Future leaders examine human rights in business

Recently, CEMS students had the opportunity to test their own ethical compass at a two-day seminar at NHH.
Recently, CEMS students had the opportunity to test their own ethical compass at a two-day seminar at NHH. Photo: Ina-Cristine Helljesen
By Ina-Cristine Helljesen

16 January 2025 13:00

(updated: 16 January 2025 13:52)

Future leaders examine human rights in business

"I have really become more aware of the importance of human rights in business, and I can definitely see myself pursuing a career in this field," said Max.

Max Hammergren was one of 35 CEMS students who participated in the seminar, which delved into exploring human rights and business in a changing world.
Max Hammergren was one of 35 CEMS students who participated in the seminar, which delved into exploring human rights and business in a changing world.

Max Hammergren (25) is among the CEMS students who recently participated in the Global Citizenship Seminar at NHH which focused on companies’ responsibility to respect human rights.

"There are many examples of human rights violations taking place. At the same time, I feel hopeful, because there is so much that can be addressed, including through human rights due diligence," said Hammergren.

Guilt and Complexity

He has just finished a working group session where he and fellow students examined the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, where an eight-story building in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over 1,100 people, mostly textile workers working on behalf of large international brands.

While Hammergren's group looked at the situation from the international brands’ perspective, three other groups represented the factory owners, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Labor, and local trade unions.

CEMS:

  • A programme that offers two degrees in only two years.
  • Can be combined with any major profile at NHH.
  • Comprises 33 schools across 6 continents.  
  • Has over 70 corporate partners and 9 social partners (NGOs). 
  • The 2-day Global Citizenship Seminar is a mandatory part of the programme.

"I felt a sense of guilt when looking at the situation from the brand's point of view. After the presentations from the other stakeholders, I realized that the guilt lies with all the stakeholders. I found working on this case illustrated the complexity within a company's supply chain," said Hammergren.

A long road ahead

The two-day seminar was led by Frances House and Ron Popper from The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB). "If there's one thing we want students to take away from the seminar, it's the understanding of how complex human rights are in the supply chains of large international companies, and how critical it is to integrate human rights due diligence into every part of a company's supply chain," said Frances House, Senior Advisor at IHRB.

The seminar was led by The Institute for Human Rights in London (IHRB). The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights also played an important role. From left: Frances House (IHRB), Ron Popper (IHRB), and Therese Jebsen (Rafto).
The seminar was led by The Institute for Human Rights in London (IHRB). The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights also played an important role. From left: Frances House (IHRB), Ron Popper (IHRB), and Therese Jebsen (Rafto).

"We've made progress since the Rana Plaza disaster, but there is still a long road ahead," she added.

In addition to exploring the operations of the textile industry, the students were also challenged to examine human rights dilemmas related to the production of components for mobile phones and electric vehicle batteries among other things.