To ALSB:
        Concur with Deb's concern.  However, don't dismiss value of individual
testimonies. We need and should use every legitimate means of persuasion
(public relations tool).  Scholarly research is a valuable tool but so are
less formal statements (wish Jay Leno would make a remark or two about
'lawless' business education programs!).
        AACSB cannot afford more embarassments over the irrelevancy of their
curriculum.  Recall how they flinched when a new accrediting agency came
into being.  The result was acceptance of a new "teaching" mission for
members.
        Our colleagues understand that the bottom line is whether business
education is perceived as offering value.  ALSB should use some strategic
planning to launch a major campaign that would include: studies,
testimonials, personal discussions with major foundations that contribute to
AACSB institutions, consultation with members of other accreditation
committees, articles and commentaries in Wall Street Journal and other
respected business publications, and perhaps setting up our own
accreditation organization (which is what the founders of AACSB and the
Accounting accreditation did).
        We are in a "war of ideas".  I happen to feel very strongly that in
addition to the legal environment course, students of every major should
have at least one more law course: Cyberlaw for MIS majors, human resource
management law for HR majors, etc. It is crazy to send people out to the
real business world as walking tort liabilities - ignorance is no defense.
The cause is just and not simply one of self-preservation.  We must not be
so defensive.
        I hope that our leadership will use the tools of business: strategic
planning to build a multi-faceted plan that leverages our membership and
skills.
                                                                                        Chuck Stowe
                                                                                        Professor
                                                                                        Sam Houston State University


-----Original Message-----
From: Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB) Talk
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 1999 7:08 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Editor's Corner - ABLJ 36:4


deb ballam wrote:
>
> I agree with Jordan that the quotations will be dismissed as anecdotal.  I
> also agree that we need empirical evidence.  However, if we ourselves
> undertake such a study (and several of our members have done excellent
> studies--right now I can think of George Siedel's study that he presented
> in St. Louis and a study that Elliot Klayman published a number of years
> ago), it will be dismissed as biased.  I personally think our profession
is
> in a state of deep crisis and if we don't take serious action soon, we
will
> cease to exist.
>
> I would like to propose that the national association, the regionals, and
> our members as individuals contribute to a fund that we could use to hire
> an outside consulting firm to do a survey of business executives not just
> on the law subjects they think are important, but on the importance of law
> for the practice of business, and on the importance of business
> practitioners themselves having basic legal knowledge.  We could submit
the
> resulting report to every business school dean and to the AACSB.  We could
> use this report not only for defensive purposes, but to go on the offense.
>
> I am curious about what others think of this proposal.
>
> Deb Ballam
Dear Deb,
As a member of the North Eastern Region, I think that this is a good
idea; however, I don't think our region has very much money that we
could contribute. There may be other ways to raise the funds.  Perhaps
from individuals.  How much would this kind of a study cost?  Copies of
the results should go to Chairs of Business Departments or Divisions as
well as Business Schools.
Diana Juettner
Mercy College
Dobbs Ferry, NY