International Business for Peace: Adopting an Academic Peace Education Approach to Encourage Corporate Peacebuilding

Abstract

Direct, structural and cultural forms of violence are deeply rooted in and exacerbated by the complex web of international business operations today. On the other hand, conflictsensitive and ecologically regenerative approaches, are gaining increased attention from policy makers, business managers, and researchers across diverse fields. This evokes the question on how to leverage peacebuilding expertise for international business management to enable future business leaders to take responsible decisions. This master thesis aims at providing a response by tailoring a peace education project for university students at one of Germany’s most reputable business studies program. First, this thesis develops a conceptual framework based on research at the business – peace nexus. Second, the project life cycle, including project definition, planning, implementation, evaluation and closing, is explained in detail. Third and last, the conclusion includes limitations of the project and future efforts towards bringing peace to life.