiss Banks and Apartheid. Should Swiss banks
be liable for lending to South Africa’s Apartheid government? Present
both sides.
The Concept of Due Diligence
June 9 Dilemma: When beneficial products are used by customers in ways that
violate human rights: GE Healthcare and the use of ultrasound
machines in India. Present the dilemma, outline the company’s
approach, and discuss possible ways to address it.
Dilemma: When the rights of two communities conflict: Shell –
Indigenous Peoples Rights and Economic Development. Present the
dilemma, outline a possible company approach and lead a discussion
on the best ways to address it.
Dilemma: When national law conflicts with human rights: Labor Unions
and Freedom of Association in China. Chinese law prohibits
independent labor unions, conflicting with the right to freedom of
association/ What should a company do in this situation? Present the
dilemma, outline a possible company approach and lead a discussion
on the best ways to address it.

Corporate Accountability: Judicial and non-judicial remedies

June 14 Select a lawsuit that was tried under the U.S. Alien Tort Statute. Use it
to explain under what circumstances the statute can be applied, the
jurisdictional and substantive claims, and its effectiveness as a remedy
for corporate human rights harms. (See the Corporate Legal
Accountability Portal of the Resource Centre website to select a case,
and for background on the statute.)
Select a case in which was taken up under the OECD Guidelines for
Multinational Enterprises with a National Contact Point. Was the case
resolved satisfactorily? What are the advantages and disadvantages of
this model of remedy?
Labor Rights
June 16 Present a case in which a company has confronted child labor in its
supply chain and evaluate how it managed it. Was the solution
straightforward – or were the types of dilemmas we see in the readings
reflected in the case?
Drawing upon Pangalangan and Barry/Reddy in the readings, as well
as outside research, describe the case for and against linking labor
standards and trade. Are labor provisions in trade agreements a
solution to solving the sweatshop problem?
Present a case of conflicting rights from the list in the syllabus. What is
the problem and how should the company involved resolve the conflict?
Describe the involvement of any stakeholder-advocates and evaluate
their actions. Did they help to clarify or muddle the choice for the
business?
Class debate – Sweatshops – good or bad?
Business in Conflict or Weak Governance Zones
June 21 Present the case of Vodafone in Egypt during Arab Spring Revolution.
Was the company complicit in violating human rights? What, if
anything, should and could the company have done differently?
 Present the case of conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. What options are there for companies that are dependent on
those minerals? If you were responsible for managing the supply chain
for such a company, what rules, regulations and standards would you
like to see?
What are the risks and challenges of private military and security
companies operating in “weak governance zones”? Give examples of
how they have contributed to conflict and describe and evaluate key
initiatives to make these companies more publicly accountable.

Business’ Role and Impact on Development

June 23 Present the concept of “resource curse”. Do the standards and
frameworks that exist today for human rights and business help
address it?
Compare the efforts of two companies to address poverty. What
strategies do they use, what is their rationale for doing so, and how
effective are they? Are these types of strategies by businesses a good
way to solve global development challenges?
Present the issue of tax avoidance and the arguments for and against it
being a human rights issue.
Addressing Human Rights Challenges Through Voluntary Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives
June 28 The Global Network Initiative: Present the characteristics of this
initiative, focusing on potential strengths, weaknesses. Will it be
successful in addressing abuses of free expression and privacy on the
Internet? Explain why or why not.
The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights: Present the
history and characteristics of this multi-stakeholder process. Is this the
right approach to address human rights abuses in the energy and
extractives industries? Has it been or will it ultimately be successful?
Explain why or why not.
Final Paper Presentations
June 30 Paper Presentations