Saint Michael's senior Benjamin Hodges of Salisbury wins Business Ethics Competition

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Saint Michael's student Benjamin Hodges wins Business Ethics Competition

COLCHESTER, VT (03/26/2012)(readMedia)-- Saint Michael's College senior business student Benjamin Hodges of Salisbury, N.H., , and his teammate, won the Business Ethics Case Competition held March 2, on the Saint Michael's campus. The winning case study was titled "Bunny Butcher: PETA Protests Donna Karan New York." The winning team split the grand prize of $1,000, as well as $150 for being first-round winners.

Benjamin Hodges is the son of David and Joanna Hodges of Salisbury. He graduated from Merrimack Valley High School before coming to Saint Michael's.

Participating competitors who presented case studies included undergraduate student teams from Champlain College, New England College (N.H.), Nichols College (Massachusetts), Saint Michael's College, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, SUNY Potsdam, and the University of Vermont.

Finalists who presented their cases on March 2 included Champlain, New England, Saint Michael's and SUNY Plattsburgh.

Judges for the final round of competition were Doug Hoffer, formerly policy analyst for the city of Burlington, now independent researcher who has done numerous studies for state agencies and various private companies on such topics as livable wages, economic development, renewable energy and more; Jan Marinelli, currently the head of two businesses, Versante, Vermont's premier all-natural bath and body products line, and JN Marinelli, LLC, consulting business working for higher education, business and nonprofits; and Rick Peyser, director of social advocacy and coffee community outreach for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.

The winning case

Hodges's winning case study explained that, "Donna Karan New York has come under fire again from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) regarding the Chinese fur used in its clothing lines, after previously asserting that fur would be eliminated in forthcoming collections."

After advising better management of Karan's Facebook site, the student team said, "Karan should declare via public statement, a new, positive strategy that supports the use of fur in fashion products, condemns the unethical practices of Chinese fur farms, and outlines a strategy to discover humane ways of acquiring furs and [a plan to] audit future suppliers to ensure continued animal respect."

The student winners gave a detailed, powerful presentation of the PETA protests; DKNY's Facebook page; the various stakeholders; alternatives, and a recommendation. They also offered a plan to respond to PETA, by making a public statement supporting the use of fur, but condemning the Chinese Fur Farms, and recommending a search for a humane supplier.

Learn What Matters at Saint Michael's College, The Edmundite Catholic liberal arts college, www.smcvt.edu . Saint Michael's provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead successful, purposeful lives that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's College is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns. Identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nations Best 376 Colleges, and included in the 2012 Fiske Guide to Colleges, Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2012 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

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