UPEI students place second in ethics competition

Students from UPEI’s School of Business won second place at the Scotiabank Ethics in Action Case Competition held at Dalhousie University over the weekend of November 4 and 5.

As part of the Scotiabank Ethics in Action Conference—which includes a panel discussion, speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities that allow students to interact with industry experts and peers from across the country—the case competition provides an opportunity for students to develop the skills and knowledge used in practicing ethical leadership. It challenges students with complex ethical dilemmas that they are likely to face in today's corporate world and tasks them with making strategic business decisions, while adhering to ethical principles.

“The students worked hard to truly understand what it means to be ethical leaders in a practical sense, and I am so proud of the hard work and dedication they have shown over the semester,” said Mary Whitrow, coach of the UPEI case team.

UPEI won second place against nine other teams from across Canada and the United States. The UPEI team included Hannah Dawson (fourth-year BBA, marketing specialization), Shanna Blacquiere (second-year BBA), Krista Lee Oliver (fourth-year BBA, accounting specialization), and Carter MacDonald (fourth-year BBA, accounting specialization). The team also competed in the Atlantic Schools of Business Case Competition in late October, where they placed first.

“I am so happy that our team was able to get these results for UPEI,” said team member Krista Lee Oliver. “We feel honoured to have kept this track record going.”

Ten days before the competition, students received a business case (a narrative about a real life business and the problems it is facing) they had never seen before. Using all resources available to them (Internet, textbooks, faculty, etc.) they prepared a 12-minute presentation to deliver on the first day of competition to a panel of academics and industry professionals, which was followed by a three-minute question period.

“This was an excellent learning experience for our team,” said team member Carter MacDonald. “It challenged us to see problems from multiple points of view and to solve those problems ethically.”
The following day, the team received another case. This time, they had just three hours to analyze it and create a solution to present to the judges, without the assistance of the Internet or textbooks. The judging panel said UPEI’s team stood out for delivering a solution that was both ethically sound and realistic.

“To have such consistent results is impressive,” said Dr. Juergen Krause, dean of UPEI’s School of Business. “Congratulations to the students and their coach on a job again well done.”

Past UPEI Results at Scotiabank Ethics in Action

2016 – 2nd place
2015 –2nd place
2014 –1st place
2013 – 1st place