British Academy of Management Responds to Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities

In response to the report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities by the government’s Race Disparity Unit (31 March 2021), the British Academy of Management (BAM) wishes to emphasise that it recognises the continued existence of institutional racism in UK academia, and particularly in schools of business and management. Our ongoing investigation into the inequalities and exclusions characterising career access and progression in our field indicates that there are still significant structural barriers to racial equality in the UK, and that Black academics are the most negatively affected group.

BAM is committed to developing a complex, intersectional understanding of how racism operates at different levels, be it structural, institutional or individual; to conducting open and honest discussions about racism and to challenging it in all its forms; and to listening to and supporting members of our community who experience racism.

Members of BAM embrace and actively participate in initiatives aimed at decolonising business and management curriculum, addressing inequalities in career access and progression of business school staff from ethnic minorities, and closing the attainment gap among students from different ethnic groups.