Rethinking human rights due diligence: capabilities, participation, and corporate narrative in business and human rights

Diplôme Thèse Rethinking human rights due diligence: capabilities, participation, and corporate narrative in business and human rights eng 2025-12-15 2026-02-23 author Bitar Rim 0009-0003-8548-5683 800157 director Ambos Tina 838456 Recherche et enseignement GSEM (RESEM) director Schrempf-Stirling Judith 885161 170 10.13097/archive-ouverte/unige:194049 urn:nbn:ch:unige-1940490 GSEM 161 This thesis is guided by one overarching question: How can Human Rights Due Diligence be reimagined in ways that meaningfully center rightsholders and advance justice in corporate practice? To answer this, the dissertation addresses four sub-questions: What are the limitations of current HRDD practices in recognizing and responding to the lived experiences and agency of rightsholders? (paper 1) How can we reframe HRDD to reflect a more human- and rightsholder-centered understanding of rights and responsibilities? (paper 1 and paper 2) How can deliberative, participatory processes within HRDD address power asymmetries and enhance legitimacy, particularly in contexts marked by conflict and injustice? (paper 2) What do corporate narratives around HRDD reveal about corporations’ self- positioning, motivations, and accountability toward human rights? (paper 3) PURPOSE AND CONTRIBUTION OF THIS THESIS This dissertation responds to calls in the management literature for research that integrates theoretical depth with practical relevance (Wickert et al., 2020; Williams et al., 2024a). Following Davis’ (2015) call for “questions worth answering,” it engages with pressing normative and organizational challenges. It contributes to multiple literatures—BHR, CSR, organizational ethics, sustainability, and discourse analysis—by connecting insights across domains that are rarely in conversation. Business and Human Rights Human Rights Due Diligence Inclusion Narratives Capabilities Dewey 650 115 Institute of Management S3 false 4087ce29-7adb-47d5-a8df-c3d2bddb4525 Thesis Public THESIS-BITAR.pdf 1107306 application/pdf OA OTHER b008db85efd810c096f5b5ce4108d14bb525d0e7f8cf2a62ac1fe691f3b5db1e 134ddf80-b835-4ac0-937e-c5ed6ef6bfae Imprimatur Public BITAR_Rim_Imprimatur.pdf 123859 application/pdf 4a026d64f1b3d4ab4ac885ab513559c81ca1b895de8a77b7af470cd612fb2c2d openAccess Faculté d'économie et de management / Institute of Management

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