"Why are we so important?"; "What value do we add?"; and "What good do we create?" These are the opening questions posed to management educators in this book. This is followed by uncomfortable questions about colonization (Who is in the centre and whose knowledge counts?) and inequality (Whom do we exclude?).
After questioning the easy adoption of technology (What are we embracing?) and the challenge posed by global warming (Can management education help stop climate change?), the author ends by sketching some leadership lessons required for the future: "What lessons can we learn in a black swan event?"
Mixing philosophical analyses with anecdotes from experience, the author does not shy away from discussing controversial views to give direction to current debates. Tracing eight such crucial questions and providing well-researched perspectives, this book is an engaging read for anyone interested in the future direction of business schools in particular and management education in general. "There are many books and articles on business education, but few as deep and insightful as Contemporary Management Education. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who seeks to understand and improve the training of business leaders."
Peter Tufano, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
"An amazing read. Piet Naude is eclectic and sparkling. He applies his talents to the wicked maze of management education in society. No issue is more important for global business. No writer is better qualified."
Thomas Donaldson, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
"A powerful, persuasive, and superbly compelling book. Contemporary Management Education serves as an invaluable and informative reference to the essential issues that are shaping the future."
Sherif Kamel, Dean, School of Business, The American University in Cairo
About the Author: Piet Naudé is former Director and currently Professor of Ethics at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa. He is a part-time member of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Quality Services team and director of EDAF (EMFD Deans Across Frontiers). He is a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic of what is now the Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.
