Published 03-20-15
Submitted by Aspen Institute
Beginning today, students at 25 leading business schools will compete for bragging rights and over $30,000 in scholarships by innovating at the intersection of corporate profitability and positive social impact. Through the analysis of a new business case study authored by the Yale School of Management, students participating in the Aspen Institute’s 2015 Business & Society International MBA Case Competition will explore the significant and positive influence that a well- managed business can have in society.
“Today’s business students are tomorrow’s business leaders,” said Claire Preisser, Associate Director of the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program. “Now in its sixth year, this program provides an important – and exciting! – opportunity for MBAs to broaden their aperture with regards to the opportunity that the private sector has in creating both economic and societal returns. We applaud our partnering schools that are on the forefront of preparing a new generation of socially-conscious business executives.”
Participating students will tackle a complex, real-life business analysis being undertaken by a multinational company. Separate competitions at each of the 25 partnering schools will determine first place campus winners, whose work will be reviewed by a panel of academic judges to determine five honorable mentions and five finalist teams. Finalists will be flown to New York City, where they will present to a panel of corporate judges and other social impact thought leaders. All finalist teams will receive prize money, with the first place team receiving $15,000.
This year’s competition also introduces the BNY Mellon Social Finance Prize, created in partnership with the Aspen Institute to encourage innovation in the field of social finance, which encompasses investment activities that include both financial returns and significant social impact. The winner of the Prize will inform how BNY Mellon directs $15,000 in actual capital to further social impact above and beyond the team’s recommendation for the case study subject.
The 25 outstanding schools partnering on the 2015 competition are:
Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece)
Audencia Nantes, School of Management (France)
Baruch –CUNY, Zicklin School of Business
Boston University, School of Management
Business School Lausanne (Switzerland)
Duquesne University, Donahue Graduate School of Business
ESMT European School of Management and Technology (Germany)
Fordham University, Graduate School of Business
Lamar University, College of Business
Middlebury College, Monterey Institute of International Studies
New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Rutgers University, Rutgers Business School
Seton Hall University, Stillman School of Business
The George Washington University School of Business
University of Alberta, Alberta School of Business (Canada)
University of Delaware, Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics
University of Denver, Daniels College of Business
University of Iowa, Henry B. Tippie School of Management
University of Jyväskylä, School of Business and Economics (Finland)
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Isenberg School of Management
University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business
University of Pittsburgh, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
Villanova University, Villanova School of Business
Wilfrid Laurier University, School of Business and Economics (Canada)
We gratefully acknowledge the support of our 2015 corporate partners, without whom this program would not be possible. The program’s lead partner is BNY Mellon, and supporting partners are AXA, Bertelsmann, GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group), Lockheed Martin, and McKinsey & Company.
Learn more about the 2015 Business & Society International MBA Case Competition by visiting the competition’s official website: www.AspenCaseCompetition.org.
###
Established in 1998 and building on over 60 years of Aspen Institute programming, The Aspen Institute Business & Society Program helps established and emerging business leaders put values at the heart of practice. Through dialogue, research, and outreach, Aspen BSP creates opportunities for executives and educators to explore new routes to business sustainability and values-based leadership. For more information, visit www.aspenbsp.org.
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org or follow on Twitter @AspenInstitute.
More from Aspen Institute