Business and Human Rights : From Principles to Practice

Business and Human Rights is the first book of its kind in this rapidly growing area of teaching and research. Over 30 contributors present a comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of the topic. The clearly structured volume addresses current and future business leaders, students and teachers at law and business schools as well as a broader audience that would like to gain a better understanding of business and human rights.

Illustrated throughout with case studies and snapshot features that highlight real-world examples, the book outlines the business and human rights movement, explores the legal framework for business and human rights, highlights the practical implementation challenges and standard-setting frameworks in different industries (manufacturing, ICT, private security, extractives, agriculture), and it discusses the future of the business and human rights field.

In a global economy, multinational companies often operate in jurisdictions where governments are either unable or unwilling to uphold even the basic human rights of their citizens. The expectation that companies respect human rights in their own operations and in their business relationships is now a business reality that corporations need to respond to.

Business and Human Rights: From Principles to Practice is the first comprehensive and interdisciplinary textbook that addresses these issues. It examines the regulatory framework that grounds the business and human rights debate and highlights the business and legal challenges faced by companies and stakeholders in improving respect for human rights, exploring such topics as:

• the regulatory framework that grounds the business and human rights debate

• challenges faced by companies and stakeholders in improving human rights

• industry-specific human rights standards

• current mechanisms to hold corporations to account

• future challenges for business and human rights

With supporting case studies throughout, this text provides an overview of current themes in the field and guidance on practical implementation, demonstrating that a thorough understanding of the human rights challenges faced by business is now vital in any business context.