StreetLevelEthicsPresentation

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Street-Level Ethics Workshop developed by Chris
Amrhein, AAI, Consultant
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Course Objectives

• To gain insight into ethical behavior
• To understand why the terms ethical and moral
  are quite different (and why confusing them
  presents problems)
• To become familiar with inherent conflicts in
  being ethical (if it werent hard, everyone would
  do it)

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Course Objectives

• To understand the value of a code of ethics
• To gain practice in seeing the ethical dilemmas
  in common insurance situations
• To exercise individual judgment and reasoning in
  addressing ethical dilemmas, relying upon
  accepted ethical approaches and applicable codes
  of ethics

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Morality

• Right vs. Wrong decisions
• From the heart and the brain
• Feels like the right thing
• According to the way I was taught, this IS the
  right thing

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Ethics

• Right vs. right decisions
• Come from the head (intellect)
• Codes of expected behavior
• Approved guidelines
• Derived from morals

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Todays Headlines

• Are they moral or ethical issues?
• Corporate cheating, corruption
• Corporate criminal behavior
• Individual profiteering
• Stock manipulation
• Others?

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A True Moral Crisis Is Not Solvable By an Ethical
Process...Why?
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Because
First Step in Solving Moral Crisis Is to
Determine Right from Wrong -- NOT Right
from Right
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Approaches to Ethical Decisions

• Situation-Based
• Rule-Based
• People-Based

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Situation-Based
What is the best possible outcome given these
circumstances?
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Rule-Based
Follow the rules, and let the chips fall where
they may
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People-Based
Follow the Golden Rule what would you have
others do if faced by the same situation?
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Inherent Weaknesses

• Situation-Based Do the ends justify the means?
• Rule-Based What should the rules be?
• People-Based Who is to say if the moral code of
  the decider is good or bad?
• Codes of Ethics can help overcome weaknesses

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Codes of Ethics

• Provide set, agreed-upon guidelines for the
  behavior of those who adhere to them
• Examples
• American Institute for CPCU
• NAIW
• CPIW

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Questions for Assistance in Ethical Decision
Making

• Deciding Whether the Situation Has Ethical
  Dimensions
• Gathering Information
• Identifying and Evaluating Alternatives
• Reaching the Decision
• Monitoring the Decision

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Case Studies
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Value

• Gain experience in working through possibilities
• Gain comfort in decision making
• Explore differences, consider options in a safe,
  controlled environment
• Practice makes perfect

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Assumptions

• Scenarios must be realistic, not pie in the sky
  purely theoretical discussions
• Work through regular steps do not try to solve
  all problems at once
• Goal is to strengthen your ethical muscles for
  future crises

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Agent Case Studies

• 1 A Friend in Need
• 2 The Case of the Absent Audit

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Underwriter Case Studies

• 3 The Life of a Field Underwriter
• 4 Whos the Fairest of Them All?

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Original Agent Case Studies

• 7 How Low Will You Go?
• 8 The Last Minute Certificate Crunch
• 9 ES When Is Worse Better?
• 10 Wrong Is Wrong, but Right for Client

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Original Underwriter Case Studies

• 11 Schools Out
• 12 Ignorance Can Be Bliss
• 13 He Who Hesitates Gets Lost
• 14 Gone With the Wind

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Original Claim Adjuster Case Studies

• 13 He Who Hesitates Gets Lost
• 14 Gone With the Wind

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Now Go Forth and Be Ethical!!!
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720 Providence Road Suite 100 Malvern, PA
19355-3433Phone [phone] Fax (610)
640-9676 www.aicpcu.org