McCombs Course Focuses on Markets of the Global South

In the McCombs School of Business, Professor Vijay Mahajan is offering a new course, “Navigating Opportunities in Emerging Markets in the Global South,” as part of the offerings of the school's Center for Global Business. 

The course aims to revolutionize the understanding of global commerce by focusing on regions where the most people actually live and work.  

Mahajan, who holds the John P. Harbin Centennial Chair in Business at the McCombs School of Business, has spent decades studying markets that textbooks often downplay. His approach to this course completely flips the traditional narrative, which tends to view the Global South as a collection of underdeveloped, high-risk regions in need of Western intervention.  

“The Global South is not the periphery,” said Mahajan. “It is the center of the future, where the next breakthrough is likely to emerge.” 

The numbers tell a powerful story: The Global South — which encompasses countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East — now comprises the majority of the world’s population and is increasingly driving its economy. These aren’t markets waiting to be uncovered; they are innovation hubs quietly rewriting the rules of business. 

Perhaps the most radical aspect of the course is its refusal to treat the Global South as a monolith. Africa isn’t a country; Latin America isn’t a single market; Asia isn’t waiting for Western solutions. Each region, each country, each community has its own rhythm, its own rules, and its own remarkable innovations.  

In Mahajan’s course, students won’t learn how to “conquer” these markets; instead, they’ll explore how limitations foster creativity, how cultural awareness boosts profits, and how the most successful global companies are those that listen rather than lecture. 

Students will leave with more than market analysis skills; they’ll gain cultural fluency, a mindset of humility, and a toolkit for co-creating value in diverse contexts. They’ll understand that the future of business isn’t about exporting ideas, but about exchanging them. 

McCombs’ Center for Global Business is committed to equipping students with the insights and perspectives to lead in a rapidly changing world. To learn more, read the full post on the Center for Global Business blog.