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Human Rights is Gaining Greater Prominence in MBA Programs

As businesses face calls to integrate respect for human rights across their operations, the subject is gaining greater prominence in the MBA syllabus. Business schools are being urged to integrate human rights considerations into every aspect of business education, which reflects their role in training future business leaders.

Recognizing that business education needs to change, the Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) has created a specialization for students interested in becoming experts in sustainable business and human rights. The new master class on Business and Human Rights is a required course and central to this specialization.

Dorothée Baumann-Pauly, GSEM Professor and Director of the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights, recognizes that business schools face some key challenges in the teaching of human rights, and that there are practical challenges for MBA course administrators. However, she expressed cautious optimism for the future, noting that students have started to demand courses that teach skills which will enable them to address pressing societal challenges like climate change and global inequalities.

Moreover, businesses are looking for graduates not only with technical skills but also with leadership potential. “There is a growing understanding that business school education will become irrelevant if it is unable to bridge the gap between real world challenges and its curriculum,” Baumann-Pauly says.

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