Liberty’s School of Business Students Excel in Ethics Video Competition

Although it was their first year to participate, three teams of students from Liberty University’s School of Business placed in the 2014 National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Student Center for the Public Trust Ethics in Action Video Competition.

Part of the required work for Liberty’s organization ethics class, the videos focused on an ethical issue or dilemma relevant to today’s culture and the business world. The class, taught by Dr. Eric Richardson, chair and associate professor in the School of Business, was comprised of three teams: Coworkers, INAM and Liberty Student Competitors.

“My team was one of three entries, and I know every last one of them put in a lot of time for this,” Kristin Arndt, one of the members of INAM, said. “My team specifically worked very hard on the project, and I thought that we did a good job and was excited in the fact that it was chosen as one of the top three for the content. We all put in a lot of effort, even with our busy schedules, as many of the group members were in their respective capstone that semester.”

Open to U.S. college students of any major, the competition was sponsored by the Lipscomb University Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity. Two categories, the PSA and the Short Film, had a 30-second time limit and a three to five-minute time limit, respectively.

INAM took second place in the short film category, and the Liberty Student Competitors and the Coworkers placed second and third, respectively, for viewers’ choice in the same category.

“I think that every team involved had to put forth a lot of effort, and I believe I speak for my entire team in the fact that we are honored that we were selected to be in the top three and are proud to have been able to have more than one Liberty team in the final selections,” Arndt said.

Another member of INAM, Nathan Saxton, wrote the script for their video about the construction and expansion occurring at Liberty.

“When I was informed that we had received the most likes, I was sure that I was getting pranked,” Saxton said. “I guess my major takeaway from the whole experience was that you should never underestimate what you can accomplish when a team pulls together for a common goal.”

According to a Liberty news article, judging for the video competition was conducted by industry leaders and was based on concept, originality, script/screenplay and conveying the spirit of ethics in action in a business environment. Viewer’s choice awards were based on “likes” received by each individual video through YouTube during an allotted competition period.

According to the article, cash prizes of up to $1,000 were given to first place winners in the competition, which was open to U.S. college students of any major and was sponsored by the Lipscomb University Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity.

Students who participated in the competition received hands-on experience in the business world and will carry it into their professions as they prepare for life outside Liberty.

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