It is Spring 2002 and where has the time gone? Actually, where has the winter gone? Where has the snow and rain gone? And, has anyone seen my car keys? I have a lot of questions looking for answers and a few thoughts to share with all of you in the EAM.
Business is big in the news recently and those of us who teach in the Management field are lucky. We never run out of interesting examples for our classes. The latest “good” example is the collapse of the Enron Corporation under the weight of debt and bad decisions. As we learn more about how the Enron executives played past and loose with a major company, someone might reasonably ask, “Where did they learn about business? What did they learn in their management classes? Who taught these people business ethics? Why did they behave so badly? It is not easy to think of a good answer to those questions, but we should be the first to ask and not wait for anyone else to pose them to us.
We know that executives learn more on the job and in the corporate culture than they do as students. But their management education is where they learn the basics rules of business and get the knowledge that allows them to make good decisions. This is not just about ethics but also about being taking care of the firm and the people who are part of the enterprise. It is about power, influence, and short-term gain versus long-term risk.
Kenneth Lay was not one of my students but he could have been. The Enron bankruptcy has made me think about what I am teaching, how I manage classroom discussion, and what I think students are going to remember about our courses long after the class is over. A learning organization should spend some time considering these questions and I hope we will do this at the Annual Meeting. In the meantime, if you would like to share your thoughts on this please send them directly on our Web site at: http://wnec.edu/eam/enron.
And speaking of good decisions, the call for nominations for EAM officers and Directors have been mailed to you from VP-at-Large Barry Armandi and is also on our website. I encourage everyone to take a moment and think about nominating someone you respect to one of these positions. You can also nominate yourself if you are interested in helping the EAM move forward. A vital electoral process helps keep the organization open to new ideas and people. Jump into the process by responding to the call for nominations. The EAM works best when we all work to make it a real learning organization.
I look forward to seeing everyone New Haven.
Another election issue of interest to EAM members is the Academy of Management election for 2002. I am pleased to note that Professor Jeff Lenn of The George Washington University has been nominated for a position on the Academy of Management Board of Governors as a representative of the Regional Affiliates. Jeff is a past president of the EAM as well as a Fellow of the Eastern Academy of Management. It is good to see that EAM members continue to provide leadership in important areas in our field. The AOM ballots are available electronically to all Academy members by visiting the AOM website. Voting closes April 5th.