Rockledge High Team Wins Florida Tech Ethics Competition
15 Central Florida High Schools Participated in Annual Event
MELBOURNE, FLA. —Students from Rockledge High School took first place in Florida Institute of Technology’s Nathan Bisk College of Business 19th Annual High School Business Ethics and Leadership Competition held March 13 on the university’s Melbourne campus.
The Rockledge High team, coached by Nan Fleming, featured members Katie Klein, Corbin Kramer, Alex Adams and David Ward.
Melbourne Central Catholic won second place. Palm Bay High School took third. And Melbourne High School was fourth.
Sponsored by Community Credit Union and Florida Tech and offering nearly $324,000 in scholarships and cash prizes, the 2015 competition drew 15 teams from high schools in Brevard and Orange counties.
Judges come from a variety of career fields and areas, including Nathan Bisk College of Business Advisory Board members, Florida Tech faculty and prominent members of the community.
In the morning session, all the teams developed and analyzed solutions to a business ethics problem concerning the Nov. 22, 2012, fire in a Bangladesh garment factory which killed 112 people and injured several hundred. In its aftermath, questions were raised as to responsibility and accountability for this horrific tragedy.
In the afternoon, and having only one hour to prepare, the top four schools from the morning session reviewed and analyzed a different ethical situation. The afternoon case concerned a Canadian teacher hired to teach English as second language in South Korea. Issues later developed for the teacher concerning hiring, firing, organizational culture/climate and pay.
For the top four schools, Community Credit Union provided the following cash awards: $500 per member in the first-place team; $250 per member in the second-place team; $125 per member in the third-place team; and $100 per member in the fourth-place team.
From Florida Tech, each member of the first-place team received an award of a four-year $8,000-per-year scholarship to the university. A four-year, $6,000-per-year scholarship went to each member of the second-place team. A four-year, $4,000-per-year scholarship went to each member of the third-place team; and a four-year, $2,000-per-year scholarship went to each member of the fourth-place team.
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