October 26, 2010

An undergraduate student team from Simon Fraser University garnered finalist status at the Collegiate Ethics Case Competition, hosted at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management from October 21 to 23 in Tucson.

The event featured 30 leading business schools from across North America, including four from Canada. SFU’s team – featuring students Andrew McKinlay and Owen Hosford – was one of only four to reach the finals, along with the University of Southern California, University of Texas, and Elon University. The team from Elon eventually won the competition.

The challenge was especially daunting for Canadian business school students, since the case dealt with the intricacies of the United States health care system and associated U.S. immigration issues.

“The odds were against us, but our students triumphed and we can be very proud of their accomplishment,” said Sam Thiara, Manager of Student Engagement and Recruitment at SFU Business. “What they have accomplished at this competition says much about SFU Business and the calibre of our student body.”

Thiara, who served as team coach, notes that the SFU team was the lone Canadian representative in the finals, and was the only team that made it to the finals as a first-time competitor. He was assisted in coaching duties by recent Bachelor of Business Administration graduate Pam Hernandez.

The annual Collegiate Ethics Case Competition exposes students to a thought provoking business ethics case that they could face in their professional careers. Student teams collaboratively analyze, present, and respond to questions posed by a panel of judges. The event challenges students’ moral reasoning while raising awareness of the importance of corporate social responsibility.

For more information, visit: http://ethics.eller.arizona.edu/competition/