Human rights are important issues in the business world too! Take what you learned from previous path’s and get some practice applying it to a real life, business situation.

Article

• Read the article from The Guardian.
• Then read this small synopsis: In 2016, Colin Kaepernick was the quarterback for a major football team in the USA. He started taking a knee while the national anthem was played before each game to protest the treatment of black people by police officers. Many other players within the league started to do the same. He became a free agent the next year and was not picked up by any of the professional football teams. Also in 2017, the NFL owners mandated the players needed to stand during the national anthem. There were many different stakeholders that were on different sides of this controversy. Nike’s commercial came out on the opening day of the 2018 football season.

Nike Commercial

• Watch the Nike commercial without taking notes and think about how it makes you feel.
• Then, watch it again and pay attention to details like language, clothing, and background.
• Watch the Nike commercial a third time. Take notes on what stood out to you and how it connects to human rights and stakeholder perspectives. Write down your feelings, observations, and connections for discussion and post on this path.
• Next, watch a case study video showing different reactions to the commercial across the USA. Reflect on the diverse perspectives you observed.

Role Stakeholder Perspective

• Choose a stakeholder role from the list below:
  • Supporters of Colin Kaepernick’s message
  • People that didn’t support Colin Kaepernick’s message
  • Management at Nike
  • Customers of Nike – you can choose either supportive of the message or unsupportive of the message
  • Coaches of teams that use Nike products – you can choose either supportive of the message or unsupportive of the message
  • Employees of Nike – you can choose either supportive of the message or unsupportive of the message
• Research how your group or individual reacted to the commercial. Use the worksheet to organize your thoughts about the different perspectives.
• Write a script for a conversation between two stakeholders during this time, focusing on respectful dialogue.
  • When opposed, discuss your views and try to find common ground.
  • When in agreement, discuss why and how you can work together.
• Reflect on the following question. Do you think that it is important for companies to address human rights issues in their marketing? Why or why not?
• Reflect on whether you believe it’s important for companies to address human rights in their marketing. Post your script and reflections from the entire path.

To continue, return to the Module 2 Opportunity Card.