The Role of the Business School

Dear colleagues;

We pray for the people of Gaza and all innocent human lives, and we hope that this conflict ends soon and does not extend to other areas. As a school that has been delivering business education since 1900, our role has always been to educate, enlighten, and transform. We cannot do this while we are oblivious to what is happening around us. We remain true to the values of the founders of this university, including making substantive connections between the (Middle) East and West. Rare are the times when such ideals are put to such a difficult and apparently insurmountable test as the one we are presently experiencing.

As a school of business, more questions come to the forefront. What is the role of business in all of what is happening? Is it the curse of oil that continues to afflict this region? What is our responsibility in exposing corporate interests in the ongoing conflict, given that for-profit firms manufacture arms, military communication systems, and weapons of mass destruction? Is there still a place in our curriculum to educate about compassionate capitalism? And, if so, how will we do that? What influence will the current events have on our class dynamics and the way we teach? In the face of governmental and corporate duplicity, how can we spread the valued principles of liberty, equality, self-determination, free enterprise, and social responsibility? What is our role in our community and in the lives of our students from Lebanon, Palestine, the region, and the rest of the world? And perhaps equally important, what is our responsibility towards the outside academic community (a good portion of which are present in North America and Europe) in terms of initiating a dialogue where educators become missionaries of peace and reconciliation rather than elements of hate and destruction?

You all must have followed the dangerous discourse, or lack thereof, taking place at American institutions. Contrary to the America we know, free thinking and expression are increasingly being restricted, and individuals are threatened with job loss if they speak up. AUB’s President, Fadlo Khuri, referred to this in his President’s Perspective (October 20th), when he asked, “How can academics play our part effectively without the freedom to speak out for one’s convictions absent fear of consequence?" The good news is that an increasing number of individuals are refusing to be hushed, intimidated, or threatened. An example close to our academic community comes from a division within the Academy of Management. The Critical Management Studies Division today published a statement that deviates greatly from the prevalent rhetoric that dehumanizes and trivializes Palestinian suffering. There is a link to the statement here, but let me cite a telling phrase: “Palestinians and their allies have fought over decades to free the settler colonial occupation of Palestine and the genocide of their people. Recent strikes against Palestine have resulted in thousands of innocent citizens, many of them children, being massacred. The CMS Executive denounces the violence and destruction bringing harm to civilians and the most vulnerable in that region."

Looking forward, one may anticipate a shift in the role of business schools, especially for us as a premier institution built on the American liberal arts model. I see lots of challenges and opportunities. In the field I am familiar with, business ethics, I can see students challenging me more as they recognize the convergence of corporate and political interests. They will increasingly question the hypocrisy of companies that publish sustainability reports while manufacturing products that facilitate war and obstruct peace. I can also see how a discussion in a marketing class might evolve into a debate about the importance of protecting local businesses given consumer boycotts. We may also see shifting class dynamics in courses that debate data and social media, given how social media platforms may have repressed the voices of the oppressed and/or pushed for a rhetoric of dehumanization and hatred. AI classes will be both difficult and fascinating, since AI and how it is being utilized in this war have crossed the line into being an abuse of what could have been a very useful technology. In finance or strategy classes, our students might bring up the economic effects of the war on business enterprises working in the region. This would be an appropriate time for faculty to share the difficulty of properly balancing between standing for what is right while at the same time protecting the financial bottom line.

The above places a hefty burden and a changing role on educators at our business school. We should see ourselves not merely as means of transferring knowledge to students but also as a transformative force for businesses to do good in their own contexts and beyond. There may be no better time to reflect on what we teach and how we teach, transferring the best business education that we have consistently delivered, but with a growing recognition that context matters. We want to share with our students business knowledge that is cutting-edge, relevant, compassionate, and connected to the aspirations and needs of the communities that we serve. In doing so, we have many supporters, not the least of which are the AOM's CMS division's brave voices.

Yusuf