During the 2025 spring semester, 30 students visited six countries in Asia and the Pacific to identify possible instances of modern slavery. John Gardner, an associate professor of global supply chain at the BYU Marriott School of Business who led the trip, says, “From the very first class period, students were encouraged to think about ways that they could share light with each of the people that we would contact: both in the businesses and in our cultural visits.”
A major project in the study abroad, Gardner explains, focused on addressing modern supply chain slavery. This effort built on the Australian government’s initiatives to root out modern slavery in the supply chains of large organizations. During a preparatory class the semester before they headed abroad, students partnered with the Pacific Area Materials Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to research a variety of the electronics suppliers that the Church purchases equipment from.
“There are lots of moving parts in supply chain; it is very possible that there are illicit activities, but we don't know because it’s so far up in the supply chain,” explains GSCM senior and Layton, Utah, native Natalie Kruitbosch. “What we did is identify which of the countries that the Church is sourcing their products from has the most risk and figure out where to start looking into human trafficking.”
Small groups of students worked together to research the risk levels and efforts being made to address slavery within the supply chains of their assigned companies. “This class pushed me to dig deeper than I ever had in preparation, especially because it was for the Church,” says Charles Farley, a GSCM student from Pleasant Grove, Utah. “I wanted to present something I was proud of.”
During the first week of the study abroad, students presented their research to the Pacific Area Materials Department of the Church in New Zealand. Students learned from area leaders about the Church’s efforts to serve the many people of the Pacific, and they visited two different organizations that partner with the Church.
In the following weeks, students visited the headquarters and factories of multiple manufacturers and suppliers and saw varying levels of technological development—from giant steel manufacturers to handcrafted ceramics. Even within the same country, Gardner says, the contrast between high-tech and low-tech production can be stark.
The study abroad was structured to help students learn how people and technologies interact as well as how students can better connect with people from different cultures. In their travels, students witnessed first-hand many different ways of life. Gardner explains, “We encouraged them to look, listen, and learn about how people operate in their own lives—and then try to serve others with that better understanding.”
Farley says that as he engaged with the people he met, he grew to appreciate them. “When we left Vietnam, our tour guide said he’s never felt so welcomed and loved by the group he was guiding,” Farley recalls. “It was cool just to feel our love for him, and then, in turn, his love for us and God’s love for him. It was a very warm experience.”
After they returned, students reflected on what they learned. “I’ll be a bit more methodical about the rights and the visibility or transparency of a supply chain going forward in my workplace,” Kruitbosch says. “I'll care about that, because the people in the supply chain are a lot more real to me now.”