UBC Sauder team awarded first place at business ethics case competition

The Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at the UBC Sauder School of Business sent a team of four Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) students to the 2024 McGill Desautels Business Ethics Case Competition where they were awarded first place. The Peter P. Dhillon Centre supports UBC Sauder in continuing to drive a values-based approach to business education, offering invaluable experiential learning opportunities for students.

The McGill Desautels Business Ethics Case Competition was designed to increase students’ understanding of ethical decisions in business, emphasizing sustainability. By exposing students to real-world scenarios they may encounter in their future career, students can enhance their critical thinking and presentation skills related to business ethics and sustainability. 

Real world experience

Participants were given a real-world business case which required them to present on how the selected company can balance profitability and principle, local autonomy of franchisees and head office priorities, as well as recommend a sustainability strategy that allows the company to flourish without compromising the triple bottom line. 

“I am guided by the principle of the triple bottom line: profit, people and the planet,” explains Parnian Ashrafi, UBC Sauder BCom student. “This has been a theme I’ve kept top of mind throughout all of my coursework, and it was exciting to apply it to a real-world business scenario alongside other frameworks I’ve learned such as stakeholder theory.”

Making connections

Students had the benefit of connecting with others that are passionate about sustainability and ethics. “Networking with the next generation of leaders pursuing a career in business ethics was a highlight of this experience,” says Emma Hodgins, UBC BCom student. 

Recommendations with meaningful feedback

The students were thrilled to have the opportunity to present their recommendations to the CEO of the company they were analyzing. “Knowing that the judge was the CEO was exciting because we were sharing meaningful recommendations with someone who could actually make the changes,” says Ashrafi. “Having access to someone in a leadership role also provided extremely helpful insight and feedback.”

Fostering a deep passion for business ethics

The Peter P. Dhillon Centre supports students in pursuing their passion for business ethics, no matter which avenue they are most interested in. “Although I think about business ethics in its entirety – from social and environmental impacts to the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence – I’m particularly passionate about the environmental aspect,” says Hodgins. “I’ve taken many sustainability courses throughout my UBC Sauder BCom degree and during my exchange in Paris, which inspired me to pursue revolutionary changes to support our future generations economically while also reducing our collective environmental impact.”

Ashrafi has focused her efforts on social ethics and marginalized communities. “I’m extremely passionate about connecting everything, from how decisions impact people – particularly marginalized communities – to holding organizations accountable for their environmental and social commitments. With a major in marketing and concentration in business law, I’m confident that I can make a meaningful impact in this field after graduation.”

Applying takeaways to a career in business ethics

Case competitions offer experiential learning opportunities that students can apply directly to their professional careers. Hodgins and Ashrafi shared some highlights that they are keen to utilize in the workforce:

• Collaboration is key: “Case competitions are designed to be group work, which taught me to be curious in understanding other people’s perspectives,” says Ashrafi. “The best recommendations came out of our collaborative discussions, not sticking to the status quo, which I know will be key to creating positive change in my career.”
• Be bold and be curious: “The judges continually reminded us to take risks in our presentations,” says Hodgins. “In order to create more sustainable operations, risks and large leaps are required. It's important to be bold and think outside the box to push our work to the next level.”
• The value of leadership skills: “Taking ownership of our recommendations prepares us to become better leaders in the future,” says Ashrafi. “We had 5 hours to prepare this presentation and had to move forward with confidence. It was great practice for stepping up as the expert to apply a sustainability lens to big business decisions in the real-world.”
• Strive for continuous improvement: “Even after winning first place, we had the opportunity to ask the CEO for more explicit feedback,” says Ashrafi. “Constantly seeking ways to improve ourselves and learn about other industries is so important as we come out of academia and into the workforce."

Experiences made possible by the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics

Students want their experience at UBC Sauder to prepare them to navigate ethical issues in their future careers. “The support from Peter Dhillon contributes to offering students invaluable experiential learning opportunities to prepare them for a meaningful career using ethical business practices,” says Christie Stephenson, Executive Director, Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at UBC Sauder. “Not only that, but Peter’s gift is also a catalyst in the education ecosystem, as the more students that are able to participate in events like this, the more these events will be offered.”

The business community is also looking to ensure those entering the workforce are well-versed in business ethics. “Graduates who understand the importance of corporate social responsibility, and the risks of not doing enough to protect people and the planet are in high demand,” Stephenson adds. “Not only are students seeking out ways to make a positive impact on society by integrating values in their business careers, but employers are looking for those candidates as well.”