Commentary on "Management Education and the Base of the Pyramid"

In: Journal of management education: the official publication of the Organizational Behavior Teaching Society, Band 32, Heft 6, S. 782-791

Abstract

This commentary asks some critical questions concerning the article "Management Education and the Base of the Pyramid" included in this special issue. Are "bottom of the pyramid" (BOP) multidisciplinary action project (MAP) students prepared to critically assess the impact of their interventions beyond a narrow definition of profit in complex and unfamiliar political and economic contexts? Are these projects exporting an appearance of wealth that is realized only for a small minority of those at the very top of the pyramid? Some reported examples of this pedagogy appear to be clear success stories, especially when the BOP approach is based on the BOP variant called the "BOP Protocol." With self-reflexive critical awareness, the positive potential of BOP MAP approaches to management education may be enhanced.