I have been involved with the IBECC Competition for close to 20 years and it never gets old or stops impressing me. The collegiate teams are a good reminder that we have good young minds giving serious thought to some very serious topics. I continue to look forward to these as the leaders of the future and they keep me positive about the business leaders of the future.
–Stanley Botts, Senior Judge, Retired Ethics Officer, Verizon
Participating in IBECC was an experience like no other. It gave me the opportunity to choose a company and discuss ethical problems and solutions with the company’s managers within a fictional setting. It also deepened my understanding of ethics and allowed me to put to practical use all the knowledge I gained from the ethics in business class. I hope you will choose to participate, it is a rewarding experience and a great way to meet other students and network.
—Pearl Umoye, IBECC 2017, Mount Holyoke College, Team Supervisor, ERC (Enhanced Resource Centers)
IBEEC is a unique event. It has been a privilege and the greatest pleasure to have been associated with the competition for the past seventeen years. The teams’ efforts are extraordinary. Each year, we are treated to compelling, often original presentations on the highest academic level. Equally important is the camaraderie which develops and continues among students from different backgrounds, nationalities and pursuits. I have watched IBEEC grow from a local to a regional, then national, and ultimately international event. For me, “Uber” isn’t a transportation option; rather, it is my title as one of the senior judges guiding the competition. The expertise and creativity of Professor Thomas White, a renowned business ethicist, and his team is beyond words. Tom is an inspirational change agent and a pre-eminent scholar. IBEEC is truly the highlight of my year.
–Hon. Ruth B. Kraft, Senior Judge
Participating in IBECC was a transformative event for me as an academic and young professional. Given my previous background in the Humanities and Social Sciences, IBECC empowered me to have a voice on issues of business ethics and to trust my own ability to generate corporate governance solutions. Presenting at IBECC not only welcomed me into a mindful and vitally engaged community, but also opened professional pathways that ultimately led me to a career in impact finance.
—Kaitlyn Abrams, IBECC 2018, Oxford University, United Kingdom,
Executive Director, Values Based Investing Research at OpenInvest
IBECC provides a unique opportunity for students of business ethics to engage the subject as a practical team – an essential skill for their future and for our future. It accomplishes this by incentivizing problem solving from multiple perspectives (economic, legal, ethical) and offers student teams feedback from experienced business professionals.
–Ken Goodpaster, Senior Judge, Professor Emeritus, Opus College of Business, University of Saint Thomas (MN)
As a judge of the IBECC, I’ve had a front row seat to this one-of-a-kind event, which gives teams of undergraduate and graduate students the challenge of not only identifying actual business ethics challenges, but also of considering alternatives and recommending solutions. The teams don’t have any “special training” in business ethics, but instead are smart, caring creative students dealing with real-world problems. These students are our future, and the issue-identification and problem-solving the teams undertake will pay our society dividends in the future. The more practice and experience in these skills, along with preparing and delivering convincing presentations, the better! Our team of volunteer judges – business ethics experts, lawyers, financial and business people – give these students real-time feedback and challenge to build their skills and character.
Barbara Kipp, retired partner and ethics and compliance officer, PWC
Having a running component for IBECC makes for a unique experience for competitors, as it allows the team to push themselves beyond that of a regular public speaking competition. It also brings out the athlete in everyone, and allows for some healthy competition both mentally and physically. Running is a way to clear your head and focus on the important events going on in your life. It also happens to be a stress reliever in my life.
–Samantha Coyle, Texas State University, top female biathlon runner 2017, 2018
Industry offers apprenticeships in engineering, specialty crafts on the shop floor, and occasional summer internships. But who is training the newly minted graduates for leadership positions in a complex world of shark infested water?
IBECC is. This one-of-kind International competition gives students a glimpse of problem solving in the complex world of financial, legal and most importantly ethic challenges. They select timely cases, ripped from the headlines and present their findings and recommendations to panels of senior business leaders…an opportunity they are not likely to have for years after entering the global workplace.
—Barney Rosenberg, Senior Judge, Retired VP for Ethics and Business Conduct, Meggitt PLC
We have been attending IBECC for the last five years because it is a wonderful opportunity to make students face important ethical dilemmas. Students have to think about the problem, discuss among themselves, come up with a practical and real solution to the problem, and finally defend before executive judges. It is a priceless experience.
Ignacio Ferrero Muñoz, La Universidad de Navarra, Navarra, Spain