Coming Events
SIFEthical: A Case Competition in Business Ethics
The College of Business at West Texas A&M University is in the preliminary stage of seeking accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), having been approved by AACSB for pre-accreditation consideration.
As stated in AACSB Section 2: Assurance of Learning Standards (Standard 15), the standard requires use of a systematic process for curriculum management but does not require any specific courses in the curriculum. Normally, the curriculum management process will result in an undergraduate degree program that includes learning experiences in such general knowledge and skill areas as:
• Communication abilities.
• Ethical understanding and reasoning abilities.
• Analytic skills.
• Use of information technology.
• Multicultural and diversity understanding.
• Reflective thinking skills. Normally, the curriculum management process will result in undergraduate and master’s level general management degree programs that will include learning experiences in such management specific knowledge and skills areas as:
• Ethical and legal responsibilities in organizations and society.
• Financial theories, analysis, reporting, and markets.
• Creation of value through the integrated production and distribution of goods, services, and information.
• Group and individual dynamics in organizations.
• Statistical data analysis and management science as they support decision-making processes throughout an organization.
• Information technologies as they influence the structure and processes of organizations and economies, and as they influence the roles and techniques of management.
• Domestic and global economic environment of organizations. Given Standard 15, the challenge of the College of Business is to determine the best way to implement the standard. Schools are not required to design courses to teach each standard, but they may decide to do so. Schools are given a great deal of flexibility in fashioning curricula; however, they must justify how curricular contents and structure meet the needs of the mission of the school and the learning goals for each degree program. A faculty committee charged with implementation of the standards as they relate to business ethics has asked you as a student to propose a plan of action for effective implementation of the ethics standards into the College of Business curriculum at West Texas A&M University. Should every student be required to take the Business Ethics course currently being taught? Should each discipline develop its own ethics course? Should ethics be infused into every course taught? Or is there a more effective way for the College of Business to accomplish this? You should take into consideration the College of Business Mission Statement, which says: The mission of the College of Business is to provide high quality undergraduate and graduate business education with a global perspective and ethical awareness. We accomplish this through emphasis on excellence in teaching, which is strengthened by faculty scholarship and supported by professional service. You may also find this statement published on the AACSB website informative:
Why Teach Business Ethics? AACSB International believes that the themes of business ethics can and should be part of business program curricula for many reasons. First, society clearly expects management education to develop students’ ability to deal effectively with ethical dilemmas, provide ethical leadership, understand the responsibility of business in society, and know the principles and practices of sound corporate governance. Business programs provide the most appropriate, and perhaps only, opportunity to help students to understand the complexities of ethical decision within organizations and assist them to develop more effective organizational ethics and compliance programs. Second, other academic subjects such as philosophy and religions are not as well-equipped to assist students to handle the ethical issues in business and management. Relegating ethics to separate these academic areas fosters an unhealthy separation from the practical issue associated with business and management. Although courses in philosophy and religion may be useful to business students, nothing prepares business students more succinctly for their professions than courses which address ethics in the business context. Third, businesses who hire business school graduates rely on business education to complement their own ethics and compliance programs. Ethics and compliance programs in corporate environments are most effective when management understands why such programs are essential and are prepared to provide leadership in implementation.
Finally, an overarching goal of business degree programs is career success among graduates. Career success in today’s business environment depends more than ever on a comprehensive understanding of legal and ethical dimensions of business, ethical leadership and decisionmaking, and reputations that are beyond reproach.
As you develop a Plan of Action for the WTAMU COB, please consider the following:
1. Competing students may compete individually or as a group. All competitors must be either undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in the WTAMU College of Business.
2. To support any plan you create, you need research that supports your position with regard to how students learn the principles involved. You may use any information, whether found on the Internet, in any publication, or in any interview with anyone, including students, faculty and staff, or those in the business world. You may find the AACSB website, www.aacsb.edu useful.
3. You must produce a written plan of action limited to no more than four pages, with a list of sources on the fifth page. Refer to the Resources for Students link under Writing Style on the COB website (http://www.wtamu.edu/academics/college-business-facilities-and-resources.aspx) for proper citation form for the references. You should attach a cover sheet (which does not count in the four pages) which includes your name, major, classification, email address, and phone number.
4. Your entry must be turned in (in hard copy form) to the WTAMU COB Dean’s Office by 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 4, 2010.
5. Entries will be judged March 4 – 6, and the top five entries will be notified by Monday, March 7 that they will compete further. If you have not been notified by March 7, you may assume you have not placed in the top five.
6. The top five competitors will then give oral presentations including a multimedia component such as powerpoint to a panel of faculty judges at a time to be announced before Spring Break.
7. These are the rules for the multimedia presentation:
* All contestants will be present at the specified time, and they will draw for placement order in the competition. Contestants should wear appropriate professional dress.
* Each contestant (or group of contestants) should bring their powerpoint presentation to the designated smart classroom on a flash drive. You will have ten minutes once you are announced to get your presentation on the screen and present your Plan of Action. Time will be called when the ten minutes is over.
* Judges will then have four minutes to ask you questions about your Plan of Action. If you finish your presentation before the ten minutes is up, the time left will be added to the question and answer time.
* Five minutes will be allotted between presentations for judges to make notes.
* See the attached Judging Criteria. The point total for the written part of the competition is added to the point total for the oral presentation to determine the winners.
8. Prizes: 1st - $600, 2nd - $300, and 3rd - $100.
Winners will be announced at end of the presentation, and prize money will be distributed at the College of Business Scholarship Convocation on April 28. Don Hodges of The Hodges Fund has furnished the financial support for this competition.
SIFEthical: A Case Competition for Business Ethics
JUDGING CRITERIA
Name(s) of Competitor: ______________________________________________________
Written Case Competition:
1. How effectively did the written case demonstrate an understanding of the needs of the College of Business and present an action plan to meet those needs? (40 points)
__________
2. How effectively did the competitor(s) use good written communication skills (including proper APA form for the list of resources) in presenting the information? (10 points)
__________
3. How creative and innovative was the action plan? (10 points)
__________
4. How well did the competitor(s) document their sources and support their conclusions? (10 points)
__________
Total Points for Written Case (Maximum 70 points) __________
5. How effectively did the competitor(s) demonstrate an understanding of the needs of the College of Business and present a creative, innovative action plan to meet those needs in the oral/multimedia presentation? (45 points)
__________
6. How effectively did the competitor(s) use good oral communication and technology skills for presenting the information? (25 points)
__________
Total Points for Oral Presentation (Maximum 70 points) __________
TOTAL POINTS FOR COMPETITION (Maximum 140 points) __________
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