ASIS and The Conference Board Announce New Partnership

4/18/2002

From: Jack Lichtenstein of the American Society for Industrial Security, 703-518-1484 Email: jlichtenstein@asisonline.org Web: http://www.asisonline.org/media/mediacenterhome.html

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 18 -- The American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) announced today that it has established a new partnership with The Conference Board (TCB), one of the world's leading research and business membership organizations, to conduct an extensive examination of corporate management and security changes and their costs resulting from the September 11 terror attacks.

The objective of the ASIS/TCB study is to assist security professionals, corporate leaders and government officials in designing policies to deal with new security realities. This study will explore the far-reaching changes in corporate management practices and in the roles and responsibilities of security managers, as well as examine the financial implications of changing security requirements.

The ASIS/TCB partnership began with a request to ASIS from the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the U.S. Congress for information on the likely extent and duration of increases in security costs in the wake of September 11, in which JEC Chairman Jim Saxton (R-NJ) called these unanticipated costs a "terror tax" on the American people. The knowledge generated by the ASIS/TCB study will be made available to the JEC as it considers recommendations to present to Congress for new legislation intended to provide tax relief for businesses and consumers.

"There was no reliable, comprehensive information anywhere on costs of security to business, especially present and prospective costs associated with 9-11," said Michael J. Stack, Executive Director of ASIS. "We knew from the outset that The Conference Board would be the ideal organization to partner with in gathering information to provide to Congress."

"This groundbreaking work, which brings together the premier association in the security profession and the most respected of business research organizations, will have significant value to the American people," said Jack Lichtenstein, Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy with ASIS, who established the ASIS/TCB partnership. "This study will help those who develop public and business policy at the very highest levels, and those responsible for security in America's places of commerce, become more effective in reacting to the events of September 11th and future protection of lives and property."

The ASIS/TCB project will include a survey of corporate security management practices and trends across a wide range of American business and industry; interviews which will expand understanding of survey responses; and preparation of selected case studies to provide depth and perspective on issues and different corporate approaches.

A major goal of the ASIS/TCB study, in addition to understanding the "bottom-line" financial impacts of the new security demands and practices, is to enhance understanding of the institutional changes being implemented by corporations to better prepare for and manage security in the new operating environment created by the 9-11 events and subsequent threats. These institutional changes include the expansion and intensification of "traditional" security practices of protecting people, property and products from possible attack or contamination, integrating security into more mainstream management systems, and evaluating and developing ways to protect against threats to operations, products and personnel throughout the supply chain.

The Conference Board, which is known for the quality and objectivity of its work, has more than 3,000 member companies in 67 nations. Some 16,000 executives participate in its global network. Last year, The Conference Board's more than 180 conferences attracted more than 10,000 business leaders. The Conference Board produces the Leading Economic Indicators for the United States and eight other major nations, the widely-watched Consumer Confidence Index, and the Business Confidence Index and other major economic and management studies that have an impact on both business policy and the financial markets.

The American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) is the preeminent international organization for security professionals, with 32,000 members worldwide. ASIS is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials that address broad security interests, such as the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits, as well as specific security topics. By providing members and the security community with access to a full range of programs and services and by publishing the industry's number one magazine-Security Management-ASIS leads the way for advanced and improved security performance.