Sears, a Casualty of ‘Financial Synergism’

“Sears Gets Back to Basics” (Nov. 11) suggests that the era of great financial synergism, as taught in business school MBA programs, has come full cycle. One theory being that if you sell homes you can also sell insurance, appliances, home repairs, furniture, IRAs, ad infinitum. It never worked in the real world, and many corporations besides Sears were sucked up into the frenzy.

The Merrill Lynches, Prudentials and others have all bailed out of this fiasco, but what will happen to all the MBAs who led them down the path? Perhaps the business schools could re-evaluate what they are teaching and why.

BOB KERBER

Oceanside