DON DIFFINE Economics team wins top award ~·F·r~e Enterprise: The Greatest Story Never Told CUnW :'llowl," a 200-page product of a Harding College economics learn; captured top honors in the Mid-South Regional In– tercollegiate Private Enterprise Education Competition which was concluded May 22 in Oklahoma City. The Harding entry was produced by senior Gregg Marr of Tallahassee, Florida, juniors llobi Roberts of Houston and Sherry Beck of North Little Rock. sophomore Max Thannish of Little Rock and Dr. Don Diffine. assistant professor of economics and the team sponsor. Sweeping a 13-team field from as many colleges and univer– sities from three states, the Harding group won a $1,500 grant for its institution. In addition, Diffine, as the winning sponsor, \":on_ a f-ive-wee!{ trip . to the RepubliC. ot' F'ree-Chlna.-·. --. ~- The competition, which began January 24, was sponsored by the Fidelity Bank National Association, and the initital workshop and final judging were hosted by the American Citizenship Center at Oklahoma Christian College. The 14 teams sent represen– tatives to report on their fourmonth efforts for the final ~udging May 21. A pan,el of JUdges, CQmposed of Okhihoma ~usinessmen, graded the ()resentations for quality of program, use of multimedia and positive feedback on the program. "We at Harding College didn't invent free enterprise," Difline explained, .."but we decide<l' to assume, for at least a,~eme~r, that we had the sole franchise for promoting it.:• 'l)le challenge we gave ourselves was to clnli-e up with positive, objective, responslbJi ways ·~ sell the free en~e story;" The "Free Enterprise" report designed by Har4ing 's team identified more than three dozen problem areas such as '!There is too much emphasis, on the 'free' and not enough emphasis on the 'enterprise'." · Even more strategies were orr.tKI in .tbe to counter the -.ung v p~blems. For example, "BUifneli managers, wt,o may have had good track records in the face of obstacles mtlst now do more thari manag~ - they must also defend." ' e• .. team's report also d ·_ , ~i~ ~ailmore than two dozen mult1meQia projects ac– complished locally and in the .Mid-South. These efforts were aimed at increasing college, community and business awareness and articulation of the respective roles of the businessman, the worker and the consumer. The goal, accotding to Diffine, was to show people the in– ter~t~_.._of•.~£.S_e roles in.. l!n economy in which a person .is "free" to be anything he wants if he is "enterprising" enough. Implem~ntation of these projects was the group's major effort in reaching ils goal. Two of the more visible en– deavors of Harding's economics team are Searcy's Bicentennial billboard - "Free Enterprise: 'the Fuel That Keeps Our Economy Growing" - and the colorful bumper sticker - "Profits Promote Progress." "Both of these slogans stress the fact that when business is healthy and prosperous," Diffine added, "so is the conomy, its producers and consumers en– joying higher standards of living and more material blessings." Searcy Daily Citizen Searcy, Arkansas FIRST PLACE CL to R) Dr. Robert Rowland ' Greg Marr, Robi Roberts and Dr. Don Diffine WINNING ENTRY Private Enterprise Competition sponsored by The American Citizenship Center 0 klahoma City, 0 klahoma (condensed version of 2oo-page rep::::>rt is encl d .t: ose lOr your examination)
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