'Made in India': Human Capital at the Base of the Pyramid (TN)

This teaching note, used in conjunction with excerpts from the 2010 documentary film "Made in India" (directed and produced by Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha) provides students with an opportunity to explore what constitutes human capital and the moral issues involved with managing human capital at the base of the pyramid. By the 'base of the pyramid' we are primarily referring to the poorest 4 billion people on earth as compared to the 'top of the pyramid,' which refers to the top 2.5 billion consumers in developed economies. Our definition also includes, however, poor individuals in developed economies. While many human capital discussions in business school settings deal with higher echelons of the labor market, this case introduces a "view from below" or what human capital might look like at the base of the pyramid. The film focuses on a contract surrogacy case. In the process of viewing the film, students can examine the moral dilemmas faced by participants in the surrogacy contract and gain insight into managing human capital in a global economy, but also in their own settings. To preview this product, please log in as an educator at http://hbsp.harvard.edu/