Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership Student Information

The Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership will be offering a wide variety of programs to engage with all students around the topics of ethics and social responsibility. Although our programs are geared toward Broad College of Business students, we welcome anyone from the MSU campus to join us.

Presentation Options and Requests

CESRL is happy to come and speak to large or small groups, classes or any student organization. We can tailor a presentation to meet your specific needs. Presentations CESRL has previously given are as follows:

Ethics, Social Responsibility and Entrepreneurship
An Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility
Leadership in Action
A Current Event Case Study and Ethics

Interested in having someone from CESRL come and talk with your group? Email or call Beth Hammond at hammon25@msu.edu or (517) 353-4299.

Case Competitions

Case competitions are an opportunity for students to work in teams to analyze a problem specific to a case study and strategically develop the best solution(s), within the case study guidelines, by a certain date. Teams deliver presentations for judges, who will decide the winner. These are great opportunities to hone your critical thinking skills and your presentation abilities, and the competition looks great on your resume. And there is typically prize money at stake as well!

Upcoming competitions for Michigan State University teams

Interested in being on a team? Email your resume to Beth Hammond at hammon25@msu.edu.

John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition Fall 2024
The Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership will sponsor up to 2 teams to participate in the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition. If either of the teams is invited to Atlanta, GA to participate in the final round, CESRL will pay for travel and accommodations for that team.

Teams of four (4) to six (6) students from a university will submit an application to an industry of their choosing, consisting of applicant information and a PowerPoint statement of intention (maximum 7 slides) that responds in detail to the following questions:
- What role does your team believe business should play in addressing issues of racial inequality and injustice in your selected industry? (50%)
- How would your team structure your problem-solving approach to this project? This includes primary and/or secondary research methods and the team’s problem-solving approach (20%).
- Half of the prize money awarded to each team will be donated to an organization advancing racial justice of the winner’s choosing. How would your team propose to invest the prize money? Explain how the team would invest the money, the expected impact, and the rationale (10%).
- Demonstrate why your team represents diversity. Racial injustice is an issue for all, regardless of race/ethnicity (20%).
- Student teams will be able to submit one (1) application to only one (1) company, while providing a primary backup and a secondary backup company should they not be selected for their primary company.
- Multiple teams from the same university may apply, but only one (1) team per university may advance to each company-specific semifinal. Further, no more than two (2) teams per university may advance to the entire semifinal round.
Application Dates
- November 2024 – Application opens
- November 2024 at 11:59PM EST – Application deadline
Semifinals
- December 2024 – Semifinalist teams announced
- February 2025 – Semifinal competition in Atlanta
Finals
- February 2025 – Final competition and JLCC Conference in Atlanta
Learn More
Ethics in the News Undergraduate Case Competition Fall 2024
The Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership will be hosting the Ethics in the New Case Competition for undergraduate students in the Broad College of Business on Thursday, October 10th. Teams of up to 4 students will compete to address all ethical and business implications of a current day ethical situation.

Prize money will be awarded to the top three teams in the following amounts:
- First Place: $1,200 total per team
- Second Place: $800 total per team
- Third Place: $500 total per team
Application Deadlines:
- Thursday, September 26: Team Applications Due
- Friday, September 27: Ethical situation shared with all teams
- Thursday, October 10: 20-minute presentation with live judges starting at 1pm
Apply Now
International Business Ethics and Sustainability Virtual Case Competition Spring 2025
The Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership will sponsor up to 2 teams to participate in the virtual component of the International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition.

Teams of 3-5 members compete in 3 competitions during the event:
- The 25-minute competition, in which teams will present a business problem of their choosing, give a full presentation analyzing the ethical, sustainable, legal, and financial aspects of a problem, and present a solution that is viable on all fronts.
- The 10-minute competition, in which teams will incorporate the suggestions given the by judges during the 25-minute presentation and give a 10-minute presentation on the ethical aspect of the problem.
- The 90-second elevator pitch explaining the importance of the sustainability component of the problem.
  The online divisions will compete in April 2025. IBESCC staff will work with teams to find presentation times that will accommodate the schedules of individuals in different time zones.
Application Dates
- February 2025: Application Due
- February 2025: Team Topic Due
- March 2025: Executive Summary Due
Learn More

Codes of Ethics From Professional Associations and Societies

As business professionals, you will be held to certain expectations around ethical and appropriate conduct. There are some universal principles, such as integrity and respect, but each discipline emphasizes different areas of conduct based on the ethical needs of that profession. Review the codes of ethics for your major’s professional associations to ensure that you are acting in line with those expectations.