Cornell School of Hotel Administration to hold first Stephen Hall Ethics Case Competition

en teams of Cornell students will compete in the first Stephen Hall Ethics Case Competition Friday, March 8, 2013, at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration (SHA). The competition is based on an actual hospitality industry case and will test students' ability to navigate complex business ethics issues and develop a comprehensive presentation that highlights moral and ethical problems. Students must then propose and defend an action plan. Participants include SHA undergraduate and graduate students as well as students from Cornell's College of Engineering, Dyson School for Applied Economics and Management, and ILR School.

"It is not always easy to know the right and ethical decision to make in a multifaceted, multicultural business setting. We need to give students the tools to make these decisions and also provide them with the opportunity to practice their skills," said Stephen Hall, a 1956 graduate of the SHA. "The Hall family is delighted to sponsor this new competition."

The competition is the most recent program in a school-wide ethics initiative, which launched in 2010 and is backed by Stephen and Marjorie Hall and their son Larry. Members of the SHA faculty will serve as judges. The competition is presented by the Student Committee for Continuous Improvement.

"With the support of the Hall family, ethics has become an important part of the SHA student experience," said Judi Brownell, professor of management and organizational behavior and dean of students. "The case competition will build upon the initiatives we have already developed and give Cornell students another outlet to learn how to recognize and analyze ethical issues."