New management programme at a B-school in Bangalore to focus on human rights at work place. Prachi Rege reports.

In the business it is believed that, a business that respects human rights has a lower risk profile and greater opportunity to deliver innovation, financial returns and sustainable value. Keeping this in mind, Bangalore-based MTC Global has launched a Diploma in Human Rights in Management Education’ (DHRME). "Increasingly, human rights considerations are becoming important to leadership strategy, planning and execution," informs Bholanath Dutta, founder, MTC Global and Knowledge Cafe. He further adds that the DHRME is a value added course developed to create awareness among management practitioners on various facets of human rights violation, maintaining a congenial work culture and a good quality of work life resulting enhanced productivity.
Though the six month course is targetted at management students and professionals, it is open for anyone who wants to learn about human rights. Managing human rights impact is a required competency for a wide range of business functions, including corporate strategy, risk management, legal compliance, human resources, procurement, finance, product design, investor relations, marketing, communications and public affairs. According to Dutta, the diploma programme will definitely enable students to understand the various issues related to ethics, responsibilities, and dealing with human resources effectively and judiciously.
The idea to set up this course, germinated through the UN Global Compact, a strategic policy initiative for businesses committed to align operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. "We are a part of this strategic policy. Through the course we are implementing the Global Compact`s top agenda in the management education space," explains Dutta. DHRME will:

  • Raise awareness of the need for business and human rights education.
  • Prompt academic institutions globally to develop new courses and curricula.
  • Allow companies to declare the importance of business and human rights education within their own organisations.
  • Understand the relevance of international human rights standards for business and get familiar with the principles of the UN Global Compact.
  • Understand the corporate responsibility to respect human rights as detailed in the United Nations—“Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework for Business and Human Rights. Fees: Rs 5,000 - for corporate and students
    Rs 3,000 - for academicians
    USD 500 - for overseas corporate and students
    USD 300 - academicians