UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two members of the Smeal College of Business Ethics Case Team collaborated to finish third overall and first in the Manatee Bracket among four competing teams in the Templeton Business Ethics Case Competition in February at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.
Palmer Moore, a second-year finance major with minors in international business, management information systems and biology, and Lydia Mabamije, a fourth-year marketing major with a minor in digital media trends and analytics, represented Smeal.
The theme of this year’s competition addressed the fentanyl epidemic at higher education institutions. The one-day competition assigned student teams into four brackets, each consisting of four teams, to compete in three rounds, with all schools competing in the initial two rounds before progressing to the final round based on performance.
The first two rounds involved a combination of presentations and answering questions, with teams required to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the case and its ethical, legal and financial implications. Teams made 20-minute presentations with five minutes allotted for clarifying questions in the first round. Then, in the second round, each team was given four standardized questions and allowed two minutes to answer each.
After the first two rounds, the judges advanced the highest scoring team from each bracket into the finals, where each of the four final teams gave an eight-minute presentation to a larger panel of judges and all other teams in the auditorium. The judges then deliberated and placed the final four teams.
Reflecting on their experience, Moore highlighted the importance of stakeholder analysis and the challenge of condensing their presentation.
“For our case, we needed to focus on solving the ethical problem at hand, while complying with all relevant laws, and keeping it financially viable,” Moore said.“This analysis, while difficult, is what made our solution stand out.”
Distilling the original presentation to a shorter version proved to be a challenge.
“By far the most challenging part was cutting the presentation down from 20 minutes to eight minutes. This case took hours and hours of research and brainstormed solutions, so when going to present, you have a lot of knowledge that you just don’t have time to share,” Mabamije said.
However, their confidence in their solution and understanding of the core message helped them overcome this hurdle.
“Smeal has done a wonderful job in preparing me for this case competition, and the Tarriff Center, its donors and director Michelle Darnell do an incredible job to provide students with these experiential learning opportunities,” said Moore.
The competition broadened their perspectives on the responsibilities of social institutions and the value of higher education. Moore emphasized the importance of advocating for students in higher education institutions.
“Being on the team is a continuous growth and learning experience. The ability to recognize why certain topics could pose ethical issues becomes second nature. Overall, critical thinking becomes my default approach,” said Mabamije.