Responsibility as an opportunity

: enhancing human rights in organizations as a driver for change : a case study on sustainable development

Abstract

This research presents an in-depth case study of a multinational organization headquartered in Portugal. The study addresses the research question of how this company can demonstrate greater ambition in preserving human rights protection and establish itself as a leader for positive change in the industry. Thus, it focuses on the protection of human rights along value chains and practices for mitigating human rights risks. Building on existing literature, the research is demonstrated, among others, by means of a company-specific case study and a teaching note. Finally, the results suggest that Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) is crucial for businesses to proactively manage potential and actual adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved. This paper contributes to the discussion of responsible business practices and to a better understanding of the current state of accountability for implementing social standards in supply chains. Follow-up research is recommended to validate the research on other companies and develop further measures to generalize the findings.

Date of Award	26 Jan 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rui Nuno Tavares de Almeida Moreira da Cruz (Supervisor)