Isenberg Undergraduate Team Excels in Business Ethics Competition

A team of Isenberg undergraduates finished first in two presentations and second in a third in the 20th annual International Business Ethics Case Competition,* on April 20-22 in Cambridge. For its presentations, the team explored First Amendment and other issues involving free-speech versus abusive messaging on Yik Yak, a social media app that emphasizes anonymous discussions.

The Isenberg team** finished first in a ten-minute presentation without visuals (i.e., Power Point) and first in a 90 second elevator pitch that advocated the relevance of their topic. In addition, the team placed second in a 25-minute Power Point presentation that examined financial, legal, and ethical aspects of the Yik-Yak controversy.

A key to the Isenberg team’s success was its members’ exceptional support—both intellectual and emotional—for one another, observed Jennifer Merton, the students’ faculty advisor. Merton and fellow business law lecturer Frank Caruso fielded the team members, who chose their own topic with suggestions from Merton. “The students were thoughtful and accomplished, and they really cared about one another,” added Merton. That translated, she said, to well-integrated presentations that proved thorough and persuasive.

*Sponsored by the Center for Ethics in Business (Loyola Marymount University), the Opus College of Business (University of St. Thomas (MN)), the Center for Business Ethics (Bentley University), and the Ethics & Compliance Initiative.

**Danilo Milevsky, Nicole Moschella, Nikhila Nandgopal, Oliver Thibault and Christopher Drumm (shown left to right).