Essential managements
Sir: Alexander Murray (Letters, 17 August), as an expert in the fascinating but largely irrelevant subject of mediaeval church history, betrays his prejudice.
Management, it seems, is not worthy of academic enquiry because it suggests prac- ticality. Yet Oxford is happy to produce lawyers and scientists. Management is important because it affects us all and has always done so. Mr Murray's precious mediaeval churches were managed. The bishopric and clergy may not have seen it that way, but applying the principles and concepts of modern management could produce a stimulating examination of, for example, the administration of Fountains Abbey.
What matters in academia is not the sub- ject but the motivation for study. My read- ing in marketing research is as much driven by the desire to understand how the actions of marketers affect the national economy and all our wellbeing as it is to provide any practical benefit to my clients. If students are motivated by desire for material advance, then universities suffer. If, howev- er, the search for knowledge and enlighten- ment informs academic enquiry, then, whatever the subject, it should be seen as Mr Murray's 'miraculous journey'. Even where the subject is cooking.
Simon Cooke
10 Chellow Terrace, Chellow Dene, Bradford, West Yorkshire
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