A Question of Ethics

by John R. Groves, J.D., CPCU, CLU, member, CPCU Society Ethics Committee; counsel, State Farm Group

Raising Awareness for Ethics Awareness Month

In March, the CPCU Society is celebrating Ethics Awareness Month. This month-long event began in 1990 as a joint venture between the CPCU Society and the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters (now known as the AICPCU), and has become one of many worthwhile events deserving

a share of our, and the public’s, attention.

Recognizing Special Events

In the mid-1950s, brothers Bill and Harrison Chase developed a publication titled Chase’s Calendar of Special Events to recognize special events throughout the country. They subsequently absorbed the information the United States Department of Commerce collected from trade associations and other organizations, titled Special Days, Weeks, and Months. Not too surprisingly, many organizations soon wanted inclusion for their sponsored events–and from that point, public interest in recognizing worthy events grew.

Today, special events are also recognized with a Presidential Proclamation–a tradition that began in 1943 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued a Presidential Proclamation designating March as the American Red Cross Month. Once the precedent for such a designation is established, we may assume that the tradition can be continued indefinitely, so long as the organization being honored maintains its favorable public standing and does not disgrace itself through some scandal, abuse, or other wrongdoing.

Developing Awareness for Our Special Event

As CPCUs, we have a stake in enhancing our public standing through our promotion and support of high ethical standards. While Ethics Awareness Month may not as yet have attained the status that comes with a Presidential Proclamation, we can envision that continued adherence to high ethical standards and public service will, in time, provide the gateway for this recognition.

A starting point for raising public awareness about our adherence to high ethical standards and public service should be to define the term "awareness." Just what does this term mean or imply?

The word "awareness" is derived from Old English "waer," a Germanic word that essentially means to be watchful, and the term "gewaer," meaning to become aware of something. In its modern analogue, the German word "wahr" means truth. Thus, awareness denotes a vigilance that brings with it certain knowledge. During Ethics Awareness Month, our national and chapter ethics activities should focus on the behavior we want to instill in ourselves and in others.

Canon 7 of the AICPCU’s Code of Professional Ethics actually calls on CPCUs to assist in improving the

public understanding of insurance and risk management. According to guideline R7.1 of this Code:

A CPCU shall support efforts to provide members of the public with objective information concerning their risk management and insurance needs and the products, services, and techniques which are available to meet their needs.

Similarly, the CPCU Society’s Ethics Code includes the following provision:

A member shall not fail to use his or her full knowledge and ability to perform his or her duties to his or her client or principal.

From these authorities, we can appreciate that a critical element in our adherence to high ethical standards is the knowledge we attain as professionals and its use to satisfy our respective clients’ needs with integrity. Celebrating ethics awareness through special projects, campaigns, and events helps instill the importance of ethics in our careers and in our commitment to abide by the highest ethical standards in all that we do.

What Will Your

Contribution Be?

When the Society celebrates Ethics Awareness Month this March, what will you do to support ethics awareness? Aside from chapter educational and service campaigns that we may participate in, let’s not forget that we owe a commitment to maintain appropriate levels of technical knowledge so that we can each serve our clients’ needs with the utmost integrity.

We should look upon this coming March, and every March, as an opportunity to put on exhibit, if you will, our professional commitments to serve the interests of others ahead of our own, and thereby gain the enhanced public standing all professions and professionals seek. Start planning now–how will you contribute to Ethics Awareness Month this March?

In upcoming issues of the CPCU News, the authorship of the "Question of Ethics" feature will rotate among members of the CPCU Society’s Ethics Committee. If you have suggestions for upcoming

articles or comments about the "Question of Ethics" column, please contact Timothy J. Gephart, CPCU,

Ethics Committee Chairman, at tjg@mlmins.com.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the CPCU Society membership.