Ethics Awareness Month
I have mixed views on Martha Stewart’s plight. On the one hand, I feel she’s been unfairly targeted and made an example of by the federal government because she’s a prominent media personality. On the other hand, her pride and an exaggerated sense of entitlement seem to have led her into making unwise and unethical decisions that could lead to the downfall of her billion-dollar empire. If only she’d ‘fessed up to not playing by the rules, she might not now be a convicted felon looking at jail time—all for the risk of losing a mere $40,000, a drop in the bucket compared to her net worth.
It’s easy to feel smug about Martha (and the folks at Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, etc.), knowing that we wouldn’t have made the unethical choices they apparently did. But then there’s that old saying about walking a mile in a person’s shoes before passing judgment. Since March is ethics awareness month, it’s a good time to consider what one would do when faced with an ethical dilemma.
Chris Arhmein, in his article “Is Ethics Training ‘Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing?'” looks the growth of the ethics training “industry” and the value of the predominant theories underlying training programs. What he reveals may be surprising.
March also seems to be workers’ compensation month, at least here at Insurance Journal. And this issue is chock full of great information about the workers’ comp market.
From Tom Slattery’s article, “Workers’ Compensation Pricing Up, Reform Efforts Intensify,” in which he discusses the market’s troubles across the U.S., to our annual workers’ comp directory, to an overview of the workers’ comp systems in the four South Central states—Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, and Janett Kearbey’s advice on selecting a worker’s comp carrier for your clients in our “Parting Shots” column, you’re sure to learn something new about the line.
Rounding out this edition, regular columnists Catherine Oak and Bill Schoeffler examine the ever-popular issue of how much to pay a producer and why, in “Minding Your Business: Producer Compensation Plans.” And Charles Boyle looks at “Lawyers and Reforming the U.S. Legal System,” in an effort to resolve the age-old question, “are lawyers the bane of common man, and the insurance industry?”
Spring is springing and here in the South Central region that means it’s not too hot, not too cold, but JUST right. It’s difficult to stay inside and type away at a word processor, but if you feel the urge to send a note, please do. We’re always glad to hear from our readers.