April 13, 2009 - Three California State University, Bakersfield business students have been selected to advance to the final round of Loyola Marymount University's 11th annual National Intercollegiate Business Ethics Competition. Lauren Jacobs, Amber Newsom and Briana Tucker will compete in the final round in Los Angeles on April 16-18.

This year's qualification involved a competitive selection process for determining the top 25 teams who will make an oral presentation in the final round. More than 100 teams submitted proposals to compete in the event. CSUB's topic is "Renewable Energy: The Impact of Corn Subsidies in the United States and Abroad."

CSUB will face off against top-ranked business programs such as UCLA Anderson School of Management, University of Southern California, University of San Francisco, Loyola Marymount University, Dartmouth College, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, United States Military Academy, West Point, U.S. Naval Academy, Villanova, University of Arizona, and New York University, Stern School of Business.

"To be selected as one of only 25 teams worldwide to compete in the final round is quite an honor," said Jeana Jaymes, marketing professor at CSUB. "Briana and Lauren were members of last year's team so they know the ropes and what to expect during the competition. They are very polished, persuasive presenters now and because of that experience, we feel we have a strong chance of doing well this year."

For the final round, each team prepares an oral presentation where the students explain the legal, financial and ethical dimensions of the problem they have selected. They then recommend a solution that must pass muster on all three counts. Oral presentations can last up to 30 minutes. These presentations are judged by a combination of men and women from national businesses and university faculty. Teams are questioned for an additional 30 minutes by the judges, who then give the team feedback on their performance.

The Center for Ethics and Business is an arm of the College of Business Administration at LMU. Their mission is to provide an environment for discussing issues relating to the necessity, difficulty, costs and rewards of conducting business ethically. Recognizing the special challenges connected with discussing ethical issues in a diverse global economy, the center encourages a secular and philosophical approach to these matters.

"I feel it is very important for business students to understand the social impact of their ethical behavior in doing business and have some sense of the meaning and importance of corporate global social responsibility," Jaymes explained. "This kind of competition raises that kind of awareness for business students. Participating in a national competition, with the caliber of schools that traditionally compete at LMU, raises the stature of CSUB business students among national corporate leaders. We are a business school, but we hope students understand the social impact of the way we do business. We hope they learn to value ethical corporate social responsibility as much as competitive business strategies."

For more information, contact Jaymes at (661) 654-6881.