The USF St. Petersburg ethics and debate team won second place in two of three events at the International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition (IBESCC) in Los Angeles last week. The competition featured thirty teams from universities across the United States and as far away as Melbourne, Australia.
The team was made up of undergraduate students Julia Linkogle, Ryan McGahan, Marcus Rubenstein, Melissa Keles and Grace Hussain, who are pursuing degrees in fields from accounting to journalism.
IBESCC challenges teams to apply ethical reasoning to practical issues of sustainable development on behalf of a corporation or nonprofit. Each team chooses an organization, identifies an ethical issue and presents a solution to that issue, while making sure the organization remains profitable.
The USFSP team selected Edgewell, a personal care company that manufacturers Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens.
“The ethical issue the students addressed was the inclusion of certain chemicals in sunscreens,” said Jared Morgenstein, advisor and coach of the USFSP ethics and debate team. “The problem is these chemicals harm reefs and contribute to coral bleaching. The team’s solution was to suggest that Edgewell manufacture an eco-friendly sunscreen line researchers say is the most coral-friendly formula. The sunscreen could then be marketed as more eco-friendly and put the company ahead of its competition.”
The USFSP team competed in the 25-minute, 10-minute and 90-second categories and won second place in both the 25-minute and 90-second category, giving them a second overall finish in the competition. USFSP competed for the first time last year in IBESCC, winning first place in the 10-minute category.
“IBESCC is an excellent competition,” Morgenstein said. “It gives students experience in professional business presentation skills and teaches them how to discuss issues in business settings. It’s a good networking opportunity as well, since there are schools represented from all over the world.”
The USFSP ethics and debate team is an integral part of the university’s Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership, which promotes the study and practice of effective and ethical leadership. The team competes in competitions throughout the academic year, and through these vehicles develop skills to analyze moral issues, defend an argument and discuss difficult issues.
The trip was made possible by generous donations from David and Lisa Hood and Northwestern Mutual.