This module contains the score sheets and cases for the Business Ethics Bowl that is held at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. The scoring categories are Intelligibility, Integrating Ethical Concerns, Feasibility, and Moral Imagination and Creativity. These score sheets can easily be converted into a grading rubric for an in-dept case analysis.
The Ethics Bowl was developed by Robert Ladenson at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The national competition is held every year during the conference meetings of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. This modification of the APPE score sheets reflects the focus of the UPRM Business Ethics Bowl on decision-making as opposed to more general issues analysis. The categories also work from an analogy between the designing process in engineering and problem-solving in ethics.For a further explanation of the scoring procedure, see the module posted by this author for Ethics Bowl Rules and Procedures. This module is being developed as a part of an NSF-funded project, "Collaborative Development of Ethics Across the Curriculum Resources and Sharing of Best Practices," NSF SES 0551779.
Module introduction
This module is designed to give you a brief orientation in the Ethics Bowl competition. It is designed to compliment and complete other modules concerning the ethics bowl that you will find in the Corporate Governance course.
Ethics bowl rules (briefly)
- The moderator will begin the competition by flipping a coin to determine which team will present first. If the team that calls wins the toss, they choose whether they or the other team go first.
- Monday: (1) Team 1 will have one minute to consult and seven minutes to give its initial presentation. The presentation must be tied to the question/task given to it by the moderator. (2) Team 2 has a minute to consult and seven minutes to make its Commentary on Team 1's presentation. Team 2 can close its commentary by posing a question to Team 1. (3) Team 1 then has a minute to consult and fiveminutes to respond to Team 2's Commentary. (4) Team 1 will then answer questions posed by the two peer review teams. Each peer review team will ask a question. A quick follow-up is allowed. The peer review question and answer session will go for 15 minutes. (5) The peer review teams will score the first half of the competition but not announce the results.
- Wednesday: The same procedure will occur while reversing the roles between Teams 1 and 2. Thus, team 2 will present, team 1 comment, team 2 respond, and then team 2 will answer questions from the peer review panels. The peer review panels will add the scores for the second part of the competition but will hold off on announcing the results until Friday's class.
- Friday: The two peer review teams will present and explain their scores. Peer Review teams will take note: you're objective is not to criticize or evaluate the debating teams but to provide them feedback in terms of the four categories.
- Debating teams may trade minutes from consulting to presenting. For example, Team 1 may decide to take two minutes to consult when given their case and task. This means that they will have 6 minutes, instead of 7, to present.
- Nota Bene: Debating teams and Peer Review teams are not allowed to bring notes into the competition. You will be provided with paper to take notes once the competition starts.
- Even though the national Ethics Bowl competition allows only one presenter, debating teams will be allowed to "pass the baton." When one person finishes speaking, another can step in his or her place. It is absolutely forbidden that more than one person speak at a time. Also, the competing team's speaking time is limited to its commentary. Once that is over, they are instructed to quitely listen. Infractions will be followed first by a warning. Second infractions will result in points being taken away.
