Fall semester offers undergraduates a first taste of a case competition

On November 28 and 29, six student teams competed in the second annual Haskayne Undergraduate Ethics Case Competition held at the University of Calgary. Participants were tasked with creating and presenting solutions to an ethical case problem involving a bank that continued to lend risky mortgages after a major government bailout during the 2008 Financial Crisis.

The Haskayne Undergraduate Ethics Case Competition is an in-school initiative organized by the Commerce Undergraduate Society offered to Haskayne students from all years and concentrations. The competition is designed to complement student academic learning using a case focused on ethical leadership and decision-making.

Winners of the competition were Armaan Ismail, Julia Martin and Paul Hong. Having had such a great experience last year, Ismail and Hong returned again as participants.

“I started doing cases a couple of years ago and it’s a huge learning process. As you do it, you get better,” said Ismail. “When you invest in opportunities outside the classroom like competitions, they really complement your learning.”

New to case competitions, Martin found it beneficial learning from her more experienced team members.

“I don’t really have case experience, so it was nice to see what Paul and Arman put together and learn from them,” said Martin. “I think it was almost as valuable as actually participating in the case and getting mentorship from people who are experienced.”

The Haskayne Undergraduate Ethics Case Competition prize was proudly sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business.

“It’s a great opportunity for everybody,” said Hong.