Choosing a Topic
Teams choose their case and topic related to one of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. (See our SDG Resources page for more details.) The best topics are current issues or those just on the horizon. We encourage teams to choose topics that they find personally compelling. Please see the Past Topics page for more information on prior topics that were in earlier competitions.
Crafting a Strong Presentation
Your presentation should describe the ethical, financial, and legal aspects of a problem that an organization is facing, with an emphasis on the ethical/sustainable dimensions, and propose a solution that is acceptable on all counts. Please keep the following in mind when conducting your analysis and crafting a solution:
- What is the mission statement of the business involved? Do they have an employee ethics code or a vendor code of conduct? Are they a signatory to the UN Global Compact or a similar alliance?
- Who are all the parties involved, and does the problem/solution harm anyone? How will you address that issue?
- Are there specific "rights" or "duties" that are part of this case that are in conflict or must be respected?
- What goals does your solution advance in relation to the organization’s goals and mission statement?
Creating an Ethical Argument and Solution
- Your argument should clearly explain why (not just imply) your solution is ethical.
- Is the solution a logical outcome? It should make good business sense and be backed by the data and evidence in your presentation.
- Your audience should feel that your proposed action is affordable, provides a clear benefit to the organization, and is ethically compelling.
- Anticipate questions that the judges may ask concerning the validity or implementation of your solution.
What Else Do the Judges Evaluate?
- Your team’s ability to present and answer their questions as a well-practiced, cohesive unit.
- Each individual’s preparedness - presenters shoud not read from a script or rely heavily on notes.
Check out the For Judges page and the judging forms to see the required criteria that judges will use.
What Does a Winning Presentation Look Like?
You can watch videos of past presentations to study:
- How winning teams structured their pitch/argument and presented their evidence.
- The questions that judges will ask in the 25 Minute Presentation and how to handle them effectively.
- Participants should wear formal business attire for all of the presentations, as shown in the videos.
Read the Emails We Send!
We send out periodic emails to all teams members and advisors to:
- Remind you of deadlines..
- Pass along important logistical information
- Provide helpful tips.
Our periodic updates also include proposed presentation schedules. We do our best to accommodate your scheduling requests but need advance notice. So please check your emails and respond in a timely fashion.
If you have questions about any aspect of this competition, please contact us at ibes@lmu.edu or call Chiray Koo at (213-268-0789)