Integrating Global Poverty Into Mainstream Business Classrooms

Abstract

Most of the products and services discussed in business curricula serve a small portion of humanity. But the great majority of economic growth over the next few decades is expected to occur in emerging and frontier markets. This emerging reality increases the urgency for including topics related to global poverty, unmet human needs, and emergence from poverty in conventional business curricula. This article describes several strategies the authors have employed to engage students' imaginations as well as their analytical capabilities to address the business challenges and opportunities inherent in addressing global poverty. It also offers possibilities for expanding students' concepts of themselves as business people and encouraging them to use their business skills to solve unmet human needs.